Blistery Feet and Burning Thighs - A Weekend in the German Alps

Last weekend, I went hiking in the German Alps, very close to the Austrian border. The main reason going there is to see the King's House on the Schachen. Bavarian King Ludwig II was an eccentric figure to say the least, and wishing for some quiet alone time, he order a little house to be built high up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere.

While researching this trip, I learnt there's a hütte (mountain refuge) 1.5 hours from the King's House. Never stayed at a hütte before, and wanted to experience this very European aspect of hiking, I decided I'll spend the night in the mountain.

The weather that weekend was unfortunately far from ideal. It's been hot and sunny for 4 weeks, but the weekend I picked to go hiking was cold and rainy. Fortunately it didn't rain much during my ascent. Also, I was in much worse shape than I thought. During the climb, I had to take frequent breaks and was going really really slowly.

After hiking for more than 8 hours, and ascending more than 1,600m, I finally arrived at the hütte. What a relief! Nudged between 2 peaks on a ridge, the Meilerhütte is right on the border between Germany and Austria. While the building is just inside Germany, one has to go around to Austria to get to the entrance.

I would like to say that I slept like a baby that night. However, it was so cold in the room, that even with 3 blankets, I was tossing and turning a lot. I did eventually managed to get some rest, and felt much better in the morning.

The descent was less exhausting than the ascent, but it was much harder on my knees. I came across a herd of sheep grazing in the mountain, and they followed me for a bit. 6 hours later, I was back in town, exhausted, but exhilarated.

While this was the hardest thing I've done in a while, I enjoyed it tremendously. The view was magnificent, and it reminded me how much I missed mountains. I was so spoiled in Vancouver!