Across the Mountains
At the end of this summer, I went to Oberstdorf, a town on the border between Germany and Austria, for hiking and relaxation.
Overview¶
Preparations before taking a hike:
- Sun protection: sunscream and a hat or anything else that can protect your head. Otherwise you would end up with a sunburned scalp as I did :(
- Clothes: quick-drying clothes. It will keep you more comfortable when you’re sweating a lot while walking along the ridges under the sun.
- Water: You’ll need at least 3 liters of water for a four to five hour hike.
- Food: Bring some snacks for the trip as restaurants are usually far away.
- Map: an offline map of the hiking ares. It’s dangerous to get off track in the mountains where you’re unlikely to get any signal.
- Route planning[1] and other information for a hike: Never hurt to have a plan in mind even if reality turns out differently. Don’t forget to check the weather, bus schedules (If you don’t have a car), restaurants, bathrooms and cable car operations. Check the cable cars opening hours[2] unless you plan to hike down on foot. You can get very nice interactive hiking maps of the mountains surrounding Oberstdorf by a simple click[3].
- Cash: If you are also relying on public transport, be sure to carry some cash in case the buses don’t accept cards.
Fellhorn¶
The ridge hike on Fellhorn followed the route I had mapped out in advance. This route was sourced from Fellhorn summit panoramic ridge hike[4], accompanied with transport information I looked up for buses, cable cars and trains.
Nebelhorn¶
The routes on Nebelhorn are well-marked. You can buy a round-trip cable car ticket at the valley station, which takes you up to the mountain station (the second of three stations on the mountain). From the mountain station, you can climb up to the summit or hike down to Seealpsee, a lake nestled below.
Hiking Routes¶
Ridge Hike on Fellhorn¶
Ridge Hike on Nebelhorn¶
Loop via the Wallrafweg¶
