Rätikon 2003

On Everything is ready for a new tour through nature, we have reached Malbun by public transport and here we take the chairlift up to Sareis. the way up, the Sareiserjoch and the Füstin Gina Weg come into our field of vision.

On the way to Sareiser Joch we look back to Malbun, then we descend to Austria, passing the work site of a stonemason who must have spent a few hours on the hole in the mountain ;) View up to Sareis where we came from, we walk quickly downhill, the day's destination Nennzinger Himmel already in sight.

From the Alp Säss, we have a beautiful view of the path we have traveled, a little further down we can see the Gamperdona valley. Through mountain pines, stones and rootstocks we strive towards our overnight stay.

After a look at our camp for the night, we head up to the Setschalpe, where the view compensates for many a drop of sweat and nature smiles at us from the side of the path. We have gained height and now move over the Gagafeld to the Amatschonjoch. We make our way to the Innerpalüdalpe and the Melkboden.

we continue through the cultivated Alps, past idyllic waterholes and moorland with Scheuchzer woolgrass. Who has scattered cotton balls here? No one, it is Scheuchzer's cotton grass, which delights us on mountain hikes, it is also called alpine cotton grass. It grows in boggy areas and on lakeshores in the Alps. Woolgrass indicates to hikers swampy places, which it is better to avoid. In the past, cotton grass was used in medicine against diarrhea and for strengthening. The spike tufts were also used as material for candle wicks, the tufts were also used in many alpine huts as stuffing material for pillows. The cotton grass also a symbol of the becoming and passing of waters in the mountains. this is how our path looks in the rearview mirror ;-) and when we look towards the valley we see our next overnight stop in Brand

Early in the morning we make our way to the Lünersee, where the Douglsshütte of the Öav is located, we enjoy the view of the Brandnertal and the reservoir. The most beautiful place in Austria so the lake is also touted, or pearl of the Rätikon. Surrounded by the diverse alpine flora, the lake offers the right thing for every nature lover. Sniffing clean mountain air, feeling the fresh breeze from the lake, the magnificent mountain panorama in view. Once you have reached the Lüner Krinne at an altitude of 2155 meters, the view of the Zimba and the Rell Valley opens up.

View back to Lünerkrinne, view to Gpsköpfle and Zimba. The Zimba is also called the "Montafon Matterhorn". The TOUR to the 2,643 m high peak is one of the highlights in all of Vorarlberg. It took a long time until the first climber was finally believed. The Zimba, a mighty rocky peak in the Rätikon, which actually reminds of the world-famous Zermatt original, was long considered unclimbable. Today, climbing the Zimba via the south side is no longer common. The danger of falling rocks on the exposed ascent is too great. Therefore, the most frequented routes today run over the east and west flanks of the Montafon Matterhorn, each of which are demanding climbs. At the Gipsköpfle shortly before we reach the Hütter hut

Early in the morning we walk down from the hut to the Mariahilf Chapel in the Rellstal valley. The chapel is a Roman Catholic chapel, It was built between 1749 and 1750 for the alpine dwellers of Rellstal, and the first mass was said there in 1750. From the chapel, we look back to the Zimba, but orient ourselves forwards towards Switzerland to the Zoll Hütte at the Schweizertor. Enjoy the view all around and some herbal delicacies along the way. We have reached the height near the Zollhütte.

The customs house and the shepherd's hut at the Schweizertor belong today to the Federal Real Estate Company of Austria. If the view goes to the right, we see the Verajoch, if the view goes to the left, we see the Öfapass. The Öfapass is reached and in the distance you can see our next post-camp the Lindauerhütte.

It has lain down in the shadow of the leaning tower of the Öffapass:-) The marmot is a rodent belonging to the ground squirrel family, closely related to the squirrel. It lives exclusively in the temperate climate zones and the arctic regions of Europe, Asia and America. There are fourteen different species of marmots worldwide. Due to its dense fur, the marmot is perfectly adapted to the harsh weather conditions in its habitat. It feeds mainly on herbs, grasses and roots, but sometimes also eats earthworms, insects and their larvae. These horses are enjoying their run on the Sporaalpe, and our destination for the day, the Lindauer Hütte, is also approaching. It lies at the foot of the Three Towers and is flanked by Sulzfluh and Drusenfluh. These three peaks are among the ten highest peaks in the Rätikon.

What a sight in the morning, high to the Drü towers. The higher we climb the more our surroundings resemble a scree desert and also deserves the predicate oven;-) the culmination point is reached now we look into the Swiss country.

The new day welcomes us very humid and cloudy in the whole round. We make ourselves but nevertheless on the ,the wetterbricht predicts slight improvement. These greenwessen are hikers in the rain and fog ;-)

The longer the day, the better the weather, the precipitation has subsided and you can see again where you are going and a few metres further PIP2: For a short while we had a very special companion, a black alpine salamander. It is one of the most exciting amphibians, it loves very special habitats, Even if it does not look particularly dangerous with its black colouring, it should not be touched, as it then secretes a poisonous alkaloid, which causes irritation of the skin or mucous membranes. Food supply and habitat influence the size of the Alpine salamander, which can be between 5 and 15 centimetres. The most interesting thing about the Alpine salamander is that the females do not lay eggs, but give birth to two to four young over a gestation period of up to two years. Its detection is also often difficult, as it has high demands on its territory, which is practically exclusively above 800, to 1000 metres and extends up to 2400 metres above sea level. Our look back shows us the distance we have already covered today, but we prefer to look forward towards our next accommodation.

Today the weather means well with us, there is a very long stage ahead of us, which is easier to manage in good weather. Early in the morning we set off for our last stretch of trail that will take us back to our starting point Malbun, we enjoy the view, the peace and the fresh air. Somewhere through this stone desert our path leads up to the culmination point.

The highest point for today is reached, as a reward we are rewarded with great views.

We continue through the massive scree field, after we have crossed this once again around the corner and we see to Malbun and the Pfälzerhütte where there is a short break

From the hut we can see the path we are going to take, once again we look back at the distance we have covered, soon our destination appears down in the valley.