Deutsches Abenteuer: Der Blankenstein

My final day in Europe! Siggi and I walked down the Alm to the car, then drove to Tegernsee, which is a large mountain lake (and town) two valleys to the west. From there we took the Wallbergbahn (most of the cable cars are named after the mountains they head up to). It was long and steep, and we had some beautiful views over Tegernsee.

Wonderful scenery

Getting higher and higher

Once at the top, we headed south. We'd planned to do a loop walk to the Blankenstein peak. This is a rocky outcrop that is visible from Obere Maxlraineralm as a "pimple" next to the larger, rounded Risserkogel. Near the Wallbergbahn Bergstation is a little mountain chapel, and just below this were a large number of paragliders taking off.

Lovely view!

The chapel is on a hill, and is visible from the lake shore

We couldn't go inside, but I took a pic through the barrier

Just about off the ground

And now heading for Tegernsee

From the paragliders' launchpad, the road was mostly downhill for about a kilometre, before we turned off to the left. Once again it was easy walking, which is unusual in the Alps. We walked along the side of a hill for a while, then climbed a bit before the path took us along the ridgetops. It seemed as though we were walking on the edge of a caldera. The drop over the edge was quite steep the whole way, but the views were great.

The beginning of our track. The fence keeps the cows off the path

The Risserkogel is the high peak; the Blankenstein is just visible to its left

The red soil on the ridgetop here was really lovely

Lots of moss and Fichten (fir trees)

Couldn't resist!

Standing right on the edge, with Blankenstein and Risserkogel

This dead Fichte was full of woodpecker holes

And this was one of the strangest trees ever

Siggi's turn to stand on the edge

This view is on the other side of the valley

Tegernsee is just visible on the right

Then back over to the Blankenstein side

There was a section where the ridgetop flattened out into a little alm, probably about 50 metres wide. We continued to get closer to the Blankenstein, which looks amazing!

Climbing up to the alm (after a little rest!)

Walking on the ridgetop alm...

...with the Blankenstein in the background...

...and then crossing over to the other side...

...where the views into the Austrian Alps were spectacular

From this vantage point, we could see no signs of humanity (only cows!)

The same view from Siggi's camera

Closer to the Risserkogel and we were back on a slender ridge

Siggi's camera takes landscape pics

Sitting on the cliff edge. The Blankenstein is fascinating

The closer we got to the Risserkogel, the steeper and rockier the path became. Initially with a drop on each side of the path; later we were climbing up rocks with low, scrubby conifers on both sides.

You can see how narrow the path is here

Climbing rocks again

Just sitting and admiring the INCREDIBLE DROP!!

I used both hands and feet going up here

The path runs along the side of the rocks...

...then through a rocky channel...

...to the point where we can see Tegernsee again

We wanted to get back to the Bahnstation by 5pm to catch the last gondola back to the car, so we didn't climb to the summit of the Risserkogel. Instead, we headed down towards the Blankenstein. The path was steep and in parts covered with scree, so the descent was quite treacherous.

Siggi stayed on his feet, but I used my backside!

It never ceases to amaze me that the rock just sticks out of the ground

Photos never quite show just how steep the path is

Getting close!

Presenting......der Blankenstein!!

From the Blankenstein, we headed into the valley we had just circumnavigated. Often the path was extremely muddy, so we walked beside it. Not always easy.

Heading down into the valley

Looking back

The pic doesn't show just how muddy the track is here

This must have been where the track was that brilliant red colour

Looking upward from the valley floor. We walked around the edge

Selfie!

After some brisk walking on the sealed road, we finally reached a junction where there was a sign heading back to the Bergstation. One and a half hours. It was quarter past four. There was no way we'd get up there in half the time, so we changed plans and walked in the other direction, heading for the valley between Tegernsee and Obere Maxlraineralm.

The forest was lovely

Two creeks joining together

Brief stop to visit the waterfall

Then keep on walking

We caught a bus from the Suttental back to Tegernsee, and then wandered along the lake shore, looking for somewhere to eat. After our meal, we caught a taxi back to the Talstation to pick up the car and drive back to Obere Maxlraineralm. We took the cargo lift back up the hill because I was too tired to walk by then!