Trekking Munich to Venice. John Hayes
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Название: Trekking Munich to Venice
Автор: John Hayes
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Книги о Путешествиях
isbn: 9781783624249
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How hard is it?
Climbing out the Val de Tita (Stage 17) with the help of fixed cables
Ludwig designed his Munich to Venice backpacking route for ‘any able-bodied walker’. By this he meant walkers who were happy to walk for around thirty days, carrying seven kilogrammes for around seven hours a day and climbing an average of a thousand metres a day. Ludwig was a German and an Alpinist so he assumed walkers would have a head for heights, which is an essential requirement on several short exposed stretches. On the most exposed sections there are fixed steel ropes and pegs driven into a rock face to help you progress. This is a common feature of Alpine walking and something the average German or Austrian takes for granted but which you might find challenging the first time you come across it. Most of these stretches are near the most spectacular sections of the route, however, and it would be a shame to miss them.
While a reasonable level of fitness, a head for heights and a desire for adventure are all essential requirements for anyone tackling the Traumpfad, it does make a good choice for walkers planning their first independent trek in the Alps. Experience of mountain walking is an advantage but it is not necessary and this guide makes no assumptions about previous experience.
How long will it take?
Descent from Schlauchkarsattel (Stage 16)
The Traumpfad is 569km long and involves 27,000 metres of ascent. The most popular German schedule takes 29 days but assumes that walkers take the chairlift on one section of the walk (Stage 7). The schedule in this guide is similar but assumes that some walkers at least will want to walk ‘every step of the way’ from Munich to Venice and an extra day has therefore been included.
Stages are designed to start and finish where accommodation is available. The daily walking times are between 5hrs 30mins and 9hrs. Matching these times will be harder at the beginning of the walk than at the end, and options for merging days start to increase as the walk progresses.
A key consideration will be your attitude to chairlifts and the closely linked question of ‘purity’ when it comes to walking every step of the way. There are at least four big climbs that could be replaced by a chairlift and the time saved could either be spent with a beer in a mountain hut enjoying the views or walking further along the path and saving a day – the question is whether you will still be able to claim that you walked from Munich to Venice!
Superstrong, superfast walkers will beat the times in the schedule but that doesn’t help if there isn’t accommodation further along the route. If you are desperate to complete the trip in one go but don’t have the 31 to 33 days needed (30 days with some contingency and allowance for travel at either end), the schedule can be reduced by about 4 to 5 days without needing to carry a tent. The tool for doing this is the Route Planner in Appendix A.
Alternatively, if you would prefer to tackle the route in chunks (described as Sections in this guide), there are five natural divisions, each defined by good entry and exit points for public transport. These are:
| Munich to Hall | 7 days |
| Hall to Vandoies (Niedervintl) | 6 days |
| Niedervintl to Alleghe | 6 days |
| Alleghe to Belluno | 5 days |
| Belluno to Venice | 6 days |
When to go
Summer snow on the Geierjoch
The likelihood of snow on the passes determines the short length of the Alpine walking season – from early July through to the third week in September. The huge network of Alpine huts only opens when the passes clear of snow and the walkers start to turn up.
Although it can vary significantly from year to year there is greater likelihood of lingering snow in July. Alpine thunderstorms are more frequent in July and August, and September is the most settled month. The peak season, coinciding with holidays, is August, so timing a trip to make the best use of September (the quietest month) makes sense. This would involve starting in Munich towards the end of August and finishing the alpine traverse by the third week in September. The only downside is that the alpine flowers will be past their best.
Accommodation
A convivial hut scene (Photo: Max and Frances Harre)
Most nights on the schedule described in this guide, and especially those spent at altitude, will involve staying in a mountain hut. If this is your first long-distance trip in the Alps, mountain huts may take some getting used to but the social aspect of sharing a ‘mountain pilgrimage’ with a varied group of, largely German, fellow travellers, in family groups, couples or walking alone, could be said to be a key part of the Munich to Venice experience.
By sharing rooms and evening meals everyone soon gets to know each other and a mutually supportive network is formed. Germans generally speak good English and will happily help explain the difference between Leberknödel and Speckknödel. Groups emerge and evolve as walkers on different schedules arrive and depart.
In addition to mountain huts, some nights will be spent in delightful small alpine hotels. These are comfortable and provide a welcome change from the huts. In the summer season they offer surprisingly good value. And if you prefer to avoid the communal living, alternative itineraries which minimise the use of huts are described in the introductions to some of the sections.
Charges
A reasonable rule of thumb is to budget 50 euros a day although this depends on what you choose to eat and drink rather than your choice of accommodation. There is little difference between the cost of a small hotel and a mountain hut, although sleeping in large and often noisier hut dormitories can be cheaper.
Many huts are owned by the German, Austrian or Italian Alpine clubs where Alpine Club members get a discount. Given the number of huts on the itinerary, this discount and other membership benefits (including insurance), it’s worth joining an Alpine Club (see Appendix B). If you’re British the simplest option is to join the British section of the Austrian Alpine Club – the modest fee includes insurance.
Booking ahead
Booking into the mountain huts ahead is generally straightforward and fairly casual, particularly once you get to Italy. Currently some of the German and Austrian huts ask for a deposit via bank transfer, which can be expensive outside the Eurozone, and if you point this out they usually let you off. The plan is for СКАЧАТЬ