So since we can not travel to other countries yet in times of Corona and want to move away in 1-1,5years anyways, my girlfriend Elena and I decided to use this extra time to explore our region of Bavaria, Germany!
I know it is crazy, I travelled around a lot in the world, but until a few years ago I was not a really big fan of hiking..or being in the mountains at all!!
I guess that is what usually happens everywhere! If you grow up in the mountains you prefer going to the beach and if you come from a tropical island you want to go and see snow! - People always want what they don't have that often! - So it took 3 years living in the Caribbean for me to start appreciating this landscape haha.
Since we are not the only ones having this idea, we picked a day during the week to avoid the crowds and the chances to get the virus.
Elenas best friend Michele came all the way from Ulm to us the day before. The next day we packed our backpacks and got ready already early morning.
From Gröbenzell it's an about one hour drive to the parking at Kesselberg between the two lakes Walchensee and Kochelsee.
We had a great time driving at the german highway for a while until we saw the alps from far away. Then we went on driving along the lakes and through super nice mountain villages until we got to the parking lot right between 2 mountains.
From the parking lot until the start of the path it was almost the same way as getting to the Herzogstand (another mountain I talked about in my previous post), but instead of going there we had to go on the opposite side.
We knew that it would be a moderate hike and a good physical condition was required to get up in 3,5 hours, but we took the challenge.
From there we followed the signposted hiking path into the dense mountain forest. Here the hiking trail snakes up quickly on the mountain slope. Especially on a warm summer day like this, we were grateful for the shade of the trees, because we didn't get too sweaty.
It goes up quickly and we quickly gained height. After half of the ascent, the trees slowly became lighter and we could already take a first look at the Kochelsee.
The hiking trail leaded along the wooded ridge and finally to an open mountain meadow. Here we had the summit of the Jochberg right in front of us.
With a fantastic view, we overcame the last section of the path. At the top of the summit cross we were rewarded for our athletic performance and the ascent was quickly forgotten.
Below us, the water of the Kochelsee and Walchensee sparkled in the sun. In the north the flat alpine foothills extended and in the south the alpine foothills embraced the Walchensee.
Right behind we could see the dramatic backdrop of the Karwendel and the Alps. The gray peaks just lined up to the horizon.
The view was just incredible! We were very proud of ourselves and so the lunch was well deserved.
We searched a nice space to sit down and got out our sandwiches and drinks.
Most of the people go down the same path, but it is very steep and we still had enough power. So we choose the alternative. Going to the mountain house and from there to the lake.
By descending via the Jocheralm, our hike was extended by four kilometers to a total of around 12 kilometers.
So from the summit cross we followed the signposted path down to the Jocheralm. The short section of the path leads you over an open mountain meadow directly to the alpine hut.
Usually here you can take a break on the terrace or in the cozy parlor before continuing your tour. But because of Corona, of course it was closed.
Freshly strengthened, we hiked down a comfortable forest path on the southern slope of the Jochberg. It was longer and at some points steeper then expected, but really nice.
At the bottom we arrived right next to the lake Walchensee. The water was still too cold to swim, but we did chill a little bit there.
At that point we were a little bit tired and wanted to arrive at the car soon. Our feet were hurting and our legs shaking.
But it was still 2km until we would arrive at the car, so we walked along the lake and enjoyed the view.
Getting to the street we had to hike up to the parking lot again for another 20 minutes.
And then finally we could change the shoes, drink some more water and drive back home. For the rest of the day, and also the next two days we were super tired and everything was hurting haha.
But the 6 hours hike was totally worth it!! It felt awesome that we did it!
We had walked about 650 meters up, 12km in total in 6 hours (breaks included). The weather was just perfect, not too hot and not too cold and since we went during the week it wasn't too crowded!
I guess if the weather gets better the next weeks, we will do another one and of course I'll take my go pro with me again working on my video skills and checking out more from the south of Germany ;)
Until then, you'll get more about our Mexico trip! I hope you enjoyed it!
cheers,
Liz