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Hut to hut hiking in the Alps

Very nice pictures. The water in that lake is so clear, I bet it is perfectly drinkable. Did you start your tour from South Tyrol or Trentino?
 
Very nice pictures. The water in that lake is so clear, I bet it is perfectly drinkable. Did you start your tour from South Tyrol or Trentino?

Vielen dank! Water very clear. (Edit: there were 'gopher' type ground dwelling mammals around that lake. Forget the correct name. Was very funny. Could have played 'whack-a-mole' with them!) I filtered water through a Milbank bag while there if needed. Some Refugios, up on the peaks, just have a lake to draw from. Only took water as high up a slope as possible for health reason. Am still alive. (Northern Norway the lakes are 100% potable and tastes sweet! Life as it should be in a perfect world.)

Trentino.
My route was something like:
Bolzano, Rosengarten, Puez, Fanes, Tures, Laveredo, Cortina then back to Bolzano.

Most of it on foot but a few buses to jump off and only one cable car, down. Some days we would push on to climb up into a new range at end of long day to get to a refugio ready for next day. Think one day we must've done about 30km and up to 3km altitude. Very tired but boy...what lovely beer/lemonade/anything at the end of the day! We even had some nights out in Cortina after to meet the locals!
Fanes was probably my favourite area. Big area. It is a natural 'bowl' and so hard to get into so you appreciate being there, meet interesting people. Very peaceful. Very beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfMczK8JGO4
 
Vielen dank! Water very clear. (Edit: there were 'gopher' type ground dwelling mammals around that lake. Forget the correct name. Was very funny. Could have played 'whack-a-mole' with them!) I filtered water through a Milbank bag while there if needed. Some Refugios, up on the peaks, just have a lake to draw from. Only took water as high up a slope as possible for health reason. Am still alive. (Northern Norway the lakes are 100% potable and tastes sweet! Life as it should be in a perfect world.)

The animal was probably an Alpine marmot. They can be found at heights well over 3km, and are amazing diggers.
Many of the Alpine streams are 100% potable, but it is always safer to take the water from higher up the slope. Several years ago, I hiked in the Grossglockner region in Austria, and walked up to and down from the highest hut, Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte, which is the starting point for serious mountain climbing expeditions to the peak, to climb back down to Franz-Josefs-Höhe. Each tour took roughly six hours and requires glacier equipment as it takes you right through the longest glacier in the Austrian Alps. It is beautiful, but exhausting although the height difference is only 900 metres or so.
Right before we reached Franz-Josefs-Höhe, there was a meadow with grazing cows and a wooden trough (water came from glacier-fed stream) that looked very much like this (cows included):
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/...2ekRkbN-VOUfhuyU3dZ6gT7C7wD423i4v1Zt--R8ZuGD5

I drank from the spout, but I swear that it was the best-tasting water in the world. I am still alive, too, despite certain exposure to cow saliva. I never even got sick.

Trentino.
My route was something like:
Bolzano, Rosengarten, Puez, Fanes, Tures, Laveredo, Cortina then back to Bolzano.

Most of it on foot but a few buses to jump off and only one cable car, down. Some days we would push on to climb up into a new range at end of long day to get to a refugio ready for next day. Think one day we must've done about 30km and up to 3km altitude. Very tired but boy...what lovely beer/lemonade/anything at the end of the day! We even had some nights out in Cortina after to meet the locals!
Fanes was probably my favourite area. Big area. It is a natural 'bowl' and so hard to get into so you appreciate being there, meet interesting people. Very peaceful. Very beautiful.

Stone Roses - Sawmills Footage - Recording of Fools Gold - YouTube

Beautiful. I know the feeling: at the end of the day just sitting down with any beverage is the most wonderful thing. I am very fond of Radler (basically a shandy, mix of beer and lemonade) and Almdudler, an Austrian fizzy drink made with herbal extracts.
 
I second Jumping Jack's suggestion about the Karwendelgebirge and Mittenwald being a good place to start. My mum is from southern Bavaria, and I spent a lot of time there as a child, and still have aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. spread out from Munich to Füssen to Mittenwald. However, the greatest number of huts can be found in the Allgäuer Alpen, thus it might be easiest to find accommodation there. Some of the huts listed under Allgäuer Alpen will be located in Austria due to the nature of the border.
Allgäuer Alpen are beautiful, however, there is only one tiny glacier there. If glaciers (called Ferner in Bavaria and Tyrol) are what you're after, the Stubaier Alpen are a great place. I can recommend the Westfalenhaus, a large hut at 2300 meters, reached by bus (takes one hour) from Innsbruck to Praxmar (tiny village, 1600 meters) and then a 3 hour easy walk. From there you can walk right up to and even unto a glacier, go up the Zischgelesspitze (3004 meters, one of the easiest 3000 meter peaks in the Alps, no climbing equipment required) and reach several huts within a few hours, with spectacular views on the way. All in all, an easily accessible area with great opportunities!
 
Allgäuer Alpen are beautiful, however, there is only one tiny glacier there. If glaciers (called Ferner in Bavaria and Tyrol) are what you're after, the Stubaier Alpen are a great place. I can recommend the Westfalenhaus, a large hut at 2300 meters, reached by bus (takes one hour) from Innsbruck to Praxmar (tiny village, 1600 meters) and then a 3 hour easy walk. From there you can walk right up to and even unto a glacier, go up the Zischgelesspitze (3004 meters, one of the easiest 3000 meter peaks in the Alps, no climbing equipment required) and reach several huts within a few hours, with spectacular views on the way. All in all, an easily accessible area with great opportunities!

That is absolutely correct. If the OP is interested in glaciers the Allgäuer Alpen are not the best choice. In that case the Stubaier Alpen or the Großglockner Pasterze Glacier (the longest and largest in Austria) will be better suited.

I think it is crucial to have the right equipment if you plan to tour a glacier. I would never advise anybody to walk a glacier without sturdy climbing boots, crampons, a helmet, and an ice axe. Hiking boots simply won't do, in my humble opinion. Accidents happen every year, and in April 2012 a man fell into a glacier crevasse in Tyrol where he survived six days and nights before rescuers found him. I do not mean to discurage anybody, but one of my cousins works for the Bayerische Bergwacht (mountain rescue group) in Mittenwald, and he has some interesting tales about hikers and climbers getting stuck. In short, never underestimate the mountains. Treat nature with respect, prepare properly, and you should be fine.
 
We should start an Arrse Hiking Club for ex geriatric hikers - this will give us an excuse to A. Get out of the house and B. Spend money on shiny hiking things.
 
Youth hostels are generally a good, safe, clean, and inexpensive choice. You really can't go wrong. Most even include German breakfast, but you can always get some excellent pastries, rolls, etc. at a local bakery if the breakfast offering does not meet your personal standards. No bacon, baked beans, and grilled tomatoes though, I am afraid ^^.

@Murse,
Ordnungsliebe -- you really have to let that one roll off your tongue. You might even combine it with Pünktlichkeit. Ordnungsliebe und Pünktlichkeit -- lovely. Agree with you about DB though, although I haven't had bad experiences with National Rails and Heathrow Express.

Cheers,
Hespera (who made Kedgeree for breakfast today)
 
Youth hostels are generally a good, safe, clean, and inexpensive choice. You really can't go wrong. Most even include German breakfast, but you can always get some excellent pastries, rolls, etc. at a local bakery if the breakfast offering does not meet your personal standards. No bacon, baked beans, and grilled tomatoes though, I am afraid ^^.

@Murse,
Ordnungsliebe -- you really have to let that one roll off your tongue. You might even combine it with Pünktlichkeit. Ordnungsliebe und Pünktlichkeit -- lovely. Agree with you about DB though, although I haven't had bad experiences with National Rails and Heathrow Express.

Cheers,
Hespera (who made Kedgeree for breakfast today)


Been to the fatherland for the last four years. DB can't be faulted. Contrast with the sad excuse we have or a transport system.

As for breakfast. I can go with whats local. Fry up is good. Pastries etc. just as good.

Bottom line is customer service, Bavarians/Austrians get it. We seem to think of it as an alien concept.





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All the actual proper 'youth' hostels I've used in Italy and Germany have been excellent. Great handy locations, no hassle and easy to use.

When I've used them there haven't been many really young people there at all. Small groups and their teachers etc., If using one 'out of season' for example two people will usually get away with sharing a room meant for more so you'll have your own bathroom and loads of space. Almost exactly like a comfortable hotel except for having bunk beds! (I may avoid them in season, possibly, as hundreds of mad children running around could get annoying but it depends on the location. ones we've used have been because there was no other option except camping and that wasnt an option those times.)


the service is really good, polite but not overly so...you get left alone to relax... with your names known etc. (could be handy if you get in trouble later in the day I always think seceretly!) and usually some comforts like places to sit and relax, usually can join in with a meal and if a large group is in this can be a BBQ or some theme night which usually very good food for a few euros. ask when/if you book. a few have beers you can take and pay for later and often have a kind of 'adults only' room if the hostel is very busy with younger folk and you want refuge.


Some of the alpine hut rooms are amazing in terms of the comfort they offer in such remote places. In fact all I visited are. you may be sharing a sleeping room crammed with simple wooden single beds or bunk beds with a few blankets piled on your bed ready for you to use. all very rustic in some huts high up.

Usually higher up on the peaks you are so sleepy after a long day, hot meal served in a cosy room and couple of beers that sleep is fantastic and very refreshing even if there are others in the room. Some of the nights I wasn't quite sure how many were in a room as we were all respectful and quiet even though came in a different times and left at different times.

Some of the fancier ones, even in remote places, are like Santa's workshop inside, jaw-droppingly ornate, with acres of varnished pine, multi-story bunk beds stretching up to a high ceiling, hundreds of guests packed away neatly with a decent restaurant with red and white checked table cloths and alpine decorations. here there is usually more noise and more of the rotund german hiker type who like a good morning cough session and to spend a half hour/an hour chatting bull while sat on their bed lacing boots etc. but thats ok too. all part of the experience!
 

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It's the Atlantic Algarve coast in southwestern Portugal. The coastline is very rocky, but interspersed with lovely little beaches. The country's interior, particularly in the north, is mountaineous, and offers many opportunities for seasoned hikers and climbers. This was just a fun little hike with a stop at the beach to cool off and swim a bit.
 
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