Out of the fog and into the sun. I wanted to do that on Sunday. Therefore you have to go to the mountains, it’s the only way at the moment. Equipped with my new app “Komoot” I chose a hiking trail. I didn’t want a walk, but a challenging tour with a good incline. My new app knows that my conditions are good, so it suggests difficult tours.
The beginning was still mild, but soon there was a pretty steep ascent. I soon had to take off my sweater because the steep mountain demanded a lot from me at this speed.
The sun was shining, the sky was almost cloudless, just wonderful. A balm for the soul and a wonderful training for the body. The path led through the forest and the sun shone between the trees. The path was quite wide and very well maintained. I met two couples, but most of the time I was alone in a wonderful area warmed by the sun.
After more than an hour of steep ascent I was already relatively high on the mountain and here and there where the forest had cleared, there was a wonderful view into the valley. At every junction I checked my way on my app to make sure I didn’t take a wrong turn, as I didn’t know this area very well and didn’t want to get lost. I passed a hut and my path suddenly turned sharp left, actually almost back into the valley. I checked it, but it was right. Probably a small descent before the next ascent. The path became narrower and the forest denser. This meant that no sun came through and the first snow was also left on the path. Abruptly the path went down very steeply and was icy. Surely those who went down there yesterday before me crushed the snow and overnight it froze. Since there is no sun here, the ice had not managed to thaw. Despite wonderful shoes the descent became really dangerous. The path was narrow and the mountain very steep. I went sideways, but it was not possible everywhere. I had to swerve beside the path and walk through the snow to avoid slipping. The hiking tour was challenging until now, but now it became really borderline with my equipment. I thought about whether I should turn back. I checked the app and saw that this descent part should be very short. I decided to do it even though I considered it dangerous myself.
After about 400 m the forest thinned out and the rest of the route was without trees. I was relieved that the icy, unpleasant part was over. The trail was still very narrow and walking next to it was not really easy. Since the sun was shining a lot there, the ground was now soaked and muddy in the afternoon. I walked down and was looking forward to the next ascent. In a moment where I wasn’t fully concentrated I slipped on the match despite my wonderful shoes and landed backwards in the match.
It didn’t happen except for the wonderful dark brown mass that stuck in my hair, on my jacket and on my pants. I cleaned myself up and marched off again.
The tour as such would be ideal in summer, in late November with my equipment – much too dangerous. My confidence in the judgment of my app suffered. Next time it simply needs better preparation. Like so often. It’s your own fault! But the sun and the peace on the mountain were worth it.
Image source: http://unsplash.com
Michaela Merz 