We had a slow morning and packed for what was supposed to be a short hike through the Reichenbachklamm. We only reached the car park just after 13:00, which seemed perfectly reasonable for a short hike.

Caro hiking beside a small forest stream
Starting gently beside the water.

We stopped for a picnic next to the river, then followed the gorge upwards. By 15:30 we had reached the top and assumed we would simply circle back from there.

Hikers on a narrow trail through an alpine meadow
The short walk had already begun to grow.

Anton had other plans.

The Bad Kissinger Hütte was apparently only another two hours away, and there was the promise of beer at the end. From where we stood, however, it appeared to be perched on top of another Mount Everest.

Mountain view over forested valleys and Bavarian lakes
The view improved with every questionable decision.

We agreed to continue as far as the last fork, where we could still turn right and take a circular route back. Once we reached it, the top did not look quite as far away anymore. So naturally, we kept going.

Hikers approaching a stone mountain hut beneath rocky cliffs
The Bad Kissinger Hütte, finally within reach.

We reached the hut at 17:00, had a Radler and ordered lentil stew and Wurstsalat.

Bowl of lentil stew with onions and bread at the mountain hut
Lentil stew and bread at the hut.
Mountain hut plate of cheese, onions and bread
Wurstsalat, onions and bread.

By 17:30 we realised that we had a problem. The car was still eight kilometres away, the route could take up to four hours, and there was about 1,000 metres of descent ahead of us.

Anton suggested that, since we were not going to reach the car before dark anyway, we might as well go even higher and cross the Aggenstein. We decided that perhaps we had made enough ambitious decisions for one afternoon.

Caro on the alpine trail beneath the rocky Aggenstein
The Aggenstein looming above us.

Instead, we headed back down the Böser Tritt. Despite the rather ominous name, it is an established mountain path between the hut and the Breitenberg — but a narrow, steep and rocky one that requires sure footing, especially on the descent. We then turned left onto a different, more scenic route back.

Evening panorama across the Allgaeu Alps and lakes
The mountains catching the last warm light.

At 19:45 we found a picnic table and stopped to make coffee. It was still bright outside, which made the situation feel less ridiculous than it probably was.

Evening view of the lake and valley through the mountain forest
The long evening view through the trees.

By 20:30 we reached the mountain station of the Breitenbergbahn. It had unfortunately closed hours earlier. Otherwise, we would have been very tempted to take it, because the real downhill hike still lay ahead: fifteen zigzags beneath the cable car.

Dusk view down the Breitenbergbahn cable line towards Pfronten
The cable car was closed, but its route showed us exactly how far we still had to descend.

At 21:36 we finally had to use our phone lights to see the path. We reached the car at 22:22 — nine and a half hours after setting out on our short afternoon hike.

Our route

What began as a short afternoon walk became a 13.9 km route with roughly 1,200 metres of climbing and descent.