Collecting Blackberries near Gmund

After my questionable adventures in the dense forests near Hochalm (1427 m), I wanted to take it easy and enjoy a more relaxed hike. I dug into my backlog and saw I missed some peaks near Hausham that I wanted to explore. Did I visit the missing peaks? Yes, I did. Did I enjoy the hike? Absolutely! Do I need to buy new hiking attire again? Potentially...

The day before I barely had any sleep due to personal reasons, so I started the hike quite late. I arrived in Gmund around noon and after some work-related phone calls and started the hike around 13:30.

First on the map was Buchberg (996 m). There are several different ways to reach the peak, but I chose to approach it from the north, since I've never been there. The hike starts with me walking through the village of Gmund and then heading into the forest. It takes quite a bit to get there, but the path is surrounded by beautiful pastures and meadows, so I didn't mind it. The meadows near Gmund remind me of the Neufahrn (Niederbayern) hike. Cows here and there, short grass, occasional trees and pathways between them. Ideal place to be at on a chill day.

As soon as the fields end and the forest begins, you're up for a decent climb on a tractor road. As a pleasant surprise, the whole path towards the peak is covered in blackberry bushes, so I stopped every few meters to pick some fresh ones. Although the hike started quite late, I decided to take my time and enjoy the snack regardless.

The rest of the way up was a bit overgrown and there were some fences to limit cattle access, but crossing them for a human is not an issue. The last part of the track to the top goes through a narrow trail on the "ridge", through the ferns and bushes. Still, it's quite manageable. The view from the top was disappointing though, as the peak is covered in trees and there is no view.

From there, I continued to the next peak, which is Gassler Berg (1178 m). The way between Buchberg (995.5 m) and Gassler Berg (1178 m) was closed off with barbed wire, but it looked like the owner made some crossings near the road. I expected the same hike as last time, tearing a second pair of hiking attire and climbing through thick woods and thorns for hours. It turned out much nicer: there was a lot of walkable space between the trees in the forest, and many abandoned forestry roads I could easily walk on. The only downside were the spiky fences marking territory boundaries, but even those were crossable.

Around halfway between the two peaks, I found a small clearing with a nice view towards Tegernsee and Wallberg (1722 m). I took a break there for some photos, and checked the weather forecast. It was still cloudy, but at least no rain was expected. I also checked the map and noticed a monument for Hans Schreier up ahead. As it was right on the trail, I went and checked it out. Surprisingly well-kept for a monument in the middle of a barely-accessible "ridge" trail.

From there, the way to the top is quite steep and requires climbing over yet another fence. The summit itself is flat and features no view or cross again, but at least the path to the top is not overgrown and is easy to walk on. Although it's the highest mountain on the route, it was not the most challenging one.

Next up was Oeder Kogel (1135 m). The original way towards it leads all the way down to the farmland and then back up again, although the map shows some disconnected roads that could be used as a shortcut. I decided to risk it and quite soon got my leg punctured on a rotten tree trunk I stepped into. Otherwise, the shortcut was quite nice and definitely worth it.

I also had to climb over a few streams and some wetlands, but from there on the climb was nice, although there was no trail in sight. The path was really lovely, actually. The path was covered in spruce needles and the forest was quite open. The stones littering the ground were covered in moss and the occasional tree trunk was lying around. The top of the mountain was as usual covered in trees, but I could see the meadows towards Munich peeking through.

The path to the next mountain, Schußkogel (1134 m), was even more difficult. First, I went down to the wetlands and had to cross them in order to get to the normal road on the other side. It was possible to not get your feet wet, but I imagine other hikers might have a hard time with that. After that, I had to climb down a steep path down the trail, and then climb back up the next mountain.

Once I reached the "saddle" between the two peaks, I had to cross yet more wetlands and streams, followed by an abandoned tractor road from the local forestry works. The road was overgrown with moss, but there was no tall grass like near Obergries, so it was easy to walk on.

The last part takes you up to the summit on a steep grass slope with a few trees. It was probably the easiest climb of the day, and I was happy to reach the top. The view from there opened up towards Gindelalmschneid (1335 m) but its northern side is covered in trees, so it wasn't that exciting.

The road down, on the other hand, was horrible. Although I found and followed a tractor road, the grass on it was getting taller and wetter by the minute. The local spiders and bees were covering the occasional flowers in the grass, being not too thrilled of me stomping on their homes. The blueberry stems and thorny plants were cutting into my legs. I immediately realized I'll have to pull out ticks when I come home.

This continued for almost an hour of painful walking, until I finally crossed Eckerbach, a small stream gathering water from the surrounding mountains and flowing into Schlierach. From there, I decided I had enough tall grass and scratched legs and followed the nice gravel road to the top of Wallenburger Kogel (936 m).

This is definitely the most boring peak of the day, but also the most adequate one. I decided to follow one of the old forestry roads down instead of going back the same way, which was definitely a mistake due to more overgrown grass, but at least the road was short. I also met deer multiple times on the way, both near Wallenburger Kogel (936 m) and Schußkogel (1134 m), which was a nice addition.

When I finally reached the bottom, I was quite tired from all the climbing through wild plants, and wanted some rest. I found a nice spot with a wooden bench and a table, where I had my snacks and did some work on the laptop I brought along.

From there, I walked along a hiking/biking road towards Hausham. The way was very well-kept, and I met a lot of bikers staring at my tired and dirty posture. I was happy to finally reach the village and head to the train station.

The hike was a decent experience, and I was happy I got to complete it. The berries were definitely a highlight, and it was nice seeing people from time to time on the "normal" sections of the hike, when I wasn't climbing through thorns, fences, streams, or wetlands. That being said, I wouldn't recommend this hike to others. None of the peaks are easily accessible, they don't have any views, and the paths are overgrown and difficult to walk on. If you want to enjoy the smaller mountains of the Bavarian Alps, I highly suggest visiting Gindelalmschneid (1335 m) and Auer Berg (1252 m) instead.