Day 5
As mentioned yesterday today would be a short day according to guide book, map and everything else. The only way we could make it longer was by going up to the Aperer Feuerstein (2967m). We did consider this but with glacier crossings likely decided against this. Good buffet breakfast in the hut allowing for lots of pre walk sustenance but with the short day we opted against any lunch packets.
The day started off somewhat overcast but cleared soon. Forecast was for thunderstorms mid afternoon so we would be happy to get to the Nürnberger Hut before then. From the hut we couldn’t see the Simmingjöchl but a steady climb would soon take us round the side of a ridge and the zig zags got shorter until we ridge the final fixed wire scramble to the col at 2764m. It took us around an hour to get there and we got some good views of glaciers from there. Also at the col is a police hut which the guide book suggests that if you are there at the right time of the morning you can see the police patrol coming through. Those days may have gone. One of the other British groups reached the col at the same time as us and they split into 2 with some going to the Aperer Feuerstein and others using the same descent route as we did.
We were slightly delayed as Graham found the col to be an ideal spot for posting on Facebook. It has to be said that the huts were mostly in the wrong place for this – how inconsiderate.
Descent started and a proper snow field to cross – yay. Bit of a delay though as we had already made the half way point and the Scottish group ahead of us were being very careful in accessing the snowfield too. We weren’t in a rush anyway except that Iain did suggest that we could get a pre noon beer at the hut. The snowfield was relatively short and uneventful and we then descending across a boulderfield onto a lovely meadow that looked too lovely not to stop for a snack break. It had a paradise feel to it. Strangely only when we got further down were there signs pointing back up to ‘Paradies’. Why did not sign post this from the direction we were coming? Lovely for some chillout time and the sun came out for this too.
Below paradise was paradise 2 although we didn’t linger there too. This part was followed by some really interesting technical descent over slabs with fixed wire. Not something I’d have fancied too much in wet conditions. Sadly I did read in the news after our return home that a couple of Belgian walkers got into trouble there falling to their deaths. Bad weather played a part in this. It puts into perspective how good the conditions were while we were there.
Having all this technical terrain to wander through heightened my confidence for walking in this type of terrain. We contoured further into the valley in order for the path to find a spot to cross the river. River crossings appear on bridges which look as if they are put there anew every year so nothing too secure. From there a short wander back down the valley and we were at the hut. We missed the pre noon beer by a few minutes. Bloody paradise. Fiona also wasn’t feeling her best that day so the short day suited.
Having arrived this early allowed for us to have lunch at the hut and for a chill out afternoon, sorting some of our kit out (including some washing – the hut had a very warm drying room), reading books, getting a decent shower (especially when the Euro coin gets stuck in the meter and doesn’t count down leaving with an abundance of warm water) or in my case getting a run in.
After the 10 days of walking we had concluded that the Nürnberger Hut got our top marks vote out of the huts we stayed in. It was set in a great location, as a lovely interior, very good food, drying room was good and showers satisfactory and the room/bed was pretty good too. I probably run through a full rating of the huts at the end of the report.
While the others were chilling or washing their clothes I went for an afternoon from the hut hoping I could get this in before the weather broke as it was looking threatening since midday. Run article below walk photos.
Outside the Bremer Hut.
We are ready to go!
Glacier views from Simmingjöchl (Simmingferner)
Iain on Simmingjöchl with Aperer Feuerstein in the background.
The police hut on Simmingjöchl.
The view west from Simmingjöchl with the Nürnberger Hut in the centre. Seescharte which we would cross the next day above and Mairspitze on the left.
Waiting before approaching the snow field.
It’s a bit busy!
Fiona crossing the snowfield.
Paradise – truly 🙂
A place to refuel.
Fiona on a technical descent.
Iain taking the marked route. The boulder was in the way!
Graham on one of the typical bridges.
Graham on one of the typical bridges.
The interior of the Nürnberger Hut.
Graham waiting outside the Nürnberger for his lunch and Radler!
Run to the B’suachalm (1580m)
Soon after run and beer – and before checking into the room (as we couldn’t check in before 2pm) I set off for an up to 2 hour run down to the valley from the hut which is at 2278m. The route to the valley is on a good runnable track. Especially the part close to the hut is very well made path secured with stone walls, evidence that goods were delivered to the hut by cart prior to the cable car being put into place.
Only once I got below 1900m did the path start zigzagging down to the valley having left the old fortified path. The lower I got the more lush it got. I drank some water from one of the streams on the way down and earmarked that for the return leg too. I passed a few walkers who were either heading up to the hut or returning back down after their day walk. I even passed a runner – yay – and met a herd of goats who made a nuisance of themselves.
Bottomed out in about 45 min and roughly 4k in, had a look round the Alm and a look back up the valley. Clouds were looking even more threatening but weather was very warm so even if it did start raining it would more than be welcome. I started my 4k re ascent and after the first short zig zag it was clear that a fair bit of the uphill would be runnable as the gradient wasn’t steep at all. A German group we had been ‘walking with’ over the past few days were heading down to the valley and just gave looks, one of them shaking his head in disbelief.
Over took one group of walkers on the way up who were putting waterproofs as it started spitting with rain. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to much and it didn’t – literally stopped rain a minute later. Felt a bit sorry for the walkers who must have been roasting.
Great run back up the valley and even got a rainbow, back to the hut and rain still hadn’t started. My turn to do my washing, have a shower and chill. Rain started sometime after 5pm. We had probably the biggest dinner of the whole trip that evening.
Stats for the day: Hut to Hut 5.6k and 480m of ascent (in 4:12 hrs door to door); Run to the valley: 7.7k and 768m in 90 min.
Chatting to another walker who was sat at our table at dinner, made some of us think we could do the 3478m Wilder Freiger tomorrow – via a glacier!
Flick back to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5.
Goats on my descent to the B’suach Alm.
Rainbow on the way back up.