On Saturday weather was still great, blue sky and way too good to sit in the car. Late Saturday evening sometime between 23:00 and 0:00 we pitch our tent. At that time we were about 2 hours north of Oslo and had found a small but nice rest area with some grass away from the street.

Our plan was to hike a tour described in Norwegen: Jotunheimen by Tonia Körner as “Große Rundtour Jotunheimen”, a six day hike. We added another 4 days in our planning for unscheduled side trips.

This is the first part covering the first two days from Gjendesheim over Memurubu to Gjendebu.

Sunday: Gjendesheim-Memurubu

Sunday morning the sky was no longer blue but cloudy instead. The skin of our tent looked like we had some rain during the night (the few hours will a little less light than daytime, I don’t know if I should really call that a night). After a short breakfast we hopped into the car and covered the last two hours to Jotunheimen.

Jotunheimen looks like a huge pile of rocks. Add a few million years of erosion, top with a handful of glaciers and you are done. Beautiful mountain landscape with many rivers and lakes in between.

We parked just off Highway 51 at a long-term parking lot about 2km away from Gjendesheim (70 NOK per day). It was already raining a little for some time. Just when we were getting our packs out of the trunk and packed the last few pieces it started to pour down. So in a preview of the days to come we started walking in despite the rain.

Half an hour later we reached the DNT hut in Gjendesheim where we found the trail and started to climb up towards the Besseggen ridge. This is one of the most popular hikes in all of Norway and the quality of the trail was good, big stones formed a staircase up the mountain. But my heavy pack combined with the rain made sure I did not enjoy the ascent.

People were passing us going the other way but we had to climb about 400m until an oncoming party warned us that the conditions ahead were horrible and everyone was turning around. They told us about fog, zero visiblility and slippery rocks. So we turned around, climbed back down and had a coffee and later lunch in the DNT hut. It took some time until we brought ourselves to get back out into the rain and start walking the alternate route along lake Gjende. We walked though the big day-parking area and the trail passed between a few nice spots for pitching tents before it disappeared between some trees along the shore.

According the the guide book, this section was supposed to be an easy hike along the shore. We were not gaining any height but the trail was constantly going up and down a meter or two. Every step we had to look out for slippery rocks or roots.

When we were getting close to Memurubu the weather finally improved and we saw some tiny blue spots between the clouds. I was dead tired and when we passed a nice spot for a tent we decided not to go on to Memurubu but pitch the tent right here. The site was right next to the lake with a beautiful view back towards Gjendesheim.

After a hot dinner the day didn’t look as bad as before. The weather had improved substantially and I was able to snap a few pictures with some blue sky. But we did not spend a lot of time enjoying the view. Dead tired we crawled into our sleeping bags instead and fell asleep instantly.

Monday: Memurubu-Gjendebu

When I woke up the first time it was already bright daylight outside the tent. I was happy to see that it was only 5:00 which allowed me to turn around and sleep some more.

Three hours later we got up and after a short breakfast we covered the 30 minutes to Memurubu. The weather had improved substantially and we were able finally enjoy hiking in Jotunheimen. On the grass in front of the hut we had a short break to enjoy the sun before we crossed the river and began the climb up Sjugurdtind. To our right we had a great view of Memurubreen and behind us the turquoise water of Gjende shone in the morning sun. Just before we reached the first minor summit we found a comfortable place for lunch and a short nap.

A few minutes after the break later we ran into our first herd of reindeer which grazed about 20 meters away from the trail. They wore colored collars with a bell and were obviously used to having humans around and allowed me to walk a little closer before I snapped my pictures. All animals we encountered later ran away when we got within fifty meters.

The sun was shining brightly but there was a ice-cold wind blowing most of the time. As long as we were moving it wasn’t too bad but every time we stopped we had to look for places sheltered from the wind or freeze.

The trail meandered between the rocks marked by piles of stones sometimes covered with a bright red ‘T’. Bright yellow or red plants between the rocks provided a colorful scenery. While we enjoyed the sights we moved slowly over the Memurutungen towards Gjendebu.

After we passed two lakes to our left and another one on the right the trail turned left towards Gjende. When the trail reached the rim it began a crazy, steep descent back down to sea level.

Without the pack I probably would have enjoyed the way down. But with the added weight my knees soon started to hurt and I cursed at whoever had the great idea of putting a trail here. In a few places the creators had to add chains for safety. But even in the areas that were considered safe we had to pay attention every single step because the trail was covered with loose gravel. I involuntarily sat down once but fortunately did not slide down any further and did not hurt myself.

Slowly me made our way down and reached sea level just minutes after the sun disappeared behind the mountains and cast shadows over the Gjende.

Again we decided to pitch the tent a little early, just minutes before we reached Gjendebu. And again we quickly crawled into our sleeping bags.

to be continued…

As I expected 10:00 was already pretty late. The road to Tegernsee was filled with other people who had the same idea. It took me about 90 minutes to get to Bayerwald, not the best time for about 60km.

I was lucky to get one of the last places on the big parking lot west of Bayerwald, put on the boots and started on the trail. Right from the start the trail went steeply uphill. Especially for the first few hundred meters the center of the trail was washed out and it looked like a lot of water had been coming down here recently. The tail branches off every few steps into two or three different paths which merge again after 10 to 20 meters. I pass a couple of DAV signs telling me to stay on the “right” trail but I honestly can’t tell which one is the official trail.

Time flew, I passed a few couples slowly crawling up. But I didn’t realize how fast I was going until I reached Sonnenberg Alm at 1480m around 12:20. This meant I climbed more then 600m in less than an hour without really exerting myself. From the Sonnenberg Alm I followed the trail over a ridge and turned right towards the more difficult path up Roßstein.

The trail disappears and I had to scramble over rocks. Once I just kept climbing and only noticed that I’m off track when I was about 5m above the actual trail.

In a few places a steel cable to hold on to ran parallel but there was no good reason to actually use it – but at least it showed where I was supposed to go.

About 30 seconds after I reached the first summit it started to rain, so I quickly snapped a picture and headed down towards the Tegernsee Hütte.

I planned to bag both peaks before lunch (actually breakfast, because I had just a cup of coffee before ). Instead I had an excellent Wiener Schnitzel with Bratkartoffeln and a Radler. The Schnitzel took long enough for the rain to stop and the rocks were only a little wet when I headed back out to check if I could make it up Buchstein.

There was no marked trail (or route) up Buchstein so I wasn’t sure if I was heading up the right way.

There was only one chimney behind the hut that looked like an easy way up so I just climbed it.

According to the guide book this was a grade II route, so don’t try it if you have never climbed before. Up is always easier than back down.

After a few meters (hard to tell, perhaps 30?) I reached a secondary summit and a small trail started towards to summit cross. Again the view was less the optimal so I don’t waste a lot of time and head back down again.

Back at the hut I followed the trail description and took the easier way down. At the crossing where the path to Buchstein Hütte turns right I met a father with his son coming up. I explained to them the different ways up Roßstein and he tells me about the way down. It sounded pretty boring so I decided to circle Roßstein and take the same way down again.

Going down was easy and fun. I even jogged in a few places which should explain to maximum speed of 17km/h. At 16:30 I was back at the parking lot just in time to catch some sunshine at a bench and savor a few cherries.

Stats according to MyTracks:

Total Distance: 11.47 km (7.1 mi)
Total Time: 3:55:47
Moving Time: 2:34:17
Average Speed: 2.92 km/h (1.8 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 4.46 km/h (2.8 mi/h)
Max Speed: 17.27 km/h (10.7 mi/h)
Min Elevation: 881 m (2892 ft)
Max Elevation: 1747 m (5731 ft)
Elevation Gain: 997 m (3272 ft)
Max Grade: 46 %
Min Grade: -32 %
Recorded: Sun Jul 25 11:28:17 GMT+02:00 2010

Soon I stumbled over the X-Talon™ 240, according to Inov-8 the lightest hiking boots on the market.

I couldnt’t find a store close to Munich that had them in stock but thanks to outdoorseiten.net I got the phone number of the distributor for Germany. The service was just plain awesome. Because the X-Talon are pretty specialized boots most stores don’t stock them. But the distributor offered to ship me two different sizes to see if they fit.

I wore them for roughly 100km (tested in the Palatinate forest, a 2-day trip in the Black Forest, Brazil and the Alps) which should be enough to get to know the shoes.

Inov8 describes them as “Extreme lightweight boot. High levels of comfort and performance with an aggressive sticky rubber outsole make this shoe ideal for short trail, ultra light walking and mountain running with ankle protection.”

This is absolutely true. Even while scrambling over loose gravel or polished limestone going up Kampenwand I felt save and in control. They are light years ahead of any running shoes which weight roughly the same. When talking to the distributor he warned me that the soft rubber outsole would wear out quickly, but this is something I can’t confirm yet. After roughly 100km the soles still look like they new give or take a few scratches.

As you can see from the picture, there are many spikes coming out of the sole. These spikes combined with the soft sole feel like an acupuncture when walking on flat ground and it takes some time to get used to the different feel. Unlike the solid soles I was used to from my Meindl boots, this gives you a lot of feedback about the ground and my feet like it.

Enough praise, there is still one little thing I would like to change: the hideous color!

Summary: Highly recommended!

The weather wasn’t very good, cloudy, very humid and way too warm. After minutes the trail went steep uphill and the heat made the climb even more unpleasant.

The description in the guide book was excellent, we easily followed the path from Aschau, passing the Maisalm all the way up to the Steinlingalm. When we reached the Steinlingalm on our way up, we had a short break but the place was packed and there was a long line for orders.

So we left again and started the final climb up to the huge summit cross that was already clearly visible. At first we had our pick between dozens of different paths that went up to the crest.

Up there we turned left, followed the markers and climbed over a few rocks until we reached the open space under the cross.

A tiny path on the left looped once around the summit and we climbed the back to reach the summit. There wasn’t a view to speak of and after a short break we headed back down to enjoy a hot meal.

Sadly some of the meals like Germknoedel and Kaesespaetzle were no longer available but the remaining options were still delicious and we were lucky and got some sunshine while eating. I wonder if hiking would be half as popular without the option to have a nice meal and a Radler along the way?

The way wasn’t as nice as the way up. We had to follow a dirt road for some time and getting back down is always hell for my knees.

To finish a great day we stopped for an ice coffee in Aschau and headed back home.

Total Distance: 17.89 km (11.1 mi)
Total Time: 6:34:59
Moving Time: 4:19:36
Average Speed: 2.72 km/h (1.7 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 4.14 km/h (2.6 mi/h)
Max Speed: 10.80 km/h (6.7 mi/h)
Min Elevation: 650 m (2133 ft)
Max Elevation: 1703 m (5586 ft)
Elevation Gain: 1058 m (3469 ft)
Max Grade: 45 %
Min Grade: -37 %
Recorded: Sun Jul 04 09:57:37 GMT+02:00 2010
Activity type: -

My scale gives a little heavier results than Henrik’s. It says the whole set weights 279g (Hendrik got 269g), which is pretty good but not perfect.

For comparison I pulled out my Snow Peak Mini Solo Cook Set plus Primus Micron Stove Ti 2.5. This set contains exactly the same parts, the pot is about 50% bigger (780ml vs. 540ml for the Crux set). It weights only 240g.

All measurements for this review were made on the same scale so even if it is a little off, the relative differences should still be correct.

Optimus Crux vs. Primus Micron stove

The difference in the stove is negligible: 70g for Primus and 74g for Optimus. There are a few small differences between the two stoves.

The Primus is a little bigger than the Optimus, it’s hard to measure the diameter so I measures the distance between the tips: 9.5cm for Optimus vs. 11.5cm for the Primus. I don’t think this makes a difference for any normal sized pot. And if you want to use a huge pot, you probably won’t use these ultralight stoves anyway.

The Primus has a roughly 5cm “hole” in the middle. If you use a pot with a diameter close to 5cm it stand on the stove. This is not a problem for the pots included in both sets and I haven’t seen any other pot small enough to make this a real problem.

Primus uses a solid plastic knob to control the flow of gas, Optimus uses a folding wire “handle”. I personally prefer the Optimus solution, in my opinion the plastic knob is the only ugly part used on the beautifully engineered Primus.

Both stoves are tiny when folded. Primus has the smaller head but Optimus uses the space better. There is no “lost space” around the body where the arms fold back on the Primus.

Preliminary result: DRAW

Optimus vs. Snow Peak Solo pot set

Between these two pot sets the differences are more noticeable than between the stoves.

Just looking at the specs the Snow Peak set is clearly superior. It weights only 131g with 780ml pot (+19g if you carry the lid) compared to 184g with a 540ml pot. I filled both pots to the top, so the usable volume is probably closer to 750ml and 500ml.

The handles are a lot better on the Optimus set. Rubberized, longer and firmer. I especially like the folding mechanism used on the cup which folds the handle under the bottom. I’m not 100% certain how long the rubber coating will last. As you can see on the the pot, it has already taken some damage. But for now it feels great.

Both set have volume markings. Optimus in the pot, Snow Peak in the cup.

And the winner is…

For me the combination Primus & Snow Peak is still superior, but only by a tiny margin.

Both stoves are great, pick up whichever one you get cheaper – which is probably the Optimus. Optimus, build your set out of titanium and you are in the lead, your set is already more usable thanks to the superior handles. But I won’t pick a set that’s heavier and smaller. I think the size of the pot is big enough with 500ml but too heavy compared to Snow Peak.

And thanks again to Henrik for organizing this passaround. I will send the package back to you next week.

At first we drove to a ridge about 15km south-west of Belo Horizonte where we had a nice but a little hazy view of the area around Belo Horizonte.

From the vista point we followed a path parallel to the ridge and the street. It ended after just a few hundred meters and we didn’t feel like scrambling through the bushes cross-country. Felipe suggested another hike he knew south of Ouro Preto.

We returned to the car and reached our destination after about 90 minutes including a short break for a refreshing coconut and a few pictures along the road.

After we parked Felipe’s car right next to a tiny restaurant (which we planned to visit after the hike) we headed downhill towards a lake that was already visible between the trees.

Leafcutter ants

After a few minutes I noticed some movement between my shoes. Leafcutter ants were carrying their treasure over the trail for a few meters (more pictures in the album).

We followed the trail which continued downhill for another 500m. At the lowest point it crossed a nearly dry creek. After the crossing the trail leveled and joined a small dirt road which zig-zagged through a forest of small trees and bushes.

Termites

We left dirt road after about one kilometer and followed a small trail. The next sight was harder to miss than the leafcutter ants before. Right next to the trail we passed about half a dozen termite mounds. All but one looked deserted for some time. But even around the one mound which showed obvious signs of recent “construction” we couldn’t spot a single termite. I learned that Termite are thin-skinned and dry out quickly in dry air or the sun. This explained it but I was still disappointed about not seeing even a single one.

Reservoir and water fall

We could already hear the faint sound of a water fall in the distance when another smaller trail branched of to our right.

This smaller trail quickly descended towards to the north-west shore of a small and as far as I could tell unnamed water reservoir.

Here we turned left and enjoyed some scrambling over tree trunks, rocks and through the undergrowth along the bank until we reached the waterfall which fed the reservoir.

After a short break where we ate some of our rations we headed back along the same way to the trail head.

Overall a pleasant and interesting hike!

Stats accoring to MyTracks:
Distance: 7.37 km (4.6 mi)
Time: 2:12:01
Moving Time: 1:26:01
Average Speed: 3.35 km/h (2.1 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 5.14 km/h (3.2 mi/h)
Max Speed: 8.10 km/h (5.0 mi/h)
Min Elevation: 1162 m (3813 ft)
Max Elevation: 1363 m (4472 ft)
Elevation Gain: 369 m (1209 ft)
Max Grade: 10 %
Min Grade: 10 %

We parked right in the middle of Oberotterbach, followed the roads north-west out of town. The trail followed the hillside north. To our right was the Oberrheinische Tiefebene (plain around the river rhine) and to our left the woods of the Pfälzer Wald began. It was a little hazy and so the view could have been better but the sun already felt more like August than April.

Soon we reached Dörrenbach, passed an old fortified church (Wehrkirche) and left the village again turning west.

Form here on the trail followed the Westwall and we passed by the remains of many bunkers built between 1938 and 1940. There wasn’t much left of these bunkers but there were many signs with diagrams of how it looked before the demolition crews went to work.

The picture on the right is not from one of these bunkers. This is a view down the stairs of a tower overlooking the Palatinate forest somewhere south of Böllenborn. Even with the aforementioned haziness the view was still beautiful.

What we didn’t know when we picked the tour was that a Mountain Bike Club from the area organized a tour that very day. Dozens of bikes passed us but the trails were wide enough to avoid any problems. We did not know the size of the MTB group, so we stopped for lunch to let them pass. But our break was not long enough to let the whole group pass us so we continued, frequently jumping aside to avoid more or less skilled bikers rushing by.

Soon we reached the ruins of Burg Guttenberg and stopped for 30 minutes to enjoy the sun. We noticed that the map in the guide book and the descriptions right next to it id not match. The maps showed the trail we actually took, circling back to Oberottenbach passing Rechtenbach. The description was for the direct route from the castle back to Oberottenbach.

From the castle the trail went mostly downwards until we reached the ponds outside Rechtenbach where we turned left towards Oberottenbach. One last steep incline in the heat killed the last bit of strength still left and we were glad when we reached the car a few minutes later. After walking in the heat for quite some time we were looking forward for something cold, preferably ice cream. But the cafe next to where we parked wasn’t that much into customer service so we decided to leave when nobody acknowledged our presence. We drove back to Karlsruhe, barbecued some sausages and ordered ice cream from a pizza service

Total Distance: 20.54 km (12.8 mi)
Total Time: 4:46:41
Moving Time: 3:34:03
Average Speed: 4.30 km/h (2.7 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 5.76 km/h (3.6 mi/h)
Max Speed: 9.00 km/h (5.6 mi/h)
Min Elevation: 234 m (769 ft)
Max Elevation: 558 m (1831 ft)
Elevation Gain: 775 m (2543 ft)
Max Grade: 26 %
Min Grade: -20 %
Recorded: Sun Apr 25 11:09:24 GMT+02:00 2010
Activity type: hiking

It’s still a prototype, but in weight terms, it should be bang on the money for lightweight shelters at around 1000 grammes all in.

And the price of 150£ (~172€) sounds awesome, thanks to the worthless pound…

We followed the trail which looked more like a small street than a hiking trail – wide enough for a car but fairly steep. After about an hour of walking and about 400m of climbing over just a few kilometers we reached the Trockenbachalm. It was about 12:00 which was (according to wikipedia) to late for second breakfast but we enjoyed some coffee and cake in the sun anyway.

Leaving the Trockenbachalm through a gate we continued on a track that looked more like a hiking trail than the road we were on before. It followed the southern hillside of the Nesselberg and after a turn we I even lost the trail for a few hundred meters until we Matt realized that we were wrong.

We headed up towards the saddle between Trainsjoch and Ascherjoch. Up on the saddle the trail to Trainsalm continues eastwards but we turn north up to Trainsjoch. From here on we encounter multiple patches of snow which make this easy hike more challenging. After another 30 minutes we reach the summit and have a few minutes to enjoy the view. The weather forecast was right and we can see the clouds closing in on us. After a short break we decide to split up, some of us take the same way back down while the others (including me) head down via Nesselberg.

This was the most challenging section. First the track follows the rigde from Trainsjoch to the summit of Nesselberg. We got about a minute of hail, but fortunately it stopped again.

From the summit we have to climb down a gully full of rocks and snow. Nobody made it down without falling at least once and I was glad I carried my trekking poles. I gave one of them to Daniel and we both made good use of them.

The last few meters back to Trockenbachalm were mostly level and it started to rain about the time we saw the Alm again. A lot of people were already eating and no seats were left inside. We sat outside but coverd by the overhanging roof. A hot meal (Speckknödelsuppe, very yummy!) and a Radler later we headed back to the car and to recover from the strenuous hike we visited the Theme Bad Aibling and enjoyed a few hours of Sauna.

More pictures can be found on picasa.

Stats according to MyTracks:
Total Distance: 16.92 km (10.5 mi)
Total Time: 5:06:48
Moving Time: 3:24:31
Average Speed: 3.31 km/h (2.1 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 4.96 km/h (3.1 mi/h)
Max Speed: 9.90 km/h (6.2 mi/h)
Min Elevation: 874 m (2869 ft)
Max Elevation: 1758 m (5769 ft)
Elevation Gain: 1068 m (3503 ft)
Max Grade: 32 %
Min Grade: -34 %
Recorded: Sun Apr 18 11:04:39 GMT+02:00 2010
Activity type: hiking

According to the calendar spring started more than a week ago. Closer to the parking lot it sure looked like spring but after a few hundred meters of climbing it was getting cold. We encountered multiple patches of snow on our way up, some of them pretty big and with 50cm or more of snow still on the trail. Most of the snow was already pretty solid and it was easy to get over it. I stopped paying attention and was immediately punished. My right foot stepped on a patch of softer snow, sunk in about 30cm and I hyper-extended my knee. Every step hurt for the next few meters but it got better quickly and we were able to go on.

The only other tricky bit on the way up to was a tiny bridge just a few meters before we reached the Brünnsteinhaus. Looking down is a little scary but totally safe. A few other hikers were already sitting in the sun in front of the Brünnsteinhaus when we reach it, having lunch. There were not many choices on the menu but a Schnitzel was all I needed anyway.

After the excellent meal we went on to the summit. Right next to the hut a Klettersteig goes the short route up to the summit. We ask the owner about the condition and he recommends not to take it so we take the long way up. Even the long way is steep and the last few meters are secured with fixed ropes. When we reach the summit a few thin clouds cover the skies and we don’t get the same clear view we had earlier today. But it’s still a pretty good view. After a few minutes two groups come up to the summit by Klettersteig and looking at them we decide that it can’t be that hard and take the short way down.

We guessed right. There is not a single patch of ice or snow on the trail until we reach the Brünnsteinhaus again. I guess the owner was just too cautious.

We take the shorter and steeper trail down to Buchau. The trail is in pretty bad condition and sometimes it’s hard to even see where we should go but there are enough markers on the trees. In the shadow we encounter a few more patches of snow and I’m awkward enough to extend my knee again. This time it hurts more and it takes longer until it gets better. I don’t really have a choice so we go on. Fortunately it’s not very far and the quality of the trail improves again. It takes us another hour until we get back to the car. My knee kept hurting for another two days but it was still a nice hike.

Created by My Tracks on Android.

Total Distance: 17.50 km (10.9 mi)
Total Time: 5:30:49
Moving Time: 3:19:06
Average Speed: 3.18 km/h (2.0 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 5.27 km/h (3.3 mi/h)
Max Speed: 9.90 km/h (6.2 mi/h)
Min Elevation: 738 m (2420 ft)
Max Elevation: 1669 m (5476 ft)
Elevation Gain: 1085 m (3561 ft)
Max Grade: 30 %
Min Grade: -31 %
Recorded: Sat Apr 03 11:11:02 GMT+02:00 2010

Castle Rock is one of the smaller parks, it’s fairly close to Mountain View and I don’t really know why I haven’t been there before. After an healthy breakfast at Clarke’s on El Camino I drove to Castle Rock. There were already dozens of cars parking along the road and for a moment I was seriously considering to turn around and drive a few more miles to Big Basin. I’m glad I didn’t because I rarely met anyone for the first four or five hours.

I took Saratoga Gap Trail which was initially in the shadow and I was happy to wear my down vest (review later). After 30 minutes the trail left the shadow. Now the weather was absolutely perfect: cool but with the warm sun on the arms. It took some willpower not to sit down and just read in the sun the whole day.

A few twists and turns later I got a beautiful view south-west towards the sea. The trail went on over a few smaller rocks and passed many bigger rocks, a few of them with bolts. But it seemed all climbers stayed far away from the trail, because I didn’t see another soul until I reached Saratoga Gap.

After Castle Rock Camp the trail changed into a small dirt road. After a mile or two it left the state park and went along a paved road nearly all the way to Saratoga Gap. There I had my first short break on a bench at the vista point, enjoyed the sun and explained a clueless girl how to find Big Basin (“Do you see the big sign over there saying Big Basin?” “Yes” “Drive that way”). Annoyed after 5 minutes by the roaring sound of the soon-to-be organ donors racing their motorcycles I went on.

After about a mile I found a tiny meadow in the sun an decided to have a bigger break here. I sat down, enjoyed a muesli bar and read a few chapters of Shadow of the Hegemon. After 30(?) minutes I was nearly falling asleep and to avoid that got up and started walking again.

Just a few minutes later Skyline Trail hit 35 again and met Loghry Woods Trail. It was still early so I decided not to head back to the parking lot but take the detour via Castle Rock Camp. Not much happened on my way there. But I was happy when I got the chance to refill my water bottle in Castle Rock Camp. When I left the camp toward Ridge Trail a group of girls (girl scouts?) passed my carrying backpacks bigger which looked heavier than the girls.

This marked the end of the relaxed and quite part of my hike. Every few minutes I passed a group of hikers, on most rocks people were sitting, enjoying the sun and I could see a lot more climbers and boulderers close to the trail.

So I quickly walked the last few kilometers to the parking lot and drove back home.

Stats according to MyTracks (it took the N1 10-15minutes to get a fix, so a part of the hike is missing):

Total Distance: 19.48 km (12.1 mi)
Total Time: 6:03:08
Moving Time: 3:25:02
Average Speed: 3.22 km/h (2.0 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 5.70 km/h (3.5 mi/h)
Max Speed: 14.09 km/h (8.8 mi/h)
Min Elevation: 631 m (2072 ft)
Max Elevation: 900 m (2953 ft)
Elevation Gain: 1400 m (4593 ft)
Max Grade: 0 %
Min Grade: 0 %
Recorded: Sat Mar 27 18:06:25 GMT+01:00 2010
Activity type: hiking

Bis auf den Startpunktes war die Tourenbeschreibung brauchbar. Der versprochene Parkplatz war leider nicht dort, wo man ihn laut Karte vermuteten würde…

Wie man auf dem GPS-Track gut sieht, sind wir dann erstmal 15 Minuten in die falsche Richtung gelaufen, bis wir umgekehrt sind und dann endlich den Weg gefunden haben.

Danach ging es rechts der Piste den Berg hoch. Am oberen Ende des allerersten Lifts mussten wir noch über eine kleine Absperrung klettern und ein Schild “Durchgang verboten” ignorieren. Ich bin immer noch der Meinung, daß es sich auf den Liftbereich bezog.

Etwa 500 Meter folgen wir der Piste, dann geht es kurz durch den Wald und wir passieren die Gründhütte. Bis hierher war noch recht viel los. Horden von Ski- und Snowboardfahrern heizten neben uns den Hang runter, aber zum Glück ist der gemeine Skifahrer zu faul, seinen Schwerpunkt aus eigener Kraft aufwärts zu bewegen und so sehen wir den Rest des Tages nur noch eine Handvoll Skitourengeher.

Wir folgen einer Spur durch den Wald, dabei geht es stetig bergauf, bis wir nach etwa einem Kilometer (gefühlt deutlich mehr) recht über uns die Gebäde der Rauheck-Alm erkennen. Wir kämpfen uns durch recht lockeren Schnee den Hang hoch und sinken trotz Schneeschuhen bei jedem Schritt tief ein. Aber als Belohnung machen wir dann auf der Veranda einer der Hütten kurz Pause und vernichten eine Tafel Schokolade.

Von hier an geht es nochmal steil bergauf nach Westen, bis wir den Kamm vor uns erreicht haben. Nachdem wir bisher einige Skitourengeher überholt haben, kommen uns jetzt die ersten entgegen und ich beneide sie um die schnelle und stressfreie Abfahrt. Oben auf dem Kamm biegen wir nach Südwesten ab und geniessen die letzten paar Meter bis zum Gipfel des Hirschbergs. Sobald wir den Gipfel erreichen, bläst ein kalter Wind und wir bleiben nur ein paar Minuten, bevor wir uns auf den Weg zum Hirschberghaus machen.

Der Abstieg durch den weichen Schnee geht wesentlich schneller und bald sitzen wir in der Hütte bei Erbsen bzw. Speckknödelsuppe. Als Nachtisch gibt’s dann noch ein Stück Brombeerkuchen und mit viel Überwindung können wir uns aufraffen, wieder raus in die Kälte zu gehen.

Der Abstieg über die Alm ist wegen Lawinengefahr gesperrt. Der alternative Abstieg ist “nur für Geübte”, wir steigen nochmal ein paar Meter zum Kratzer auf und von dort aus geht es dann an Drahtseilen entlang recht steil bergab.

Nach diesem spassigen Abstieg erreichen wir eine Forststraße/Rodelbahn. Alle paar Minuten müssen wir zur Seite springen, um Schlittenfahrern auszuweichen. Wir kommen noch an einem Höhepunkt deutscher Bürokratie vorbei, einem Schild “Laut Beschluß ist das Rodeln von 0-12Uhr strengstens verboten!”. Mich würde ja mal interessieren welches kranke Beamtenhirn auf dieses Intervall gekommen ist.

Irgendwo in der Gegen war dann das Nexus One der Meinung kein GPS Signal mehr zu empfangen (klarer Bug, Flugzeugmodus an und sofort wieder aus und Netz und GPS waren wieder da – aber mir ist es leider erst in Scharling aufgefallen), aber da wir der Straße gefolgt sind, ist der Weg immer noch gut erkennbar.

Created by My Tracks on Android.

Gesamtentfernung: 17,74 km (11,0 mi)
Gesamtzeit: 6:19:22
Zeit in Bewegung: 4:14:35
Durchschnittsgeschw.: 2,81 km/h (1,7 mi/h)
Durchschnitt in Bew.: 4,18 km/h (2,6 mi/h)
Max. Geschwindigkeit: 9,00 km/h (5,6 mi/h)
Niedrigste Höhenlage: 812 m (2662 Fuß)
Höchste Höhenlage: 1713 m (5619 Fuß)
Höhengewinn: 1087 m (3566 Fuß)
Maximale Steigung: 19 %
Minimale Steigung: -21 %
Aufgezeichnet am: Sa Mrz 13 11:07:03 MEZ 2010

]]> http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/2010/03/14/schneeschuh-hirschberg/feed/ 0 http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/2010/03/07/langlauf-in-herrenwies/ http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/2010/03/07/langlauf-in-herrenwies/#comments Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:55:17 +0000 Frank Spychalski http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/?p=417 Laut Loipenbericht:

Das Schneechaos von gestern ist vorbei. In wenigen Stunden sind bis zu 40 cm Neuschnee gefallen, so dass wir den Langlaufbetrieb einstellen mussten.

Dafür erwartet Sie heute ein herrlicher Spätwintertag.

Bei einer Temperatur von –10,3°C in Herrenwies ist es aufgelockert bewölkt und niederschlagsfrei. Die Sonne kommt immer mehr zum Vorschein. Es weht ein mäßiger Wind aus Nordost.

Die Beschreibung hat es fast genau getroffen. Sonnenschein und ziemlich kalt. Dazu aber auch teilweise heftiger Wind, der Teile der Loipe zugeweht hat.

Nach einer Runder auf der Ochsenkopfloipe sind wir kurz eingekehr und haben danach noch je einmal die Schwarzenbachloipe und die Dobelbachloipe gemacht. Die Dobelbachloipe ist noch ungespurt und es es war scheinbar nur eine Person vor uns unterwegs, so daß man bis zur Mitte des Unterschenkels im frischen Pulverschnee einsinkt.

]]> http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/2010/03/07/langlauf-in-herrenwies/feed/ 0 http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/2010/02/28/schneeschuhwandern-schwarzwald-kaltenbronn/ http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/2010/02/28/schneeschuhwandern-schwarzwald-kaltenbronn/#comments Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:23:06 +0000 Frank Spychalski http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/?p=385 Am 6. Februar bin ich endlich dazu gekommen, meine Schneeschuhe auch mal im Schwarzwald auszuprobieren. Wir wollten nicht besonders weit fahren und haben uns deswegen für Kaltenbronn entschieden.

Vom Parkplatz aus geht es kurz an der Straße entlang. Nach ein paar hundert Metern entdecken wir links ein paar Spuren, die in den Wald verschwinden und wir folgen ihnen bis zum nächsten Parkplatz. Von hier aus folgen wir der Loipe Richtung Nordosten bis es und nach circa einem Kilometer zu langweilig wird. Wir verlassen nach eine kurzen Teepause die Loipe. Ab hier folgen wir nur noch Wegen, die vor uns in diesem Winter scheinbar noch niemand begangen hat. Bei jedem Schritt sinken wir trotz Schneeschuhen 10-20cm tief in den Pulverschnee ein und es wird schnell anstrengend. Es geht Richtung Südosten, wir kommen an einer zweite Hütte vorbei, queeren eine weitere Loipe und folgen dem Weg weiter Richtung Südosten.

Hier machen wir kurz Pause und die Wolken haben sogar kurz Mitleid mit uns und lassen ein paar Sonnenstrahlen durch. Danach biegen wir Richtung Norden ab, Richtung Grünhütte. Wir entscheidung uns dann aber doch für den kürzeren Rückweg und biegen schon vorher nach Westen ab und kommen nach etwa einem Kilometer wieder auf zurück auf den Weg, den wir schonmal gegangen sind.

Als wir wieder auf die Kreuzung mit der Loipe stoßen, biegen wir diemal nach Westen ab und nehmen den direkten Weg zurück zum Parkplatz.

Daten laut MyTracks:
Gesamtentfernung: 14,26 km (8,9 mi)
Gesamtzeit: 4:05:29
Zeit in Bewegung: 2:41:33
Durchschnittsgeschw.: 3,49 km/h (2,2 mi/h)
Durchschnitt in Bew.: 5,30 km/h (3,3 mi/h)
Max. Geschwindigkeit: 9,90 km/h (6,2 mi/h)
Niedrigste Höhenlage: 907 m (2974 Fuß)
Höchste Höhenlage: 972 m (3190 Fuß)
Höhengewinn: 504 m (1653 Fuß)
Maximale Steigung: 20 %
Minimale Steigung: -13 %
Aufgezeichnet am: Sa Feb 06 11:48:40 MEZ 2010

]]> http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/2010/02/28/schneeschuhwandern-schwarzwald-kaltenbronn/feed/ 0 http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/2009/11/23/tested-on-tour-thermarest-neoair%e2%84%a2/ http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/2009/11/23/tested-on-tour-thermarest-neoair%e2%84%a2/#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:44:03 +0000 Frank Spychalski http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/?p=349 Ich konnte mal wieder nicht wiederstehen und habe mir für meine Desolation Wilderness Tour (Tag 1 & Tag 2) bei REI die hochgelobte Thermarest NeoAir™ (Größe R = regular) gekauft.

	Small	Medium	Regular
Weight	9 oz / 260 g	13 oz / 370 g	14 oz / 410 g
Length	47 in / 119 cm	66 in / 168 cm	72 in / 183 cm

Eigentlich wollte ich ja wieder die kleinste Größe nehmen, um die letzten paar Gramm zu sparen, und meine Füße auf den Rucksack oder sonstigen Kram legen (hat mit der letzten Thermarest ganz gut geklappt). Aber im Nachhinein bin ich froh, daß ich es nicht getan habe, da die Matte mit 6,3cm doch recht hoch ist und die Kante damit vermutlich sehr spührbar geworden wäre. Und die 150g trage ich gerne für den zusätzlichen Komfort, auch wenn mir dafür ultralight-Fuzzies sicher den Kopf abreissen.

Ich habe sie nur eine Nacht getestet und bisher bin ich voll zufrieden. Das Gewicht ist unschlagbar, vergleichbar mit einer “normalen” Iso-Matte. Das Packmaß ist auch super, in etwa das Volumen einer Sigg-Flasche.

Bonus Content: Bei meinem Shopping Trip zu REI sind mit noch die Sleeping Bag Slip-Not Straps aufgefallen. Also habe ich 6$ investiert und ich habe es nicht bereut. Ich weiss nicht, wie oft ich schon aufgewacht bin, weil ich mich im Laufe der Nacht langsam von meiner Isomatte gerollt habe und es kalt wurde. Die “Schlafsack Rutsch-Nicht Strapse” habe selbiges in 100% der Fälle verhindert (sample size=1).

]]> http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/2009/11/23/tested-on-tour-thermarest-neoair%e2%84%a2/feed/ 0 http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/2009/11/15/desolation-wilderness-pyramid-peak/ http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/2009/11/15/desolation-wilderness-pyramid-peak/#comments Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:24:44 +0000 Frank Spychalski http://outdoor.amazing-development.com/?p=294
View Desolation Wilderness Trip in a larger map

(Dies ist der Report des zweiten Tags meines Desolation Wilderness Wochenendes, am Tag davor haben wir Mt. Tallac bestiegen)

Nach der Tour auf Mt. Tallac und einer erholsamen Nacht wache ich gegen 7:00 auf und merke sofort, daß der Rest ist schon wach ist. Dank Ohrenstöpseln habe ich davon aber davor nichts mitbekommen. Die Luft im Innenzelt ist unangenehm kalt und es kostet viel Überwindung, mich aus meinem mollig warmen Schlafsack zu wagen.

Als erstes freue ich mich über meine gute Idee, meine beiden Trinkflaschen mit ins Zelt zu nehmen und nicht draussen liegen zu lassen. In der Flasche, die ich in der Apsis liegen hatte, schwimmt zwar etwas Eis, aber das ist harmlos im Vergleich zu den komplett durchgefrohrenen Trinkflaschen der anderen. Damit melde ich mich zum Kaffeekochen während die anderen ihre Flaschen auftauen. Nach einem erstaunlich leckeren Frühstück aus steinhartem Baguette und Rührei mit Schinken packen wir die Rucksäcke und machen uns gegen 8:30 auf den Weg.

Grass Lake ist am Ufer gefrohren

Die gestrige Tour war doch etwas länger und anstrengender als geplant, deswegen entscheiden sich alle außer Johannes, Kirsten und mir heute nicht nochmal cross-country einen Weg zu Pyramid Peak zu suchen sondern lieber eine Tour auf “richtigen Wegen” zu machen.

Wie gestern schon klettern wir erstmal die Geröllhalde im Südwesten des Camps hoch, doch diesmal geht es nicht nach Westen um den See sondern weiter nach Süden. Hier kommen wir endlich in der Sonne und es wird sofort mollig warm. Aber trotz Sonne kommen wir an einigen Eisflächen vorbei und uns wird klar, daß wir hier auf keinen Fall bei Dunkelheit absteigen wollen. Nach ein paar Minuten finden wir einen ausgetretenen Weg, dem wir für ein paar Minuten folgen, bis er sich wieder in Luft auflöst.

Wir peilen einen Pass im Süden an und der Weg dorthin ist relativ einfach, meistens über große Felsbrocken. Nur ab und zu müssen wir uns durch ein Gebüsch kämpfen und kommen ohne nennenswerte Probleme den Hang hoch.

Dort sehen wir zum ersten mal Pyramid Peak und von hier an geht es nicht mehr über Geröllfelder sondern durch lichten Wald, so dass wir jederzeit kontrollieren können, daß wir in die richtige Richtung laufen.

Unter uns liegt Lake Aloha, den wir südlich umgehen. Dabei müssen wir zig-zag einen Weg durch das Seelabyrinth zwischen American Lake und Channel Lake suchen. Aber wie schon am Vortag, wird uns auch diesmal klar, daß wir keine Chance haben, rechtzeitig Pyramid Peak zu besteigen und bei Tageslicht zurück im Camp zu sein. Deswegen belassen wir es dabei den scheinbar unbenannten Gipfel zwischen American Lake und Pyramid Lake zu besteigen. Dort geniessen wir die Sonne und unseren Proviant und machen uns gegen 12:30 wieder auf den Rückweg.

Wie schon auf dem Hinweg, balancieren wir ueber einen Baumstamm und über einen schmalen Felsgrat bis wir durch das Wirrwarr von Seen zurückfinden. Wir halten wir uns beim Aufstieg zum Pass etwas zu weit westlich und besteigen damit aus Versehen noch den unbenannten Gipfel nordwestlich des Jabu Lakes.

Mit dem Abstieg verabschieden wir uns auch von der Sonne und es wird sofort spürbar kälter. Obwohl wir uns beeilen schaffen wir es trotzdem nicht mehr, aus dem Schatten herauszukommen.

Das Geröllfeld herunterzukommen ist deutlich schwieriger als herauf und zusammen mit der Erschöpfung nach etwa 7 Stunden auf den Beinen sorgt es dafür, daß wir nur sehr langsam vorankommen. Ziemlich genau nach 8 Stunden kommen wir aber doch erschöpft zurück ins Camp.

Schnell bauen wir unsere Zelte ab, stopfen alles in die Rucksäcke und trotten los. Von hier aus ist es noch etwa eine Stunde zurück zum Parkplatz und diese Stunde zieht sich.

Vor allem Kirsten ist sichtbar am Ende, so daß Johannes ihren riesigen und viel zu schweren -20F Schlafsack trägt und ich ihren Rucksack übernehme. Mit diesem Zusatzgepäck bin ich auch kurz davor umzufallen als wir endlich mit dem letzten Tageslicht den Trailhead erreichen.

Zur Belohnung fahren wir noch nach South Lake Tahoe und essen dort ausgiebig zu Abend. Nach so einem Wochenende schmeckt ein Steak natürlich besonders gut. Auf dem Rückweg ignoriere ich konsequent jede Geschwindigkeitsbeschränkung und falle nach 3 Stunden todmüde in mein Bett.

Ich trage schon lange 2 Paar Socken übereinander beim Wandern und war bisher mit der Kombination von Falke TK4 über Falke RU4 sehr zufrieden. Aber nachdem ich die Injinji Socken zwei Tage getragen habe, werden die RU4 wohl ab jetzt daheim bleiben. Die Zehensocken sorgen dafür, dass die einzelnen Zehen nicht mehr aneinander reiben können und reduzieren damit die Wahrscheinlichkeit von Blasen.

Ich vermute beim Joggen werden sich die Dinger auch ganz gut machen, deswegen habe ich vorhin gleich nochmal einige gekauft.

Letztes Wochenende durfte ich mich ein paar Kollegen bei einem Trip in die Desolation Wilderness anschliessen. Also Wecker auf 4:00 stellen und früh ins Bett gehen.

Um 4:30 erfahre ich, daß unser Fahrer krank ist und ich selbst fahren muß. Also schnell noch einen weiteren Mitfahrer abholen und los Richtung Sacramento und dann weiter Richtung Lake Tahoe.

Treffpunkt um 8:00 ist die Rangerstation hinter Pollock Pines an Highway 50 um dort unser Wilderness Permit abzuholen. Nach ein paar Minuten geht es weiter zum Glen Alpine Springs Trailhead. Auf dem Weg sieht und fotografiert die Besatzung der ersten beiden Autos eine Gruppe Kojoten neben der Straße, aber ich fahre leider das dritte.

Angekommen am Trailhead werden erstmal die Kofferräume geleert und Material (vor allem Bear Canister) verteilt. Nach 30 Minuten haben auch die letzten ihre Rucksäcke gepackt und wir machen uns auf den Weg zum Grass Lake.

Schon der Weg dort hin enthält einige Highlights: vorbei an Glen Alpine Springs (einem der ersten “Resorts” in der Gegend) und einer FlußBachüberquerung auf einem Baumstamm.

Nach etwa einer Stunde kommen wir am Grass Lake an, bauen einige der Zelte auf und deponieren darin einen Teil unserer Ausrüstung. Mein Laser Competition bewährt sich mal wieder, es steht komplett bevor die Teile des zweiten Zelts ¨berhaupt ausgepackt sind.

Hundert Meter hinter unserem Camp endet der Trail und wir kämpfen uns querfeldein westlich am Grass Lake vorbei nach Norden Richtung Gilmore Lake. Der Weg enthält mehrer kleine Klettereinlagen, die man zwar auch vermeiden könnte, aber ich will ja meinen Spaß haben.

Schon bevor wir diesen erreichen, wird klar, daß wir keine Chance haben, den Gipfel von Mt. Tallac zu besteigen und noch bei Tageslicht wieder im Camp zu sein. Deswegen kehrt kurz bevor wir den See erreichen schon der erste um, da er von Wadenkrämpfen geplagt wird. Danach geht es etwas schneller voran, obwohl wir jetzt noch fast 500 Höhenmeter zu bewältigen haben. Aber bevor wir den Gipfel erreichen verlieren wir noch einen weiteren Mitstreiter, der lieber bei Tageslicht zurück will. Der Rest kämpft sich bis zum Gipfel und die Plackerei wird mit einer traumhaften Aussicht auf Lake Tahoe belohnt.

Nach 15 Minuten raffen wir uns auf und machen uns auf den Rückweg. Runter geht es zum Glück sehr viel schneller und wir schaffen es zurück bis zum Gilmore Lake bis die Dämmerung einsetzt. Von hier an folgen wir diesmal dem Trail zum Grass Lake. Nach etwa 30 Minuten müssen wir die Stirnlampen auspacken und die letzte Stunde in Dunkelheit weitergehen.

Die Dunkelheit hat aber den Vorteil, daß wir den klaren Sternenhimmel ungestört beobachten können. Im Camp angekommen, müssen erstmal noch Zelte aufgebaut werden. Nachdem dies erledigt ist, wird es schon unangenehm kalt. Selbst ein warmes Essen wärmt mich nicht wirklich auf und ich verdrücke mich dann recht schnell in mein Zelt um zu testen, ob meine neue Thermarest NeoAir™ wirklich so warm ist, wie versprochen. Sie ist es