Distance: 19.1km (107.6km), time spent: 8:06.
Weather: Overcast and misty, some sunny, then cloudy.
Had trouble getting to sleep last night, and when I finally got to sleep, I was woken up by the youths making sounds outside. Not the best preparation for the second day of proper hiking then. Outside, the weather is stable, that is, it is the same as it has been for the last three days. A heavy blanket of clouds. Breakfast at the cabin consists of a good, but heavy, bread, with various toppings, yoghurt and coffee or tea. Solid, and quite good.
Leaving Tutzinger Hütte in the mist, with the north face of the Benediktenwand towering behind the thin clouds.
As told yesterday, I have a fixed destination for today. The walk there, to Vorderriß, is more or less another stage engineered to bring you closer to the Alps. Benediktenwand is more of an appetizer to count, but a great appetizer as that. On the positive side, the stage is said to be nothing close to the flat scenery of earlier, but will involve more forest walking. I am excited as I leave the Tutzinger Hütte and disappear into the mist outside.
The north face of Benediktenwand and a reminder that there is a sun out there.
A path above clouds, on the way up to the summit of Benediktenwand.
Yesterday, I had not hiked up to the summit of Benediktenwand. One reason partly being that the trail does not cross over the summit itself, but descends down towards the Tutzinger Hütte. The main reason was that I did not believe I would be seeing anything different from the summit than what I had already seen, given the low layer of clouds. I had also a little hope that it would be better today, which it is not. Going up would mean the view would be the same as today, and that is the argument I have with myself while I climb up through the landscape in mist. To go or not to go.
The Benediktenwand ridge. Looking back in the direction I came from yesterday, with clouds flowing fast over the ridge.
At the junction where the path goes up towards the summit, a decision has been made. I will go up, believing it to be a motivational booster for the walk today to see the sun. Climbing up will add about one hour and half according to the guidebook (including going down again). I climb up on a meandering path, emerging yet again above the clouds, greeted by the sun. Wonderful. When I reach the summit with its cross, at 1801m, I feel elevated again.
The highlight of the day, an ibex at the summit of Binediktenwand.
The view is still great (although I would like to have seen it without the clouds too), still the same, but more dramatic. Looking back towards the ridge that I walked over yesterday, I can see the clouds are higher up than then and it is more windy, the clouds are flowing fast over the ridge from one side to the other. I meet a woman who has slept out underneath the stars next to the cross. Great, too bad that I have not brought with me any equipment to do that. Best of all the views up there, is the view of the ibex sitting leisurely near the summit. Then it looks calmly at us, rises and walks elegantly down from the top. Far more elegant than I do afterwards.
Ibex standing on the path on the descent from Benediktenwand.
A winding descent through the woods.
Back at the junction, the trail heads down into the forest and mist. Wisps of smoke are drifting through the trees and so are the ibex. Many of them. They do not let me get close to them, but still at only a couple of metres away they do feel almost tame. The lack of blue sky today does not affect the scenery as much as it did earlier, as most of the path goes through woods. There are little or none views at all on the way down, only a few times are there windows, through them I can spot a landscape clad in trees and some very few farms between. The path is mostly good, but sometimes it is slippery, like it has been raining.
Misty views.
Leaving the darkest and most enclosing part of the woods and descent, the trail enters a forested valley opening up for my eyes, quite steep at times. Next to the path are some forgotten looking mountain farms and several nice waterfalls. The walk is really enjoyable, if it had not been for the pain I suddenly starts to feel in my feet. A pain I cannot understand why I get. Strain from my Pennine Way hike, now beginning to emerge? Too much flat walking in my mountain boots before finally climbing? Difficult to say, but at the bottom of all the waterfalls (at Glasbach Wasserfall) I find a bench, looking deliberately put there so I can rest my feet.
Opening view above the valley the Glasbach Wasserfall runs through, Lainlam at the bottom of the valley.
Descent towards Lainlalm.
Jachenau is sort of the midpoint of the hike today, but before I get there, I finish the descent from the Benediktenwand. Still hidden in the clouds above me. There is a small farm at the end of the climb down, where the trail meets a forest track, selling refreshments, Lainlalm. Cozy inside. Resting with a coffee (outside), I meet two women (German and Dutch) who are on their way to the Tutzinger Hütte, in preparation for a hike in Africa. From the farm, I have to walk a little on the forest track, before leaving it for a pleasant forest path all the way down to Jachenau.
Glasbach waterfalls.
In Jachenau, I am well beneath the clouds again. A pleasant little village with the Rathaus (town hall) well adorned with murals depicting various old carriages and shepherds out herding their flock. I have lunch at the Schützenhaus, schinkennudel mit ei. Loosening the laces of my shoes has helped, my feet feel better.
Inside the cozy farm Lainlalm.
The trail leaves Jachenau by way of several fields, with a little uncertainty as to where the path goes (but the signpost pointing out into the fields had Venedig written on it). A dog at a quite huge farm comes a little bit too close for my comfort, its eyes not the most friendliest I have seen. Uncertainty is also what I face when the trail heads up into the hills and forests, but I find the correct path. As soon as the vague and narrow path has been confirmed to be the correct one, it slowly changes to be a wide forest path. Only by taking the narrow path shall you find the correct way?
Jachenau Rathaus (town hall).
Looking back towards the mountains after leaving Jachenau.
Despite not going as high up as the traverse over the Benediktenwand, the hike over this mountain towards Vorderriß, has more of a remote feeling to it. Or a more modest and solemn feeling. The wide path makes it way upward with the trees blocking the view down. Junctions gives various choices of where to go towards Vorderriß. If you do not know which of them is Der Traumpfad, you will get to the correct destination probably, but might not be following the correct path. On the signposts I can also read that there is pilgrim road crossing over here (pilgernweg).
Ascent from Jachenau.
I have not seen anyone of the others that I met yesterday, whom also are hiking Der Traumpfad, but I believe they wanted to start earlier than me. In fact, I have been hiking all alone for most the day today, only briefly meeting other people, on the last part down to Jachenau. Here I walk all alone. The only signs of other people are the smoke rising from the chimney at the Lainer Alm, another small lonesome farm located in the middle of a green meadow. A sign advertise that they are selling refreshments and something to eat, and that they have buttermilk.
Lainer Alm, smoke rising from the chimney.
A short walk through another section of trees in the forest brings me to another alm, Luitpolder Alm. All empty and quiet here. From here, care is needed to find the correct way and I cannot hide that at a time I begin to wonder if I have taken the right path. Signposts are meagre. A forest track not marked on my map comes in from the right, but then one of the extremely few waymarkers of the path (490) I am to follow appear. All of the sudden, and all is well.
Another religious icon found next to the path.
The climb down to Vorderriß from the Rißsattel is the most anticipated descent today, being described as the first of several knee-crunching descents on Der Traumpfad. Through windows between the trees I can look down at the Risßach river, running down the valley I will be walking up tomorrow. The Alps are dark shadows at the end of the view. The river is a pale and winding thread through the landscape, mirroring the color on the sky. Even with an icon passed by on the path, depicting a man that has fallen down and with a tree fallen on top of him, is the descent anything but a good and solid path. No slipping, no treacherous surface, just good walking. Emerging out of the woods onto a road, I walk the few metres to the charming looking Gasthaus Post Vorderriß.
View of the Risßach river from the Rißsattel.
All the others have already arrived, I meet them on the outside restaurant. A pleasant evening, despite that they spoke a little too much German between them (I do not speak German). The weather is supposed to be better tomorrow, but there are warnings of a thunderstorm in the evening. When I booked the place, I looked at the pictures from the gasthaus, it looked very cozy inside, but the room that I had seen on the website is closed. Anyway, it is good to sit outside. Surprisingly enough, they close early, so I retreat to my room where I relax and eat the rest of the potato chips that I had brough with me from Bad Tölz.
Good path to Vorderriß.
A good day all in all, mostly an atmospheric hike through forests. Still, the highlight was the climb up to the summit of Benediktenwand with the ibex. Tomorrow I begin the first proper climb into the Alps (the Karwendel Alps).
Gasthaus Post Vorderriß.
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