from the lech to imst
our multi-day hike in a group of four men led us from stanzach in the lech valley up a side valley past namlos to the anhalter hut. this was a tough first day owing to the distance, the elevation gain, the hot and humid weather, and to the need for everybody to find their own rhythm.
day two was much easier then, despite some blisters needing to be taped up. once you leave civilzation behind, when there is no more phone reception, also the everyday worries seem to fade into the background. it becomes easier to be in the moment. long conversations, long stretches of just walking more or less silently, sometimes some heavy breathing.
in the hanauer hut i teach the others a tyrolean card game. watten. the train station in berlin only had skat cards available - made it a bit interesting. but they liked it so much that later they ended up teaching it to a belgian father and son. i guess, watten will now be introduced in belgium and the oderbruch area outside berlin.
day three starts with truly alpine hiking, which means there is some moderate climbing involved. we hike up to the western dremelscharte and steeply down the other side to the steinsee, the stonelake. we have a bath. the water isn’t as cold as i remember it to be from past hikes.
in the steinseehütte - the stony lake hut - we continue our conversations, the card games, accompanied by fantastic food, true to its tryolean heritage, accompanied by modern twists. try the kaiserschmarrn!
it is amazing how the family running the hut are able to provide this level of care and service to the mixed crowd of mountaineers and hikers from different backgrounds in this hard to access location. they tell me about the supply deliveries by helicopter, the short season that only lasts from june to september, the need to supplement their incomes by working as skiing instructors in winter, etc. there is merchandise on offer and, most lovingly, the daughter offers for sale by donations little pieces of handicraft.
day four brings us back to the hanauer hut, but on a different route. we hike northwest past the gufelkopf and down the other side until we turn east to go for another bath in the gufelsee. everyday there is quite a bit of elevation gain, on average about 1,000 meters. so the baths in the mountain lakes, the food and drinks in the huts, the card games, and the nights in the cramped sleeping quarters are well deserved.
the last hiking day is long. and steep for a good bit. from the distance it is hard to see where the path leads up a rocky incline towards the muttescharte, where one can finally see the town of imst down in the valley.
