Hoher Fricken with Alcoholics
After the demanding Frau Hitt (2270 m) hike the next route we chose had to be lighter and preferably with a stop at a local cafe or restaurant, so the Hoher Fricken (1940 m) was chosen as one of the best candidates that we haven't been to yet. I, Mikuláš and Viktor from the DAAD FK München set out to start the trip at München Hbf at a reasonable hour, 7:30 AM, and were ready to start the hike around 9:00 AM. Getting up was tough because of the daylight saving time switch, but with an exciting hike ahead, we pushed through and gathered on time.
The first section of the route was really nice, going across a well-kept park with several waterfalls from the Kuhfluchtwasserfall cascades. Every waterfall has a viewing platform, so we stopped quite a lot to enjoy the view and the nature. We also saw a group of young adults hiking up quite fast in the distance, so we were quite happy there would be someone marking the path and clearing the snow for us.
Around the 1300 m elevation mark a snow layer appeared on the grass and trees. The forest itself started getting sparser, opening up enough to see Zugspitze (2962 m). We kept going along the trail, often getting showered by melting snow and falling snow caps from tree tops, until we met two ladies hiking up the same route. There was roughly a kilometer left, which reassured both of our groups, and we kept tracking up one in front of the other.
Getting to the top, we met up with two other ladies near the cross and rendezvoused with the group of French teenagers, who were enjoying their lunch and resting after the quick ascent. We realized that the path forward was completely covered in snow from the snowfall that kept going for the majority of the week, so we devised a mischievous plan to follow the younger group so they clear the path forward for us. They weren't going any time soon, so we decided to stay for a bit too and enjoy our food and the view.
Soon, the group of ladies caught up to us and joined two others at the top, brought out a few bottles of soft drinks, sparkly wine, Weinschorle and other small bottles, and started enjoying their achievement of reaching the Hoher Fricken (1940 m) peak. They also mentioned they want to follow the same route as us down to an Alpine hut with more drinks and Kaiserschmarrn. At that point we realized the French group wanted to go to a different mountain, Bischof (2033 m), so we had to be the ones to tread through the snow on the way down, although it wasn't that deep. The ladies asked if it's okay to follow us, and we set off on the way down across Ochsenberg (1694 m) and down to Predigtstuhl with a view of Wankberg (1780 m). This time, unlike the usual Alpine choughs, we saw actual ravens and glider planes on the way down.
Eventually our groups reached Esterbergalm (1265 m), where we found out only drinks are offered, so the ladies sat down for some more wine, while we had a snack we brought along and headed back to Partenkirchen. On the way back we stopped at Berggasthof Panorama for some cake, since we didn't want to rush to the earliest train.
Enjoying the view for a while, we continued into Partenkirchen and walked around for a bit, before heading to the station. At the station, there was a vending machine with a random assortment of items in the same row, so we gambled a little bit and finally headed home.
When I finally arrived home and starting filling in the data for the hike, I finally realized that the mountain was around 2 km high. The snow wasn't deep and the view was very picturesque, so I didn't even notice the elevation. Together with the waterfalls and the nice terrain, I would recommend this route to anyone who wants a good challenge.