Diterbitake: 19.08.2018
It started on 13.08.2018 with a night bus to Innsbruck. Then a little further by train and bus and by noon I was exactly where I had stopped a year ago. I started at the fire station in Jerzens. But where was the E5 long-distance hiking trail? I made my way through various forest paths to the next village Wenns. It started to rain, but thanks to my rain poncho, I didn't get too wet. The next destination was Zams. Endless ascents consumed a lot of energy, but I could enjoy wonderful views. At the highest alpine pasture above Wenns, there was a homemade refreshing elderberry spritzer. Then it continued and about 40 bell-wearing goats followed me across their entire pasture - what a concert. The trail seemed endless, or rather, my legs wanted to keep going until darkness approached. I slept in my hammock on the terrace of an abandoned farmhouse with a great view and an even better outhouse. Despite the summer temperatures during the day, it gets considerably colder at night, and I had to get up at 3 am and continue towards Zams for a night hike. Behind Zams, a difficult exponentially increasing ascent began, taking 6 hours over the mountain range to the Memminger Hut. After that, you always know why you take on these challenges, but not during the ascent. Unfortunately, the Memminger Hut was quite crowded and I decided to descend towards Bach. But even down there, there was no possibility of stopping after 16 hours of hiking and as darkness fell, and I had to spend the night in my hammock again. There were perfect conditions for a clear starry sky and I could even see shooting stars from my bed. Unfortunately, it was even colder in this valley and after a 4-hour power nap, I set off again towards Bach and then further to Holzgau. There I admired the sunrise from the formerly longest free-hanging bridge in europe. I continued up the valley, a tough ascent until finally the German border marked the summit. From here, you could see the Kempten Hut directly. There I had a short victory beer and a 4-minute shower. That gave me new strength and I decided to walk to Oberstdorf. I got the train right there and on 16.08.2018, completely exhausted but happy, I returned to Berlin after another 15 hours of hiking. In total, I covered approximately 70 km of distance, climbed 4 km in altitude, and descended 5 km.