Who would have thought that we would travel farther than Garmisch to reach the mountains. But we did. Two full train stops beyond Garmisch lies Mittenwald.
Friday (17.7.)
We arrive late but are warmly welcomed by our hosts in the Pension Bavaria – a small guest house on the south side of town. We drop of our backpacks and start to search for a place that still has food past 8pm. We find the Postkeller, where we just barely make the kitchen deadline (by two minutes)
Saturday (18.7.)
We sleep in. Breakfast is plentiful. We explore the town a bit in the morning. The center is quite beautiful. Old, painted houses everywhere. We visit the violin museum. Mittenwald was and still ia the center of violin cobstruction in Germany (there still is a university of applied sciences).
After the museum, we hike towards Rehberg, past the military facilities. We make it a bit past Aschaualm. The path towards the south becomes quite steep. We use the opportunity to do some qalking training but turn around.
We have ice cream in town and head back to our hotel. We brought a bottle of champagne, which we enjoy on our balcony while enjoying the view towards Tirol.
For dinner, we found a special treat, the Marktrestaurant in Mittenwald. The restaurant actuaöly got a (well deserved) Michellin Star. The food is a modern take on local Karwendel cuisine. We have a beautiful evening and some fun with the owner and head chef.
Sunday (19.07.)
Today is game day. I plan to climb the Westliche Karwendelspitze, a 2.385m peak that towers above Mittenwald.
The trail starts at the cable car station and quickly winds upqards ghrough the forrest. There are a few Sunday walkers out and about. I swiftly pass them… and am fully drenched in sweat 30min into the hike. Its a pleasant and easy trail. Trees part every once in a while and I can see Mittenwald below.
After only 1:10h, I reach the Mittenwalder Hütte. That is a ölace with a view. As I brouht snacks, I setup camp right above the hut. I relax and enjoy the view.
Mittenwalder Hütte separates the hikers from the mountaineers (not really, but it feels this way). Past the customary DAV warning sign, the trail narrows and climbs upward still through the trees. I safely pass the area offallong rocks and have little use for ladders, iron bolts and ropes on this first section.
The path turns left and crosses the northern wall of Karwendelspitze. Here, the trail becomes a bit interesting, i.e. narrow with nice views into the valley below. Not difficult but requires concentration. Ropes are a welcome support on the even steeper parts. I need to use hands here and there.
The trail turns upward almost directly underneath the cable car. It becomes quite steep and I need to use my hands frequently.
My legs are getting tired and the last 200m of elevation drag on a bit. But the view into the valley becomes more beautiful with every step.
As the trail runs into the little Kar, it becomes increasingly rocky. I find the “Rote Gams”, which my host mentioned. But I forgot, why it is important.
Luckily its only a few minutes until I see Michi waving from the Karwendelgrube. Nice climb.
Of course, I want to climb the peak as well. I gake the via ferrata to avoid the crowds from the cable car. The start of the via ferrata is a bit tougher than I thought. But then its a nice walk along the shoulder between the two valleys (Mittenwald and Karwendel). I am a bit disappointed when I realize that the via ferrata does not reach the peak directly but meets the normal trail a few meters below the peak. No problem, not too many people here.
Michi made a nice foto series:
As it fogs up, I put my entry into the summit book (realizing that I forgot todays date), and hike down.
Michi and I habe drinks and whatever is left in the kitchen (Obazda, everything else). Then we take an overcrowded cable car down.In Mittenwald, we have one more ice cream and take the (also crowded) train back to Munich.
