Two weeks ago a group of Googlers went on another hike (previous ones were to Trainsjoch and Kampenwand). This time we agreed on a two day hike from Hochzirl up on Großer Solstein (tour #25 from Mit Bahn und Bus in die Münchner Berge. 50 Touren zwischen Füssen und Berchtesgaden).
We planned to meet Saturday morning 9:00. I used the opportunity to prove beyond all doubt that I still couldn’t find my way around Munich without the help of a GPS and arrived late. After 2 hours of light traffic we arrived in Hochzirl where we parked just a few meters away from the train station.
Hochzirl to Neue Magdeburger Hütte
The trail began at the far end of the train platform and rose slowly between trees and fern.
The only tricky part the whole two days was when we crossed a dirt road after about 30 minutes and followed the signs to Magdeburger Hütte. These signs would have led us there but via the dirt road. Fortunately Mike noticed the problem and found a way to get us back to the intended path with minimal overhead.
At the Kirchberger Alm we were back on the intended track. At a tiny chapel we turned left/uphill and followed a tiny path. Partially shaded by trees but we still suffered in the midday heat anyway. We allowed ourselves the first rest at a tiny bench. The break suddenly ended when Steffi’s backpack decided to roll back downhill and into a small gulch but is stopped by scrub after about 50 meteres.
It takes us only about 30 more minutes to reach the Neue Magdeburger Hütte, the DAV hut where we planned to stay for the night.
Right next to the hut is an enclosure where sheep and lamas are kept. I’m not sure if this was some kind of weird breeding experiment but the next morning we could observe a desperate sheep trying to mount a lama (and even shot a video) – we couldn’t decided if the result should be called a leep or a shama, my favorite was shama.
Kirchberger Köpfle
After another well deserved break and a refreshing Radler we continued south-east up to Kirchberger Köpfle and from there a few minutes further to the summit of Hechenberg. This is a smaller peak north of the Inn valley and it provided beautiful but a little hazy views over Innsbruck, up to the Brenner pass and east/west through the valley. By now I was hungry and couldn’t wait to get back down to the Neue Magdeburger Hütte.
As usual, the food at the hut was great. I love hiking but getting a Kaiserschmarrn at the end of the day makes it even more enjoyable. The evening would have been even better without an older lady constantly playing folk tunes on her accordion. This noise continued at least until 22:00 when we went to bed and my ear plugs helped me fall asleep.
Großer Solstein
After the noisy evening I was surprised that I could sleep until 7:30 without any disturbance. After I basic breakfast (bread, marmalade, good coffee) I noticed that fancier food would have been available but there wasn’t enough time to order a serving of bacon and eggs… Instead we quickly packed and left the hut a little after 9:00.
We turned left, passed the stables again and follow the signs toward “Großer und Kleiner Solstein” via Wörgltal. Right from the start the trail went steep uphill. The morning air was cool and most of the time we were still in the shade. So it was hard but not as bad as scrawling uphill in the burning sun the day before.
After about 90 minutes we left the shade of the mountain pines and continued to climb uphill over rocky terrain. Most of the trail was easy but some parts went over loose rubble where a single false step could have led to a very painful slide down the mountain.
We made it past these tricky parts and were rewarded with great views of Innsbruck and beyond.
We were moving slowly uphill and it took us nearly 3½ hours to reach the saddle between Großer and Kleiner Solstein.
The guide book promised the chance to see chamois or ibex but we were not that lucky. But at least the view north to the Karwendel was great. I spent some time trying to locate the Birkarspitze but failed. The view got even better after we covered the final 15 minutes to get to the summit of Großer Solstein. Here we spent some time recuperating from the ascent and enjoying the sun.
The way down was as tricky as the way up. The path was partially covered with rubble and we had to be careful not to slip. Soon the Solsteinhaus was visible but to our disappointment it took quite some time to climb 900m back down.
After another long break we headed back down towards Hochzirl. At first we were pretty fast and it looked like we were able to make it in the advertised 2 hours. But Mike developed some blisters. Heroically he kept on walking. I don’t really know how he did it after he showed us the egg sized blisters on both feed when we finally reached the cars.
Luckily, traffic back to Munich was light and we made it back home in only 90 minutes. After I dropped off my passengers I rushed home. Dead tired fell into my bed and was asleep within seconds.