I had the opportunity to do my first hike in August 2019. I chose, without really knowing what I was getting into, Zugspitze. Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany. It is 2962 meters high and it borders with Austria. Although there are five different routes to go to the top, we chose ´´The Austrian Snow Cirque´´. The route´s starting point was at the Eisbee. The goal was to do 8 kilometers in 8 hours which was the estimated ascending time. The ascent was 2015 meters and apparently, it was just a medium to difficult difficultly.

We parked the car in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. I admit that it scared me to see the top of the mountain from there. We started walking and I started doubting if I was physically capable of making it for 6 hours more. However, it was easy to get distracted by the views. They were stunning! Once we crossed the German-Austrian border, the route started to change. It started getting way more inclined. I remember feeling very tired, but I was feeling excited about ´´being´´ in Austria for the first time. There were easier parts of the route than others. After 4 hours of walking, the worst part was yet about to come. We had to overpass a big and sharp rock. I had no proper equipment -I was in running shoes while everybody else was in harness and helmets. I needed breaks every 10 minutes trying to minimize any risk.  I thought I was in big trouble. The good news is, we finally made it to our destination after 2 hours of intense climbing. We ended up doing the whole route in 7 hours.

Once you are on the top, there are a few places where you can get food and beverages. I cannot explain how good it felt to drink that hot chocolate after hiking for 7 hours. We came back in the cable car and we rest in the Eisbee. A worth and well-deserved stop before going home. Although I know it sounds intense, I highly recommend this hike if you are in Munich for a couple of months. You will not regret it.

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Blog submitted by Eugenia Sanchez