Distance: 35.8km (35.8km), time spent: 10:10.
Weather: Overcast and grey, then heavy rain.
Only five days after I returned home from hiking The Pennine Way in England, I left Norway again for another long distance hike. This time I flew to München to hike Der Traumpfad. Also known as the Alpenüberquerung (or the Alps crossing), Der Traumpfad is a long distance trail starting from München in Bavaria to Venezia in Italy. Over the course of its 570km, the trail will take the hikers through some of the best scenery to be found in the Alps and the Dolomites.
München Rathaus, or the city hall.
There is a saying that every journey starts with a dream, whereas for my journey it can be said that it started with someone else’s dream. The trail was designed in the 1970s by Ludwig Grassler, a German alpinist, who dreamt of linking together two of the most iconic destinations in Europe by a hiking trail. The result was Der Traumpfad, or the Dream Way. After reading about the hike, it became my dream too, a dream now turned into reality.
Marienplatz in München, the startingpoint of Der Traumpfad.
The old city gates of Isartor.
As much as this trail is a mountain trek, there is not many mountains to speak of at the beginning of the hike. München, as everybody knows, is located directly in the middle of flat Bavaria, but make no mistake, this is all about mountains. From my hotel, I had walked over to the Marienplatz, the natural starting point of Der Traumpfad. The weather forecast for today was horrible and downright depressing, to the point that I had considered postponing the start. It had rained heavily during the night, with occasional thunder, but now it is only a gloomy grey sky above me. No rain.
The huge Maximilian Kirche seen from the walk next to the river Isar.
Out of München, Der Traumpfad goes through a green park next to the river Isar.
From the old and impressive rathaus at the Marienplatz, every hiker on Der Traumpfad would have to start their hike by walking out of the big city. Thankfully that is a walk not marred by industrial areas or boring suburbs, instead it is a pleasant walk through the old town to the Isar river, passing by the old city gates of Isartor on the way. Once the river is reached, the walk follows a green lung out of the city next to the river.
One of several graphittis on the bridges spanning the Isar, this one with a mighty dragon on it.
A green lung, which is cheerful in a city, but the grey sky hovering over me is far from being cheerful. I refuse to the let that ruin my mood, which is good due to the excitement of having started on another adventure. And it does not rain, although I know that I will not be able to escape it today. I share the path with the occasional person out walking their dog, several joggers and other folks out, maybe on their way to work. Most of the buildings of München is hidden behind the trees next to the river, but sometimes they peek up above the trees, a huge church (Kath. Pfarramt St. Maximilian), houses and every now and then some industrial pipes and towers. Bridges spans the river, but I marvel most of the ornate graphitti on the pillars underneath them. At first the route goes on the Eastern side of the river, but then it crosses over to the Western side on the Marienklausenbrücke.
Forgetting to count the number of bridges to pass under before finally crossing over the Isar river, I mistook this bridge for the Marienklausenbrücke. This is however not the Marienklausenbrücke.
Walking down at the bottom of this small valley next to the river, I could see the top of the houses of nearby villages above.
Der Traumpfad does not follow a single set of waymarks from the start to end, like the many other long distance trails out there does, meaning you have to know which waymarks (if there exists any) to follow between the various places. On this first day, it is mostly the Isartal Verein waymarks that I use. Occasionally yellow arrows appear next to the path, for a part of Der Traumpfad on the first day is also a part of a Jakobweg to Santiago de Compostela through Germany. For me that is a welcome sign, avid pilgrim as I am, especially when they arrive at points where I feel unsure if I am on the right track or not.
The Georgenstein in the Isar river.
The first taste of rain arrives after I have been walking for about two and a half hours. At this time I have not seen any other hikers on the way, although I saw several at the train station when I had my breakfast back in München in the morning. I was unsure of what to expect, but deep inside of me I did not think I would meet anyone on the first days of the walk. As the river gets farther away from the big city, the buildings around retreats longer away from the river. It feels like I am walking at the bottom of a small valley, with the Isar river burrowing itself down in the middle. Sometimes I can see the top of the houses of nearby villages peer up above the valley. The path mostly sticks to the riverside, with occasional detours into the green forest around.
Der Traumpfad finally goes on a narrow footpath through the woods.
In the section that I find the most enjoyable so far, where the trail not only goes on a wide path but also makes use of a narrow wooden path, I spot a strange stone out in the Isar. This is the Georgenstein, a feared obstacle of the rafting times on the river, rising about five meters out of the water. At the top of the boulder there is a shrine to St. George, a legendary Christian saint. After the Georgenstein there is a long and enjoyable walk through a forest.
A yellow arrow, both showing me the correct direction and giving me memories of the Caminos in Spain.
It is a long walk to Wolfratshausen, but if the 35km or so feels too long, it can be broken in two. There are some places along the way that provides accommodation, meaning there are places to get lunch at underways too. I had a coffee break after the first rain at the Gaststätte Brückenwirt, but stop for lunch at the Klosterbräu Stüberl (also providing accommodation) in Schäftlarn. In the middle of the village there is a huge school, which originally was a Benedictine Monastery (founded in 701).
Mariengrotte, a small shrine outside Schäftlarn.
I do not feel that content with the next stretch of the walk, when the trail replaces the river with an elevated canal (the Isarwerkkanal), but it might just be the gloomy and heavy sky above that finally has begun to affect my mood. The sky has definitely turned darker since I left München. I even manage to get on the wrong side of the canal, but to my excuse it must be said that the waymarks that I had been following so far pointed to the way I was going. Back on the right side, I pass by a curious installation where there are several small boxes on poles, each with a button. By pushing the button you get to hear a birdsong, not every button is working.
The school in Schäftlarn, once a Benedictine Monastery.
Crossing over the Ickinger Weir, Der Traumpfad takes an unlikely route, by going through a building on top of the dam. Shortly after leaving the Ickinger Weir, the promised deluge from the weather forecast strikes hard, making me regret not putting on my rain gear while under cover in the building. It pours down, the route that finally turned into a nice and narrow path, becomes wet and slippery. One of the few ascents of the day follows, before a signpost points me to a detour to a viewpoint overlooking the Riemerschmidt Stein, in this weather it almost looks like a marshland.
Looking out over the Isarwerkkanal with dark clouds approaching. I went the wrong way, on the left side of the canal, having to retrace my steps and continue on the right hand side.
A birdsong installation next to the Isarwerkkanal.
Wet, I arrive at the outskirts of Wolfratshausen. Where a man I pass by stops me and points at a sticker on a metal fence post. On the sticker it says 'München Venedig, Traumpfad über die Alpen', it is the first sort of waymark for Der Traumpfad that I see. Normally, I am not overly fond of booking accommodation ahead, but this time I have booked the first five nights in advance (I will get back to that in a later post). In Wolfratshausen I have booked a room at the Gasthof Humplbräu, a quirky, charming and atmospheric guesthouse where I get an old times looking room. I love it. And after the downpour, it feels great to get inside. Somehow fittingly, I end my walk today also at a Marienplatz.
An unlikely route of a hiking path, going through a dam building.
Ickinger Weir, Der Traumpfad goes through the structure above the dam.
There is of course no rest for the weary, as always it is business before pleasure. Tomorrow there are no places along the route to get food, so I have to buy lunch for picnic in advance. Meaning, I have to go out in the rain again, but that also means that I will get to see more of Wolfratshausen. Which appear to be a nice little town. After getting what I need, I take a short walk next to the Loisach river, before crossing over on another weir. The Kastenmühlwehr.
A view of Riemerschmidt Stein through the trees.
When I am back at the gasthof, I can at last get a shower (sic!) and some rest. When it is done, I go down on the creaky floors and stairs to the restaurant, which is nice and cozy. For dinner I order a schnitzel made of roe deer, it tastes good.
Wolfratshausen, the Marienplatz and the Gasthof Humplbräu.
For a trail that solely is about mountains, the first days might feel like an anti-climax. I had hoped to see a glimpse of the mountains far away in the horizon when walking, but that was before I flew down to Germany. With the weather of today there was no hope of that, but I do no think I would have seen them in good weather either. Overall, I was satisfied with the walk today. It was quite pleasant at times, but it must also be said that there was some less interesting parts. Anyway, I am one step closer to the mountains now.
Inside the Gasthof Humplbräu.
Bad Tölz // day 2 >>
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