Our Adventure up the Zugspitze

All of us on our year abroad here in Bavaria knew that hiking was going to be a key element of life here. We were only one hour away from the mountains, and with our rail pass, we were able to take an unlimited number of trains without thinking about tickets, times, or prices. I had been to Eibsee many times, it's an absolutely stunning lake near the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with crystal clear waters, stunning sceneries, and a majestic view of the Zugspitze: the tallest mountain in Germany, with its peak reaching 2963m.

View of the lake (Eibsee) with the beautiful Zugspitze in the background.

This mountain had always appeared impressive yet daunting. It never really occurred to us to ascend it, mostly because of the very expensive price of taking the cable car up, and that it did not seem necessary given that we could enjoy walking around the lake and viewing it from here. Having been to Eibsee a few times in Autumn, Winter, and Spring, the weather conditions up the mountain had never called us to ascend it, we did not realise you could hike up it. We initially thought that it would require snow gear and special material, and that the route was very dangerous. Some of the routes up do include this, but we did not realise that there was also a regular hiking route up.

Come Summer, and this idea is calling us more and more. So we decided to look at the hike and get ready. We chose to ascend via the Reintal route, which would require us to stay a night at the adorable Reintalangerhütte. Although stopping for the night wasn't technically necessary, opting out of it would mean hiking through the night and having to slightly rush the whole experience. We were also generally excited to stay in a hut with beautiful views, comforting food and great energy.

Day 1:

On the day, we boarded a train from Munich Hbf to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and from here the hike would start.

We started walking from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, heading towards a valley that would lead us up. We chose the option to go via the Partnachklamm, a wonderful gorge trail with powerful water and impressive sights, After paying a small fee to enter, we followed the trail. I expected a little path along a river, but this was everything and more. It was a truly daunting and otherworldly experience, with strong currents, loud vibrations and dark passageways. We genuinely felt quite cold because the water was glacial and the dark caves were keeping the air fresh.

As we exited the trail, we landed in a truly beautiful and harmonious landscape. We felt like we were entering a heavenly world, like being in a movie or landing on a new planet. The light was so bright, the mountains so imposing and the greenery so welcoming. We could see the river coming from the mountain peaks and we directly saw the way we were going to head, The birds were singing, and butterflies were dancing all around us. We genuinely felt so happy to be in this moment and to be able to hike this route.

We were now in the reintal valley, and we knew we just had to climb up the valley until we reached the hut. To our pleasure, we encountered very few people and were hiking in pure silence and harmony with the nature around us. Not only were we guided by the path in front of us, but the river led us to the direction we looked for, and the sounds of the water became incredibly soothing.

Our lunch was enjoyed in the shade of a few trees. These were becoming a rarity since the altitude was increasing, and this meant we were becoming warmer, all more reasons to want to reach the hut as soon as we could. We were excited to be able to rest, chill, and enjoy a nice drink by the water.

The hut was in the most amazing location I have ever seen. Never would I have thought one could find such beautiful places so close to Munich. I felt so privileged to be here, and once we had checked-in and had a nice refreshing drink, we set ourselves on exploring the area around hut. There were many sheep in shaded areas, and we found so many spots to just unwind and listen to the sounds of the nature around us. The water from the river was incredibly cold, and gave us adrenaline rushes just from crossing it. Being in such a quiet and untouched valley was incredibly satisfying, and we felt very grateful to be able to experience such beauty and peace.

For dinner, we were called at the set time and were sat on the terrace. The menu was fully vegetarian and the food options all came from local producers. We were served a carrot and ginger soup to start. This was followed by a soja-gulasch with a beautifully made bread dumpling. These were tasty twists on traditional bavarian and central european dishes. The dessert was a chocolate crumble with apple and vanilla cream. Truly a dream.

As the evening came around, we spent our last hour in the daylight chatting by the water before heading to sleep in our cosy dorm. An honestly amazing end to a breathtaking day full of adventure and serenity.

View of the reintalangerhütte, our stop for the first leg of the journey.

Day 2:

The birds singing to the sun rising provided the best wake up alarm I have ever experienced. It was rather early, but the sun was already bright despite it hiding behind the mountains overlooking the valley. I couldn't get back to sleep despite having an extra hour to spare before breakfast, so I went to wander by the water and felt so refreshed and peacefully prepared to start the day. I decided to shower too, and despite the water being cold because I did not know how to pay to get the hot water, it felt very refreshing and definitely woke me up! Breakfast was a very cute buffet with local cheeses, homemade spreads and the most amazing bircher muesli I had every tried. I was grateful to be able to help myself quite a few times, and even pack a few things for the journey ahead. We got all packed up and left after a few of the others, but before some other guests.

Heading up the valley we had been staying in felt quite daunting, because we could not actually see where we were going to end up, it felt like there was no way out of it. Surprisingly, we managed to overtake quite a few of the people who had departed before us. I know most of us are keen hikers, but I guess our youth helped us on this one. As we ascended, so did the sun so we had to remind ourselved to apply sunscreen and drink water despite limited reserves. Sooner than later, we had exited any area with vegetation, and everything around us was rocks. Only a few patched of moss and a few flowers were to be seen from here. We were clearly gaining altitude.

Our first stop was at the Knorrhütte, another hiking hut where different routes lead hikers to stay there. It had a welcoming host and a large restaurant. We took this opportunity to refresh and have a coffee before heading up again. We did not want to waste time, especially knowing that we wanted to make the most of the views at the top, and of the swim at Eibsee once we had taken the cable car back down.

View of the Knorrhütte

View from the Knorrhütte

The three final stretches of the hike were the most challenging. The first because we crossed patches of snow ( yes, in June) which made the path slippery. It was nevertheless very exciting to see snow. The second because we were meant to ascend 200m of loose rocks, which was not only daunting but also dangerous. The hike was indeed marked with a black intensity marker, meaning it was the toughest type one could encounter. For this stretch we essentially ascended on all fours, trying to stay as stable as we could without falling or endangering any others by causing rocks to fall. My water bottle kept falling so i had to take it out of its enclosure and put it in my bag. This was rather stressful as trying to fiddle with baggage while balancing on loose rocks is not the funniest experience. The final stretch was safer, but more daunting since we were climbing along a ridge. The path called us to hang onto metallic ropes for the whole stretch. We felt more reassured being able to grab onto ropes to pull ourselves along. Reaching the ridge was daunting but so thrilling because we could see on both sides of the mountain now, on the one hand into the Reintal valley in Germany, where we were; on the other hand we could see into Austria on the other side. It was truly breathtaking, and the sight of Golden Eagles flying over us made the whole experience the more majestic.

View of the Austrian side of the mountain as we hiked along the ridge

View of Eibsee from the summit of the Zugspitze.

From the ridge, the end was so near. We felt more motivated than ever to complete the hike, and despite being hungry and tired, the feeling of satisfaction pushed us all the way to the end. As we reached the station, we felt so proud of ourselves and the visitors, who had climbed with the cable car, expressed their amazement at the feat we had just accomplished. I certainly did not expect to be climbing Germany's tallest peak when I planned my year abroad. Although we had reached the station, we hadn't reached our end yet, as to get to the actual summit there was one last section to climb. It was very short, and compared to the whole hike, very straightforward. I however found it dangerous because it was accessible to everyone, thus those who had climbed with the cable car. Now there is nothing inherently wrong with that, but I found most of them did not have the appropriate gear, especially shoes, to complete this section. I felt it could endanger themselves and others. What certainly did not help was the fact that a hailstorm had just started. So, yes, despite hiking in sunny weather for two days, we reached the top in stormy conditions. We therefore decided to be as quick as we could, take a few photos at the top then head to the station for a well deserved lunch and a comforting piece of cake.

I think we spent a good hour and a half just eating. We had ascended over 1600 metres just this day, and all in about four hours. We were definitely famished and in need of some rest. The station was very modern, and once we were done, we took the cable car back down to the other side of the valley, the one where Eibsee is located. We opted to take the cable car down solely for timing purposes, allowing us to return home the same day and take an appropriately timed train from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Once down at Eibsee, I rushed to the opportunity to be able to bathe. By this time the storm had ended and the sun was out again. The air felt much hotter down here, so swimming in the lake was not only the perfect opportunity to freshen up, but the most memorable way to end this hike.

A view of Eibsee from the point where we swam after coming back down. In the distance one can see the cable car.

This experience was truly the highlight of my year abroad, by far. It was the most incredible mix of adventure, nature, sport, relaxation and appreciation of beautiful sights. I will keep so many amazing memories from this, and hope to be able to complete this hike again soon! I vividly recommend hiking up the Zugspitze for any experienced hikers! For beginners, a nice stretch up to the Reintalangerhütte and back is very doable and incredibly pretty. In any case, a trip to Munich or Bavaria cannot be completed without a day in Eibsee and the area around Garmisch-Partenkirchen!

The 'actual' summit of the Zugspitze mountain, at 2963m!!