Nagelfluhkette - Maximiliansweg

Allgäuer Alpen, 09-11.06.2000

Preview

Two, three weeks before this tour my Irish buds Canice and David (both also praktikants at this time at Bosch), Kqu (who did a half-year study here in Germany at the FH-Kempten and normally lives in France but originally comes from the Kongo) and myself were on the top of Mittagberg. This is one of the home-mountains around Immenstadt, a little town situated in the Allgäu in the South of Germany. That time we thought it would be just the job to sleep after a smart tour "up in the mountains", sit at the campfire and watch the stars. And that's because we did this more than one day hiking-trip - my first one. But we went not together with Kqu, but with Joshua. He's also a praktikant at Bosch and comes from Charlston/USA. We startet very quick on a Friday after work... and after I was at the doctor who adjusted one of my nerves, bought some mats for Canice and David and a fuckin small tent in Kempten, got all things we needed for eating and drinking and finally found a parking place around 7:30pm.

Overview

• 06/09/2000
• parking place at the Mittagbahn near Immenstadt
• Mittagberg - Bärenkopf
• rested in our tents
• 06/10/2000
• Steineberg - Stuiben - Buralpkopf - Rindalphorn - Hochgrat
• rested at the Staufner Haus
• 06/11/2000
• went down to the parking place at the Hochgratbahn
• walked (!) to Oberstaufen train station
• by train back to Immenstadt

First Day

On our first visit to the Mittagberg we also did'nt found the right way from the very beginning. Now the same thing: again we took a wrong way and so we "had to" to go cross country through the forest to avoid a much longer way. But this was hard, because it was very steep and we had to pass plants and stuff like that. So it is better if you go right at the parking place. ;-) But after all we finally found the right big path below the Mittagbahn (a lift). And hey, we were taken over from some jogging-dude! Well, this way was very easy and even it has nothing to do we real paths up in the mountains, but at this time it just sucked. ;-)

After 1 to 1.5 hours we arrived at the top of the Mittagberg (1451m) and after some meters we also came to the Bärenkopf (1463m). At this place we wanted to rest for the night. We got the last sunbeams to built up our tents, but we had to search for wood in the dark to light out a litte campfire. We had some Ravioli for dinner and after that we went to our sleeping bags, because the walk on the next day wouldn't be the shortest one.

Second Day

The next morning was of coure wondeful! Well, it is also a great feeling if you wake up in a mountain-house and then see the mountains in the morning light through some window, but to open your own tent and having a lonely view to the top of the mountains, that's something pretty special.

After we cleaned our camp-site we started around 8 am to the first summit for this day, the Steineberg. The frist part of the path is surrounded by trees, so that you can think you are in a forest. Only some holes with the views to the panorama of the Allgäger mountains let you remeber where you are.
In front of the Steineberg a path will lead you right beside the top. After 300m to 400m the path takes a break to the left and goes up to the plateau on the top. From here you can go some meters back to the cross on top of the Steineberg or follow the Maximiliansweg. (On my map it looks like that there is a direct way to the top, but we didn't went it.)

Of course we went back to the top to enjoy the view and having some cornys as second breakfast. On the left side of the picture you can see the way back to the top of Steinberg (1660m).

This day was really nice and warm till the late afternoon, but also a bit hazy. The scan of the picture is not that good. On the right side you can see the Hoher Ifen and the Gottesacker. The right rising on the left side is the Widderstein. And the thing totally on the left, well, I don't know. ;-)

After the break the way leads us always along the ridge to the Stuiben. But this is a normal hiking path without any difficulties. We met a lot of other hikers there.

This little pond was very nice. We had to swim in it, because as time passes by the sun shone stronger and with our backpacks we sweat a lot. David and I couldn't persuade Canice to jump into the lake, but for us it was very recreating!
And... I don't know... look's like some typical Irish gesture?! ;-)

It was not far to the summit of the Stuiben (1749m) and there we had our lunch around 1 pm. Because we walked in a very relaxing way up to now, the first hikers, who maybe started on the bottom of the Mittagberg, arrived. There was a big group and they should also stay in the Staufner Haus that night.

Here you can see our next goals that day: First right beside the Stuiben the Sedererstuiben (along the path), then it goes all the way up and down... up direction Buralpkopf, down to the Gündelescharte, up to the Rindalphorn, down to the Brunnenauscharte and again up to the Hochgrat. Between each summit and each notch ("Scharte") we had to pass about 100 to 200 meters difference in elevation and that should be very hard for us.
By the way: below the red arrow, that's the Hochgrat.

For me the most cruel part was the way up to the Rindalphorn: sun, we had to walk some kind of "nature-stairs", the stepping was very high and of course I didn't had the same power as we started. In between we only could go around ten steps, then we had to relax. Only Josh didn't had any problems.
But I have to commit, that the way itself had no big difficulties. The problem was, that our condition was not a good one.

But eventually we also got this and we went back some meters to the top of the Rindalphorn. This picture is also not very good, but you can see the way which took us to this point. It's also too bright, because in several directions the sky was getting darker and darker and it looked like rain. Time was around 4 pm.

At the Brunnenauscharte we "met" an asian maried couple with sneakers. They came from direction Hochgrat and their goal was the Mittagberg. Well... I don't know if they arrived there... ;-)

The weather was getting worse in a short time and we thought if we would come dry to the Staufner Haus. And the question, if we sleep in that house or maybe again in our tents, was answered by itself. As we went the way up to the Hochgrat it began to rain a bit and we heard some thunder in the near surrounding. A part of the large group from the Stuiben overtook us and completely everybody was walking faster and faster. The last strength was mobilized and nobody felt all the exhaustion beside this power of the nature. So everybody hurried to the summit of the Hochgrat and went along not having a look to the left or right.

Thanks god, the weather stayed with light rain and thunder and so we waited only a short time at the summit-station of the "Hochgratbahn" (a lift). It was dry when we went the last meters to the Staufner Haus

The evening in the Staufner Haus (1640m) was fun, for me it was the first night in such a house. We had a good dinner, some beers, played cards and talked to two older men on our table. Both were older than 60 and did hiking-trips together since many years. They had a map and on the backside there were pistils from every house where they stayed for a night. The map was almost full! The fact that I had the most respect of was, that one of the two had a handicap since some years: a hole is his laryngeal. And also with this handicap he went hiking! The next day both had the same big backpacks as we.
By the way: Canice und David were the first Irish dudes in the Staufner Haus! Normally every person from outside Germany and Austria should (or could) leave a small bank note which was put on a wall (1 Dollar for instance). But neither Canice or David had an Irish note with them...

Third Day

I slept well this night, also when I compare it with other nights in other houses. But we all were tired from what we did the day before. So we came to the conclusion not to go to back to Immenstadt on the "Vorderen Prodel" but to go to Oberstaufen, relax in a swimming pool and then take a train back. We also did not went back to the top of Hochgrat.

So first we went down to the station in the valley of the lift Hochgratbahn. This was very boring, because it is more a street than a path and in the lower regions it becomes tarred. But it was again a nice day and so we saw a lot of people on this Sunday, maybe doing the Hochgrat.

As we arrived at the station down in the valley we did not wanted to wait for the bus to Oberstaufen and so we followed the street. Till the next stop the bus of course took us over and so we also did not waited at this stop. It is not really a vicious circle, but so we walked all the way to Oberstaufen. ;-) After relaxing at the local fun swimming pool (I don't remember the name) we took the train back to Immenstadt.

Summary

For me it was the first "multi-day"-hiking trip and it made me to want more of that. The night outdoors was great and I can recommend everybody to try the same at least once. To clean the area the next day is of course a basic.
The way itself, also compared with the ones I did later, was very nice, but because of the permanently up and down's also very strenuous. On the other hand there were a lot of things in our backpacks: tent, cooker, food and too much to drink (sometimes 3 to 4 liter per person) - that's because we were not sure how much we will need on our trip. Most of the path you will go on wide ridges, there are no difficulties. On the different summits you'll have time to take a break and relax and have a view to the Allgäuer mountains. I would not call this tour "alpin", the highest point was the Hochgrat with 1832m. But also at such a tour is no need to met a thunder-storm. ;-)

Other Informations

• Some other pictures.
• Diese Seite in Deutsch.

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