Whilst others headed to the valley and onwards to home, we had the pleasure of following the cow track back to Memmingerhütte to resume the E5 route. 'Cow track' because the shepherds use it - otherwise known as path 621. The 15km day posed no technical difficulties other than a shaley scramble to get round some late snow. Sue is pictured by a shepherd's hut on the ascent from Hanauer, in scenery typical of this three day interlude.
It was more of the same - similar to the previous two days - a wonderful undulating high level path through an alpine garden with stunning mountain views. Nobody else was going our way, though we did meet ten or so folk during the course of the day, one of whom told us that 10,000 people walk E5 each year (presumably just the Oberstdorf to Bolzano or Merano section). If that is true, not all stay at Memmingerhütte, if Manuel's estimate of 9,000 bed nights is accurate.
I wonder how many walk the West Highland Way?
Some highlights of today were the fascinating geological twists and turns in the rock formations, magnificent cirques that we contoured around in between crossing over three mountain passes, huge erratics lying on lumpy glacial moraine, the wonderful flora as always (moss campion is pictured), whistling marmots and attentive wheatears.
We paused on the final col before the short descent to the more manic environment of Memmingerhütte, where we now have spaces in a row of seven in the huge matratzenlager (dormitory with mattresses) and this time we've bagged a space at a table inside the hut. Not that it looks like raining, but we don't really want to repeat Tuesday's experience, memorable though it was.
Who knows when this posting will appear - I seem to be blighted by technical problems at present, hopefully just due to weak phone signals in the mountains, but perhaps more serious. Today we've been deep in the mountains with only a momentary signal when Alex's comment came through. Yesterday's postings from Hanauer are marked as successful, but I have my doubts!
Comments:
Alex - great to hear from you. We trust everyone had a good trip home. We can provide some better quality images after we get home on 6 August.
Later - a quick trip up Seekogel, the hut's resident hill, gave great views but no solution to the technical problems.
Data:
27 July 2012
15km in 7.75 hours with 1700m ascent
Plus 1km up and down Seekogel, with another 200m ascent
Cumulative for Lechtaler 'holiday': 33km with 3550 metres ascent
Flower of the Day - Large-flowered Leopardsbane (in colourful patches on the rocky terrain)
Itinerary - http://www.topwalks.com/E5%20Route.html
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