Berchtesgaden, Germany

The original plan for this weekend was for me to hang out with my roommate in his hometown in South-West Germany and then go to a Semi-Truck race on the world famous Nurburgring race track. I was supposed to get a ride from one of his friends here in Munich, but then he couldn’t go anymore, so I didn’t have a ride and taking the train would have been pretty expensive, so the plans caved through. Instead I decided to go hiking in the Bavarian Alps in Berchtesgaden National Park. I had this place on my radar ever since I got here and did some last minute planning on Friday with the help of my mentor Jann, who frequently hikes in his free time.

What Berchtesgaden is most famous for is Hitler’s getaway house called the “Eagle’s Nest” that is perched on top of a cliff overlooking Berchtesgaden, lake Königsee, and the Bavarian Alps. From looking at the pictures online, it didn’t look too spectacular so I decided to pass on seeing that, and the horde of tourists, and see some of the more beautiful parts of nature. When I arrived, I took a bus to the waterfront of lake Königsee and took a boat across the lake to Saint Bartholomä church on the foothills of the mountains.

From here, I had a couple of options that I had planned out, but I decided not to attempt either one. The mountain right next to Saint Bartholomä is the second highest mountain in Germany, the Watzmann. My two plans were to either go around it on a 9 hour trek, or to climb to the top. I really wanted to climb to the top and I thought I would have enough time to do it since the trail information said 5 hours, but I asked the boat guide how long it would take and he said that it was 5 hours just to the top, then it would take 5 hours back, for a total of 10 hours. I didn’t have that much time because it was 11am already and the last train out back to Munich left at 8. That gave me less than 9 hours when considering the bus ride back to the central station, so I decided not to do either option, in favor of making it back to Munich and not being stranded in Berchtesgaden overnight. It also would have been pretty dangerous to try climbing the Watzmann since I was just in my tennis shoes and didn’t have hiking boots. In the end, I settled for an alternate route toward an ice cave wedged between Watzmann and a couple other peaks. This turned out to be far from disappointing.

From Saint Bartholomä, I took the trail to the ice cave, which was all uphill. Then the trail suddenly ended and in order to keep going I had to go off the trail (this got me all giddy inside). So I pressed on and suddenly the trees opened up into a clearing. My heart skipped a beat. I was in a valley completely surrounded by mountains jutting upward on all sides except for a small opening where I could see the Alps in the horizon. This valley was strewn with boulders from the mountains and a babbling brook cutting through them. The water was coming from the melting ice cap of Mount Walzmann that was flowing down from the top and into a waterfall. It was breathtaking. I scrambled through the boulders and along the stream until I came to a glacier and a big ice cave at the base of the waterfall.

In order to get closer to the ice cave, I had to cross the brook. Well I was crossing over the rocks and one of them slipped out beneath me and I fell into the water. I was ok because I caught myself with my right arm, but I happened to be carrying my camera in my right hand and it took a full dunk into the water. I dried it off as much as I could and it managed to still turn on and off, but it was malfunctioning. I decided to leave it out in the sun for a bit while I ate my lunch and continued taking in the scenery. I was able to cool off sticking my feet and my head in the water, but not for long because it was ice cold. After lunch my camera dried out and started working again, but the LCD display was heavily disfigured.

After lunch I pressed on through the rock-bottom valley climbing the rocks and doing some screeing on my way to the ice cave. My tennis shoes definitely took quite a beating. Once I got the ice cave, I decided to go inside it even though I knew it was quite dangerous especially on a hot day when the melting ice could easily shift. I went as far as I could before it dropped off and I was pretty spooked because I could hear the ice creaking and echoing down the cave. Later on my way home I picked up an information pamphlet that read “Due to the fact that the ice and snow can collapse without warning at any time, climbing on or walking into the cave is extremely dangerous.” On the internet later, I found out that people die every year getting hit by falling ice. When I read that, I realized that I’m thankful nothing happened to me.

After that I walked back to Saint Bartholomä and stumbled upon an interesting sight. There were men and women in suits, but the men were also wearing capes over top. And a few of the men had helmets on and carrying flags and even swords. I watched for a little bit and realized this was a wedding ceremony. The capes and helmets and swords must be a traditional thing in Berchtesgaden.

I then took the boat back to Schönau at the edge of the lake Königsee and took the bus back to Berchtesgaden where I boarded my train back to Munich. I was tired from hiking and scrambling on rocks and my bed felt very nice. I was very satisfied having experienced the most breathtaking nature I’ve ever seen.

Update on my camera: The next day, I tried out my camera and not only does it work, but the LCD screen is completely back to normal as if nothing happened. I’m amazed after dunking it in the water and dropping it several times that my Nikon Coolpix works just like new. I thought I was going to have to get a new camera, but now I don’t have to because this one is indestructible. Mad props to Nikon. I think I have just become a lifetime customer.