Hollental Hike

Happy Father's Day!

After church this morning Dad, Aj, Will, Mia and I set out for a hike up the Hollental (Hell's Valley in German). We went out overly prepared after watching 127 Hours last night (I carried 3 liters of water). It was a little chilly and sprinkling on and off. The nice thing about the Hollental is, rain or no rain, you leave the gorge soaked.

The hike up was brisk and nice, the beginning of the trail follows the rushing waters melting off the Zugspitze. The water is freezing cold and crystal clear, in the rare spots where the water isn't white with movement you can see straight to the bottom. My brand-spankin new hiking boots tromped over the rocks and through the puddles perfectly.


After about an hour climb up we reached the entrance to the gorge. There is a small fee and you walk through the turn styles, about 20 feet ahead the "rains" begin. Water was pouring off the mountain onto our heads. We had all our gear on and anything not covered was soaking wet. It was slippery and freezing, but we were sweating from climbing up. It kept switching back and forth between walking through caves and walking along the edge of the gorge (thankfully with a cable railing). I loved walking through, the noise of the water drowning out all other sounds, humming the worships songs stuck in my head from church.


We popped out of the gorge into a sunny area where we sat and snacked. From there we could see the tip of the Zugspitze and Alpsitze, the two of the highest mountains in Germany. Sitting down slightly damp really let the cold sink in. Before we started the trek back down we re-layered and needing every jacket we packed. The best part of any German hike is the well deserved beer at a hut along the way. Nothing hits the spots like a Helles und pommes surrounded by exciting locals thrilled to share stories. Today's beer-stop character was the father of our waitress. He said to us, "Speak English to her so she can practice." He continued in perfect English then when he heard I was from Texas, smoothly switched to Spanish. I was so shocked all I could muster was a confused sounding, "Si."It was impressive to say the least.

Our fast pace without too much exertion had us feeling confident and brave, so talk of a Zugspitze climb began. We are exploring our options for this particular adventure, which would be a doosey. The 3000 meter mountain is the highest peak in Germany and not for the faint of heart. With my fancy new boots, I feel I can do anything.

Hiking with my dad was a great way to spend Father's Day. Only 10 days left in Germany, I can't wait to make the most of it.