Taking Newbies to Hirschberg

The idea of the hike came up when I was exploring the area around Tegernsee, realizing that there were many interesting ridges I've never considered visiting before. One of them was Hirschberg (1668 m), the highest peak on its ridge. Since I didn't want to go there alone and none of my usual hiking buddies were available, I decided to organize a DAAD Freundeskreis outing, and sent out the invites.

It was already quite windy and cold, and the hike itself wasn't the easiest, but quite a lot of people showed up. Some were very sporty and chatted the whole time, while others were more quiet and focused on the hike. The beginning of the route goes through a decent forest trail, having occasional steps or wooden bridges over the tiny creeks.

After a while, we reached the meadows, where the views opened up and we could see the surrounding mountains. At that point, the less prepared members of the group started to struggle a bit, especially mentally, since they realized that the hike was more challenging than they expected. However, we kept going and eventually reached the bottom of the mountain.

Although we didn't see that many hikers besides us on the way, Hirschberg (1668 m) seems to be a popular destination, with many huts along the way. We walked past some of them, taking a more direct route to the top. The mountain is also generous in its trails, with many different paths leading to the summit from all directions.

After walking for a while, we started seeing snow and realized that the way ahead would feature harsher conditions. Thus, we took a break and asked a passing hiker to take some group photos. One of the DAAD FK members was using an e-cigarette the whole time on top of not being in the best condition for hiking, so I was a bit worried about them reaching the top. However, they were determined to make it, and we continued together.

The last part of the ascent is walking on the ridge between Hirschberg (1668 m) and Hirschberg Vorgipfel (1653 m). While the rest of the group was more tired and just wanted to reach the main peak, I took two energetic members of the group to the Vorgipfel, which had a better view of Tegernsee.

We posed for some photos there, and I took the opportunity to learn the names and locations of the surrounding peaks, which I hadn't memorized before.

After taking some photos and enjoying the view, we headed back along the ridge to the rest of the group, and managed to catch up to them near the cross. Once we reached it, took our photos and briefly talked to a few local hikers, my plan was to start heading back down. The buses were scheduled to leave at really inconvenient intervals, so I wanted to make sure we had enough time to get back to the bus stop. However, the majority of the group wanted to stay on the summit for a while, so we ended up spending more time there that I expected.

Once every member was ready and eager to head back, we started descending, this time choosing a different route that went through Kratzer (1545 m). I didn't check the map very carefully and didn't realize that the route would include a small slippery via ferrata section, but luckily, it was short and nobody had any issues with it. The rest of the descent was uneventful, with us going down on a narrow trail through the mountainside, and then through the forest to the bus stop.

At the end, we had 40 minutes to spare before the bus arrived, so the group split up, with some people going along the road to Rottach-Egern, while others stayed and waited for the bus.

All in all, this is a great hike with a lot of variation in the terrain and difficulty. You can easily choose the route that suits you best, and the views of the lakes from the top are stunning. Have fun!