Distance: 30.9km (66.7km), time spent: 7:55.
Weather: Overcast and grey.
There are no mountains to cross over or any steep ascents to speak of on the second stage of Der Traumpfad either. Although there are some undulations in an otherwise flat landscape. And there is no escaping the river Isar too, yet. Also another day with a predefined endpoint, Bad Tölz.
In Wolfratshausen at the start of my walk today, getting back to the trail on a bridge crossing over the Loisach river.
I eat my breakfast and go in search for the way out of Wolfratshausen. Which is easier said than done. Eventually I find my way out of the town. Once again the Isartal Verein waymarks will be my guiding stars, and I have been warned that there are no yellow arrows to help me out this time.
The route after Wolfratshausen goes on a forest track, passing by religious icons on the way.
Speaking of finding the way. One of the preparations I did for this trek was to get hold of and arrange maps for the trail. The problem was that carrying all the maps needed meant taking up too much space and weight. In order to narrow them down, I scanned all the necessary maps. From the stored pictures, I cut out only the parts of the maps that I needed, which are the parts that contained the route. Then I made several collages out of the map fragments and printed out the result. When I was finished, I was left with a lot less paper. And as soon I no longer need a paper (or map), I can discard it.
On a disappearing path, here I took the wrong path, but it eventually rejoined the correct route.
Isar river.
If you buy the guidebook from Cicerone by John Hayes, you can download the whole trail as GPX tracks to use on your GPS or phone. Although my previous experience of those tracks was not that good, so I wanted to be on the safe side. Which I was right about, only a few of the tracks that I have downloaded seems to work on my GPS (however, I believe this to be a problem with my GPS and not the GPX tracks though). Anyway, I do prefer to use normal maps and compass over GPS.
A statue passed by, looking like a woodwose or something made of stone.
In the morning the sky had shown a promise of better weather, but it never materializes. Once out of Wolfratshausen, the clouds are circling in again. The trail returns to the Isar river, but not near enough to actually see the river, from behind the trees I can only hear it. It is a pleasant enough forest track at the beginning.
The only climb of a size on the walk today.
Despite my maps, finding the way is more confusing today. The small yellow Isartal Verein waymarks (usually just ITV on the signs) are quite elusive at times. After the wide forest track spits me out on a street, I can only thank a keen eye for spotting the little sign pointing back into the woods again later. This time the path becomes narrow and includes quite a lot of twists and turns. At some time the path is so small that it almost disappears in the vegetation, so I loose my way, only to be reunited with the path later on.
Broken views of the landscape around the Isar river.
Another time, the route suddenly veers of away from the river, intentionally or unintentionally, making me wonder if I go the wrong way. Only after some time, with no proof of being on the correct way before the path returns to the river and reassures me again. At a gate leading to private property, I am unable to see the little path turning away from the gate, making me turn back to look for a junction that does not exist, a ghost junction. Only when I get back and walks close to the gate do I see the little path.
The path going through a meadow in the woods.
I pass by old bunkers from the second world war. Before going astray on the tiny path, I could hear heavy and quick steps approaching from behind. It is the first other Traumpfad hiker that I meet and we just looks quizzical at each other before he rapidly disappears ahead of me. A rather strange moment. I meet him again later, this time getting to talk a little bit with him. He plans to camp along the way most of the time (I will return to this topic in a later post), and plans to find a place to camp before Bad Tölz today.
The Seidlkreuz standing in a lonely meadow.
After getting mildly lost the first time, I sat down by the river for a break with the water running past below my feet. On this section there is also a part of the path that has been taken by the river, so I have to go a short shortcut around. The only significant climb of the day, if it can be called so, is about half-way to Bad Tölz. Here there are some views of the river below and the farm landscape behind, but the views are all broken, blocked by trees. Benches are available at this point, making it a good spot for lunch. The descent is surprisingly steep and then I walk through the woods on a pale path, ending in an open meadow between the trees where a cross is standing on the other side of the field, the Seildkreuz.
Another roadside icon, I passed by several of these on this day.
If lucky with the weather, I should have been able to see the Alps today, the first glimpse of them. Only that all I see are some minor hills vanishing into the clouds. This is after I have walked straight through the courtyard of a farm, whereafter the trail goes on the longest roadwalk of the day. The road takes me through a couple of small hamlets, all of them containing houses built in a traditional Bavarian style, fascinating. Despite the hard surface and depressing sky, the walk is strangely enjoyable as it goes out in an open and undulating landscape.
Going through the small hamlet of Rimslrain with a small chapel.
Hills at last, on the roadwalk before Bad Tölz through open and undulating farmland.
Then I take a wrong turn at a road junction, finding myself at another junction and have no clue as to where to go from there, but looking closely at my map I believe I know where I am. Instead of going back, I opt to just follow the road going south, as I see that the trail will join the same road later. This plan goes astray when I feel guilty upon seeing a roadsign pointing to a place the route goes through, so I follows that road back to the trail again, joining it a a tiny chapel. A vague path leads from the chapel through some fields, passes by a farm before another track brings me down to the road. Which I follow almost all the way to Bad Tölz, leaving it after having walked past the Isarstausee lake.
A tiny chapel in the tiny hamlet of Abberg.
The Isarstausee, Der Traumpfad goes next to this lake before leaving the road joining a small promenade into Bad Tölz.
Bad Tölz is known for its spas, historic medieval town centre and wonderful views of the Alps, which I am of course obstructed from seeing. The town looks beautiful at first glance, but that glory comes with a certain price for a hiker though. It is a magnet for regular tourists too. I had checked out two places to stay at here, Hotel Kolbergarten and Posthotel Kolberbräu. Deciding upon the latter (Kolberbräu), mostly given the price, I am surprised to be told that I have got a room in the other one (Kolbergarten). Run by the same people then I guess. My bed is a narrow and creaky cradle-looking bed. Quirkily charming this hotel too.
Bad Tölz.
Upon arriving I had seen the church at the top of the hill above the town, said to myself that I would not go up, but I went up anyway. It was a good choice, there are some breaks in the clouds, maybe a promise of better weather. Which is great, the mountains are closer now, I can see the foot of them in the dramatic sky. Dark and foreboding almost. A serene place, up here at the Kalvarienbergkirche.
The Kalvarienbergkirche above Bad Tölz.
View from the Kalvarienbergkirche.
I have dinner at an Italian place, where I feel stuffed away a little bit. Walking through the streets with old houses is a pleasure, it is a town worth spending some time in. In the bierstube at my hotel I can hear a familiar language between the murmur of the guests, people from Denmark. In the evening I return to my room where I sit down and rest with some snacks. A strange day really, a necessary stage to get another step closer to the Alps and the purpose though. Essentially a quite boring walk, but at the same somewhat interesting, given the nature of this hike.
Evening in Bad Tölz.
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