Some time ago, I didn’t really understand why some people find it so great to stand on a mountain peak covered in sweat. Today, I know it is the feeling of freedom, the sense of accomplishment that drives them. Hiking the Grünten gave me that feeling. After hours of effort, aching legs, you stand there and look at the world in a way you usually never get to see. The deep blue-grey of the mountains mixes with the light blue of the sky, the deep green of the fir trees stands in contrast to the green and yellow of the fields. The wind ruffles your hair and you realise too late that you have a sunburn on your shoulders. At this moment, you’re just happy. Happy that you’ve made it. Happy to just be.
I was not a big hiker but for some months now I really got to appreciate it. It all started in Wales when I’ve made a trip there while I was studying in the UK. Hiking is really something that I want to get into (if only because I hope to have less severe muscle pain the next day if I exercise more).
I am now back in Germany for three weeks. My study time in England is over. Once one is away from home a little longer, you learn to appreciate how nice it can be there as well. My friend and I decided that we have to explore this wonderful country a bit more and off we went to the Allgäu region. To be more precise, to the Grünten, one of the northernmost mountains of the Allgäu Alps. Hint: Hiking the Grünten was worth it:
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GRÜNTEN
The Grünten is a ridge of the Allgäu Alps. The Grünten is located near Burgberg in the Bavarian district “Oberallgäu”. Due to its distinctive location right on the edge of the Alps, the Grünten is also nicknamed “Wächter des Allgäus” / “Guardian of the Allgäu”. The peak of the Grünten is called “Übelhorn” and is 1737 meters high. On the summit is a Gebirgsjäger monument, dedicated to the German mountain troopers killed in action.
People climb this mountain since the Middle Ages and, centuries later, we wanted to try it, too. The Grünten region is a very popular hiking area and there are many well-maintained hiking trails. Since we had to drive around 1.5 hours to actually get to the Grünten, we decided to walk a 4-hour round trip tour. That’s 2 hours hiking up to the Grünten and 2 hours down again.
THE TRAIL
The trail starts at the parking lot below the Alpe Kammeregg (this is the address: Kammeregger Weg, 87549 Rettenberg). From here you can easily follow the signposting. From the Alpe Kammeregg, you walk around 1 to 1.5 hours up to the Grüntenhütte. From here, turn right to the summit. The trail leads up to the monument, over serpentines and detrital underground. The almost 100-year-old monument stands venerable on the top of the Grünten, watching over the Allgäu Mountains. In the south and east rise the “Hochalpen”, on the west side the mountains of the “Nagelfluhkette” are showing and in the north you look deep into the gently rolling foothills of the Alps.
All in all, the tour takes about 4 hours. There are many huts where you can stop and enjoy a hearty lunch or coffee and cake. Make sure to check the opening times on the Internet before you start hiking the Grünten because many of the huts are closed during the week. I would say that the trail is not too complex and you don’t require any navigation skills (the signposts are really good). However, you definitely should be fit as it goes steeply uphill for about two hours (my poor legs!). Here is an overview of the trail:
HOW TO GET THERE
By Car:
From the A7 and then the B19 from Kempten you drive always in the direction of Sonthofen / Oberstdorf Take the 2nd exit to Immenstadt (South) in the direction of Rettenberg . From here, simply follow the signs for Alpe Kammeregg. Drive through Rettenberg and just before Kranzegg, you turn to your right.
By Public Transport:
There is no train station in Rettenberg, however, you can take the train to “Immenstadt im Allgäu” and then the bus to Rettenberg. Take the bus number 9781 from the train station in Immenstadt to Rettenberg and then walk to Alpe Kammeregg to start the hike. You can look up train and bus times at bahn.de.
FEELING LOW? GO ON MOUNTAINS
As already mentioned, the Grünten region is a very popular hiking area and there are plenty of other routes you can take (both for beginners and advanced hikers). There is this really good website where you can search through hiking routes, however, it’s in German. I’ll still leave it here for you: Alpsee Grünten. Feel free to shoot me a message if you need help translating or planning your trip
After hiking the Grünten, the next thing I have to do: find the right hiking shoes! Do you have any recommendations for me? Let me know in the comments. Also, tell me where your last hiking trip took you!
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The post The wind, the sun, the mountains – Hiking the Grünten appeared first on The Ambitious Bee.