Sunday, 16 July 2006
I took the 5:51 train from the Munich Hauptbahnhof, arriving in Füssen at 7:55. The way to the trailhead was the same as that to the Neuschwanstein Castle. But instead of continuing up the horsecart road to the castle, I turned right on a gravel trail that climbed more steeply upwards. After about 20 minutes, the Marienbrücke, where a very nice view of the castle could be seen, appeared.
Already there were many tourists here this early, but past the bridge, instead of turning back to the castle, I continued on a small trail. The trail consisted partly of tree roots and of rocks, but it was quite easy to follow. Whenever the trail split without a trail marker, these trails usually came together again. The trail climbed, in large S-shapes, from the river valley upwards, certainly not as steep as the Gaisberg trail. Gradually, the view became better and better--I could see the castle far below, the Alpsee and the village where the trailhead was located, and some of the nearby plains and lakes as well as Füssen. Across from the river valley, the view was blocked by a majestic mountain. But based on my changing perspective of it, I could even tell my relative elevation.
There were two other hikers on the trail. Depending on who decided to take a rest when, we three kept alternating in order. Though we rarely spoke to each other, it was encouraging to have such a tacit confirmation that at least all of us were on the right track (or, also possible, all of us were simultaneously lost).
The S-shaped trail continued for about one hour or so, rising from an elevation of about 850 metres at the trailhead to about 1550 metres. Then, ahead, the trail suddenly emerged from the shades into the sunlight, leading to a breakthrough. Into the sunlight, I had a new view of another direction previously blocked by the slope on which the trail ran. This view was in the direction of the Bavarian Alps, and I could see many mountains, distant or close, many very jagged in shape. Rocks, dead trees, and the moon enhanced this awesome atmosphere.
Then the trail levelled off to gentle ascents and descends as it ran horizontally from somewhere up near the castles to the Tegelberg about two kilometres away. It entered into the shades again, and soon another view to the east of the castles appeared--the peaks guarding the Tegelberg from the front. Now I was glad that I had not attacked the Tegelberg on a trail on its front side, because some of the slopes, when viewed from afar, looked really sinister, and in fact, these front-side trails would run so steeply on the cliffs that that section of the trail was given a special name, " Gelbe Wand" stairs. But all this could be by-passed by climbing the Tegelberg from the back-side, a much more manageable route known as the " Maximiliansweg".
After a while, the trail started to ascend steeply again as it crossed beneath the Tegelbergbahn, the cable car going to the top of Tegelberg. Amidst the alpine meadow, this section was probably the steepest encountered so far--but with superb views. However, with the top in sight, it was difficult to feeling anything but excited.
Upon the platform next to the Tegelbahn station, a great northward view appeared: Füssen, the nearby lakes, the Alpsee (the starting place of this hiking trail), and the mountains. But the trail led onwards, so I climbed even further up, heading towards a peak with a large cross on its top.
After a while, a sign appeared that read: Stop. Experts only! But the trail ahead looked smooth enough, so I decided to pursue at least a section of this trail. The changing conditions of the trail was so gradual that, before I knew it, I was clambering up a narrow, rocky ridge, using both hands and feet, and a chain conveniently placed nearby. On both sides of the ridge, the ground fell away sharply, and a glance was enough to almost turn my legs into jelly. But at this point, like an ant holding onto a giant, I suddenly perceived the grandeur of the mountains, and how really miniscule I was compared to this piece of nature.
After about 30 minutes of slow progress, I surprised myself by reaching the cross-marked top! This was the Branderschrofen, 1879 metres above sea level. At the top, the southward view also opened--a view into the heart of the Bavarian Alps. Indeed, countless mountain peaks, some distant, some close by, appeared. To the south-east, the Zugspitze rose, like teeth into the sky.
Going down was considerably more difficult, but after some time, I managed to put the more difficult sections before me, and the way to the Tegelbahn station was simply a gentle downward slope. But at this point, something happened, and before I knew it, I sprained my left ankle!
At this point I abandoned any residual notion of walking that 1000 vertical metres downhill. Instead, I took the Tegelbahn cable car down. In fact, the layout, the cable car, and the general elevation drop of the Tegelbahn remind me very much of the Grouse Mountain (and yes, the Tegelberg has several ski trails as well).
In summary--
Trailhead: Alpsee, elevation 814 metres
Summit: Branderschrofen, elevation 1879 metres
Vertical displacement: 1065 metres
Horizontal displacement: about 5.0 kilometres
One-way time: about 2.5 hours