Sierra Club Outings | Trekking in the Bavarian and Tyrolean Alps, Germany and Austria

Trekking in the Bavarian and Tyrolean Alps, Germany and Austria
June 29-July 9, 2009

Highlights:

Trek for three days in the Berchtesgaden National Park at the peak of wildflower season
Trek through Austria’s Oetztal Alps with stunning view of glaciers
Sightsee in Salzburg, the city of Mozart
Enjoy delicious Bavarian and Austrian cuisine and beer

Includes:

Hut and hotel lodging
Breakfast and dinners
All on trip transportation

The first part of our adventure begins in the Berchtesgaden, in the southeast corner of Bavaria, only a few miles from the German-Austrian boarder. The Berchtesgaden Nationalpark, which is Germany’s only national park in the Alps, surrounds Lake Koenigsee and the impressive Watzmann mountain range. Lake Koenigsee, nestled like a fjord below the 7,000 feet high east face of Mount Watzmann, reaches a depth of more than 600 feet and is Germany’s deepest and cleanest lake. During our 3-day hut-to-hut trek we circumnavigate Mount Watzmann and cross the Steinerne Meer, a high mountain plateau above treeline. It is made of limestone with its typical features such as ponds, small lakes, underground springs, caves and rock formations.

After finishing our first trek, we will spend one day sightseeing in Salzburg, which is just a few miles from Berchtesgaden across the Austrian boarder. The town is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and hosts of one of the world’s most renowned theater and music festivals. Salzburg also features some of the best cuisine in Europe.

For the second part of our trip, we will travel to the small, remote mountain village of Vent in Austria (Tyrol), where we will explore the high scenery of the Oetztal Alps during our 2-day hut trek. This is the place where Oetzi, the 5,000 year old iceman mummy was discovered. The highest peaks near the Austrian-Italian border rise above 12,000 feet; most of them are still heavily glaciated.

In late June and early July, we can expect the alpine meadows and pastures to be filled with wildflowers (gentian, alpenroses, edelweiss) in full bloom. We will spend six nights in family run 3-star hotels and four nights in mountain huts that are owned and run by the German Alpine Club (DAV).

Day 1: We meet in the morning at the central railway station in downtown Munich. Participants need to plan their travel so that they arrive in Munich at least one day before the trip starts and are advised to stay at a hotel in the downtown area the night before we meet (this is not included in the trip price). From Munich we will take a 3 hour train ride to Berchtesgaden (at 1,900 feet), where we settle into our hotel. There will be the opportunity for food shopping at a local supermarket. We will have dinner in our hotel in the evening.
Accommodation: hotel (Berchtesgaden).

Day 2: Our 3-day trek through the Berchtesgaden Alps starts with a 30 minute ride in one of the electric non-polluting boats across Lake Koenigsee to the famous St. Bartholomae church, which is located at the bottom of the 7,000 ft. high east face of Watzmann mountain. After a short visit of the church we start our hike, ascending steeply about 3,300 feet to the Kaerlinger Haus (at 5,400 feet), nestled near a small alpine lake at the shoulder of the Watzmann, where we spend the night.
Accommodation: mountain hut (Kaerlinger Haus).

Day 3: We climb about 2,500 feet to the crest of the Steinerne Meer mountain range crossing into Austria. We are traversing the high limestone plateau of the Steinerne Meer to our next destination, the Ingolstaedter Haus (at 7,000 feet elevation). Time and weather permitting, there will be an optional ascent to the summit of Grosse Hundstod (at 8,300 feet).
Accommodation: mountain hut (Ingolstaedter Haus).

Day 4: We finish the traverse of the Steinerne Meer and then descend through the long and narrow Wimbachklamm gorge. On the way we might stop for lunch at the Wimbachschloss, which was used as a hunting castle by the Bavarian kings during the 19th century. After a short bus ride we arrive back in our hotel in Berchtesgaden.
Accommodation: hotel (Berchtesgaden).

Day 5: A well deserved rest day. We take a short bus ride into Salzburg for a guided tour through the city in the morning. During the afternoon you will have the opportunity for shopping or sightseeing on your own, before returning to Berchtesgaden. Before or after dinner you might want to soak in Berchtesgaden’s famous hot spa, the Watzmanntherme.
Accommodation: hotel (Berchtesgaden).

Day 6: We travel by bus into Tyrol, Austria to the small mountain village of Vent (at 6,300 feet), which is located at the road’s end of a remote valley at the center of the high Oetztal Alps. We spend the night in a comfortable hotel.
Accommodation: hotel (Vent).

Day 7 - 8: We take the well-graded trail to Martin-Busch-Huette at (8,300 feet), the base hut for many mountaineering ascents in the Oetztal Alps. The further agenda will depend largely on weather and early summer snow conditions. If both are favorable we will climb to the summit of Kreuzspitze (at 11,400 feet elevation), the highest ice free mountain ascent within the whole Alps. The panoramic views are unsurpassed reaching from the vast ice fields of the Oetztal Alps into the Italian Dolomites and the Swiss Alps. Another option includes a hike to the Tisenjoch (at 10,600 feet), a notch at the bottom of the Similaun mountain at the Austrian-Italian border. This is the location where in 1991 two hikers discovered the iceman mummy while taking a rest break. We likely stop for lunch at the Similaunhuette and watch the climbers on the glacier below the Similaun mountain. We spend the night of day 7 at Martin-Busch-Huette and return to our hotel in Vent at the end of day 8.
Accommodations: mountain hut on day 7 (Martin-Busch-Huette), hotel on day 8 (Vent).

Day 9-10: Our second trek in the Oetztal Alps starts at the small town of Obergurgl (at 6,300 feet elevation) and will take us to the Gurgler Ferner, one of the major glaciers flowing down from the central Alp crest. We will spend the night of day 9 at the cozy Ramolhaus (t 10,000 ft. elevation). It is built at the top of a rock outcropping with stunning views of the glacier below and the high snow covered peaks of the central Alp crest in the background. At the end of day 10 we will settle back into our hotel in Vent, perhaps take a soak in the whirlpool and celebrate the completion of our treks with a tasty dinner.
Accommodations: mountain hut on day 9 (Ramolhaus), hotel on day 10 (Vent).

Day 11: Our trip ends. After breakfast we take taxi-bus-train to Munich arriving at the airport by early-mid afternoon.

Please note that this itinerary is to be regarded as preliminary. It depends on weather, early summer snow conditions, group progress and availability of accommodations. Unforeseen circumstances might necessitate adjustments or changes of the planned routes.

Our hotels in Berchtesgaden, Germany (Days 1, 4, 5) and Vent, Austria (Days 6, 8, 10) are very comfortable family run three star inns with breakfast and dinner included, known in Europe as half boarding. Rooms are double occupancy and are all equipped with shower and bathroom. Participants who prefer a single room and are willing to pay the difference should contact the leader well in advance and check for availability.

Breakfasts in the hotels are buffet style and a typical selection includes coffee, tea, fruit juice, muesli, yogurt, homemade rolls and bread, butter, fruit preserves, German style sausage, cheese, and eggs.

For dinners at the hotels, we can expect a 3-course menu selection consisting of hearty local cuisine. Bavaria itself is renowned for world class beers. Common dishes here are roasted or braised meat (mainly pork, but you also find beef, veal, poultry and game), dumplings made of potatoes or bread, potato salad, hearty sauces and soups, and, last but not least, sauerkraut. Desserts include ice cream and a large variety of cakes, including the famous apple strudel.

During our hut treks (Days 2, 3, 7, 9) we will stay in mountain huts that are owned and run by the German Alpine Club (DAV). Accommodations are bunk beds. The size of the coed rooms generally varies between and 6 and 20 people. Blankets and pillows are provided, but participants need to bring their own bed sheet (Youth Hostel type sleeping sack). The huts have flush toilets and running cold water. Some of them have pay showers. A limited selection of simple meals and drinks (coffee, tea, beer, mineral water) is offered for dinner and breakfast.

All breakfasts, dinner meals and tips are included in the trip price. Participants will pay for all their own lunches, snacks and drinks. There will be the opportunity for shopping in local town supermarkets before each trek. Lunches and drinks can also be purchased in the mountain huts.

On a typical day, we will have breakfast at 7:30 a.m., be on the trail by 8:30 a.m. and hike till mid – late afternoon. Inclement weather may necessitate an adjustment of our plans.

All hiking is on marked and maintained trails. Some sections, at higher elevations, involve crossing talus or scree, which may be steep, rocky and narrow. Sometimes you will need to use your hands or hold on to a cable or fixed metal rope. Crossings of snow patches are possible. All major creek crossings have bridges.

To enjoy this outing, all participants need to be fit, in very good physical condition and health and be accustomed to hikes that last a full day. You should be able to walk on terrain with rough, uneven footing at a rate of 2+ miles per hour if there is no elevation change involved, and ascend at a rate of 1000+ feet per hour on steep terrain. You need to be able to sustain this pace over the course of 5-6 hours without getting fatigued. Please check your abilities accordingly before considering this trip and contact the leader with any questions or concerns.

The weather in the Bavarian and Tyrolean Alps during summer is unpredictable; comparable to places such as the Canadian Rockies, the Pacific Northwest or Southern Alaska. Any single day may include sunny, warm or hot temperatures, heavy rain, high winds and, at higher elevations, subfreezing temperatures. Snow can fall at any time of the year. Weather and temperature changes can be drastic and occur very rapidly. Extended periods of rainy days are possible. Good rain gear (Gore Tex parka and pants), a warm fleece or wool jacket, warm hat and gloves, long underwear, non-cotton clothes, sunscreen and sun hat are absolutely essential.

You will need to carry a small overnight pack that fits a change of hiking clothes, comfortable clothing for the hut, water, lunch and snacks and a bed sheet (Youth Hostel type sleeping linen sack, but not a heavy camping sleeping bag). You will not carry any tents, mattresses or cooking gear.

All participants need to wear sturdy, leather-type hiking boots with good ankle support, which have been well broken-in before the trip.

Collapsible hiking poles are highly recommended. They were invented for hiking in the Alps and are helpful when descending steep trails, especially if you have experienced problems with your knees.

Both the Berchtesgaden Alps and parts of the Oetztal Alps belong to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Program, which protects areas in which stretches of natural and cultural landscape occur next to one another.

Within the last 50-100 years, the glaciers of the central crest in the Oetztal Alps have been melting at an accelerated rate. This is an excellent example of the impact of global warming. If anyone still doubts if warming of the Earth’s atmosphere is real, this is the best place to look.

We will also talk about conservational activities of the German Alpine Club (DAV), the organization which maintains most of the trails and huts in the German and Austrian Alps.

This trip requires a $200 per-person deposit. An additional payment of $300 per person is due six months prior to trip departure. International trip prices are subject to change and are based on double-occupancy or group accommodations as described above. Single rooms may not be available or may cost more than the listed price. If you have any questions regarding double occupancy, please contact the trip leader.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

The Sierra Club accurately and fairly budgets and prices our trips. However, unforeseen costs such as devaluation of the dollar compared to other currencies and fuel surcharges assessed by our international providers may necessitate adjustment in trip price. We will make every effort to mitigate and absorb these fees. If a price increase is necessary, however, you will have 14 days after announcement to cancel without penalty.

Thomas Meissner was born in Germany and lived there for 30 years. He has vacationed many times in the areas we visit on our trip.

After coming to the US in 1992 Thomas has been hiking, trekking and backpacking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the American and Canadian Rockies, the Southwest, the Appalachian Mountains and in New Zealand. This includes a through-hike of the John Muir Trail, and several large sections of the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail. He has led more than 70 backpack trips for the Sierra Club in California and is certified as a Wilderness First Responder.

Thomas lives in Santa Rosa, California and works as scientist measuring weather and climate data on the Earth from satellite observations. He is fluent in both English and German and will of course share all his knowledge of local culture, history, cuisine and beer selections with the group.

Cathy Dezendorf has been leading Sierra Club National Outings backpack trips in California's Sierra Nevada mountains since 1996. She also leads snow camping, hut and hostel trips for the San Francisco Bay Chapter backpack section and is certified as a Wilderness First Responder. A hiking trip to Spain a few years back convinced her that it was time to expand her horizons and she looks forward to new adventures as an International Outings leader. This will be her second summer hiking in the Alps.

After growing up in Oregon, Cathy moved to Northern California in the early 70's and raised her family just a few minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge. She loves to take early morning walks in the Marin Headlands before heading off to work as a sales rep.