Nord Süd Trail

After having a forced rest day because I probably had food poisoning and couldn't sleep in the night my mother dropped me off where they picked me up before. I walked all the way through Oberstdorf and afterwards a few smaller villages until I got to the next mountain range to climb. After the steep ascent I followed the ridge up and down multiple times until I got to the last peak of the day. There I met a man who planned on sleeping at the summit with some friends to watch shooting stars. It was a perfect blue sky and I was astonished to see lake Constance from that far away. My mother and my cousins picked me up at the next carpark, while my father prepared dinner. At night my cousins and I went out for an hour to watch shooting stars and we saw at least 10-15 and the milky way was visible as well.

In the morning we packed everything together and got ready to leave. My father with his backpack double the size of mine, joined me for a week. At the beginning of our first day we shared the trail with marathon runners who we left behind...or more like we constantly had to look back and step aside. On the summit of the day we had a beautiful view of the mountains. There we had the choice between going to an old alpine hut with big dormitories or a new luxury alpine hut with spa and private room...we chose the first one not willing to pay at least 90€ per person. Once at the hut we got told by the host they are closing soon and it's their off day tomorrow so they didn't offer accommodation but they were very friendly and we had dinner there. The host gave us some advice on our next day and told us to wild camp on the peak. We started walking up the mountain and came to a small wooden hut with a water source where we decided to stay for the night. The sound of cow bells turned into melodies while we were trying to sleep.

Starting right after sunrise we descended into the valley, crossed another mountain range into the next valley and thought we could eat there at an alpine hut. Well...monday off day and we just passed 2 fridges with drinks and some food on the way there. Once our mood was back to normal we continued up the mountain to our final destination for the day. 2 1/2 hours later we finally arrived at the hut and got told they had 2 beds for us after the online reservation was booked out. The shower was 1€ for 1min so I cleaned myself at the sink. After a long rest we went down for dinner eating cheese spätzle and cheese pressed dumplings. Still exhausted we went back up and relaxed.

After breakfast we started climbing to the peak and on the way watched the gondola brought up some staff and supplies for the day. An amazing view of lake Constance and the surrounding landscape. On the way down we had fun with the fence doors on how to go through, backwards, swinging, spinning,...
Down in the valley at the gondola station we met a family with funny kids from the hut again. After following the river down streams we came to a waterfall where we thought about a break. Soon my father and I realized this is a really crowded place and after I had a short swim we continued up the mountain. In the next village after walking around we enjoyed an iced coffee. A short resupply for breakfast the next day and soon we sat at a table in an italian restaurant. Watching other guests how they interact with each other and what their mimik is telling.
We continued and after a long walk and a few attempts to find a sleeping place we slept on the forest floor a bit too close to a road, which was noisy until late.

At midnight it started to rain and we packed our things in the dark. By the time we were back on the trail the rain had already stopped. We continued walking into the next village to find a roof and stopped in a small park near the church. In the morning after 4 hours of sleep my father and I went to the bakery and had a delicious breakfast and a toilet. A hot day with a long but easy climb and a beautiful gorge following a river into the next village. The trail led out of the village again and there we found a construction site building a bridge where we wanted to cross a small river. I walked over small wooden blanks and my father went through the river. In the next town we had to realize that because of a holiday the following day everything was booked out so we went to the tourist information and even they had difficulties finding accommodation. In the end they called their colleges in the next village and there we found a place to stay. Once we got out, we saw a dark sky promising a storm coming soon. After half an hour lightning flashed the sky and rain grew stronger. 1 hour later we got to our accommodation and the storm was over.
Because wednesday is the off day for many restaurants and we didn't want to walk an hour to the next place, we ordered indian food.

Starting with a big breakfast in the day we left at 10 am. We crossed the border of Austria to take a more direct and scenic trail down to lake Constance. Right before we got to the lake we crossed the border again back to Germany and had a lunch break. Now the tourist walk along lake Constance began while the sun was burning down on us. Once we left the island Lindau we looked out for a nice swimming spot. The water was quite warm. For dinner we found a nice kazakh restaurant with a variety of dumplings. We slept at the edge of the water at a quiet spot only bothered by flies and ducks.Read more