BOOTboys

BB09Bav01 : Peaked Too Soon

Tuesday 1st September 2009

There is no doubt; Bavaria is beautiful. Chocolate box perfect villages. Stunning views of lakes and mountains. Sausages and beer. But how does walking in the Bavarian Alps compare with the English Lake District? Bootboys Don and Jamie metamorphosed into Stiefeljunge in order to carry out the research.

Schliersee

From base camp in Schliersee, an hour’s punctual train ride south of Munich, we caught the local bus up to the next lake, Spitzingsee, where there is a chair lift that took us up 1,180 feet to Stumpfling Berg at 4,904 feet That’s the first big difference (apart from the unrelenting sunshine) – the ability to go uphill with the only pain being in the wallet! Of course, in winter this is a ski area, albeit a small one, and the green and seemingly benign pistes are very obvious with their snow cannons.

A green run!

Looking back to Spitzingsee

It’s a strange feeling getting off such a chair lift without skis on the feet.

Immediately on alighting, we were exposed to another key difference- the preponderance of mountain restaurants with their plates of tempting sausages, mustard, chips and beer. Resisting the temptation, we first climbed a minor and probably unnecessary bump before dropping down to a shoulder. There we found a way marker announcing an estimated one and a quarter hours to the Bodenschneid summit.

The path lay up a steep and quite narrow nose. The drops on either side could have been offputting but the path was good and there were plenty of trees to break your fall. Here is the third key difference- trees. We could see little but trees as we climbed. After a quarter of an hour, I was despairing of having to face another hour of such sustained effort. However, shortly afterwards we emerged from the trees and it was an easy walk to the summit.

Approaching the Bodenschneid summit

To my surprise, we had completed it in about 35 minutes. And Jamie would have done it even quicker had he not had his old man slowing him down. Are the Germans slow or what?

And that was the fourth key difference. We had peaked. After just 1.5 miles from setting off. It didn’t feel right. We had peaked too soon.

There could be no complaints about the views from the 5,476 feet high summit.

The Bodenschneid summit

Looking from Bodenschneid to Tegernsee on the left, and the path to Schliersee to the right.

Looking north, we could just make out Munich and the Allianz Stadium- the huge tyre shaped stadium that changes colour depending on which team is playing.

There were quite a lot of folk up there and I suspect that not all of them had done it the easy way.

Indeed, on the way down we came across a number of people, not spring chickens, it must be said, who were climbing the hill the proper way as there were no artificial aids on this route!.

That did look like hard work.

Comitibus

We lunched after the steep part of the descent, just above the Bodenschneidhaus mountain restaurant (once again avoiding temptation) from where we could see our way winding down the hill, to the woods in which we would spend much of the afternoon, heading back to Schliersee.

Mountain hut with washing

Looking back to our descent from Bodenschneid

The forest trails can seem endless with only occasional vantage points to admire the scenery. There were other distractions, however, like a black squirrel and a strange post with a Robin Hood type character (Herr von Locksley?) on one face plus Maid Marion on another. And a very kind man on a bike who wanted to help us- he seemed quite disappointed that we were not lost!

A black squirrel

Robin von Locksley and Maid Marion?

At last emerging from the forest, we discovered several elderly gentlemen flying huge model planes.

A glimpse of Schliersee

Old boys toys

From there we could see Schliersee, a mile or so’s crow flight away. I phoned Margaret and arranged to meet her for a celebratory beer and sausage in half an hour. Temptation could wait no longer.

Summer curling

Unfortunately the road was not designed by the crow but wandered off in the wrong direction for some distance, which meant that we needed to up our pace significantly in order to meet at the designated time.

On the way, a mystery was solved. The previous day, we had noticed, by a hut, a tarmacced area with strange markings. It was obviously designed for some sort of game. All was now clear- summer curling with plastic curling "stones".

Maybe it was the rush to meet up with Margaret or the heat on this last day of Bavarian summer but we felt quite tired as we downed the first pint at the WitalWelt wasp fest, overlooking the lake. We had only done 8.8 miles, and 2,135 feet of climbing (albeit 4,313 feet of descent). But I think it was psychological and not something that happens in the Lake Dsitrict- we had definitely peaked too soon.

Don, 1st September 2009

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STATISTICS

BB09Bav01	Tuesday 1st September
Distance:	8.8 miles
Height climbed:	2,135 feet
Height descended:	4,313 feet
Other Key Features:	Schliersee, Spitzingsee, Bodenschneid
Comitibus:	Don, Jamie

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BOOT boys

This page describes an adventure of BOOTboys, a loose group of friends of mature years who enjoy defying the aging process by getting out into the hills as often as possible!

As most live in South Lakeland, it is no surprise that our focus is on the Lakeland fells and the Yorkshire Dales.

As for the name, BOOTboys, it does not primarily derive from an item of footwear but is in memory of Big Josie, the erstwhile landlady of the erstwhile Burnmoor Inn at Boot in Eskdale, who enlivened Saint Patrick's Day 1973 and other odd evenings many years ago!

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2009 Outings

BB0901 : A Gordon Day Out
Thursday 8th January
BB0902 : Thank You,
Aunty Ethel!
Wednesday 14th January
BB0903 : A Wicked Hike???
Wednesday 21st January
BB0904 : Take a Mug With You
Sunday 25th January
BB0905 : Down in the Forest
Thursday 29th January
BB0906 : Not How But Where?
Thursday 5th February
BB0907 : Binsey Can Wait
(but Uncle Monty Can Not)
Thursday 12th February
BB0908 : Badgers on the Line
Thursday 5th March
BB0909 : It's not a W!
Thursday 12th March
BB0910 : Up on the Roof
Thursday 26th March
BB0911 : Not the Blisco Dashers
Thursday 2nd April
BB0912 : John's Comeback
Monday 6th April
BB0913 : Two Churches, a Pulpit and a Cherry Picker
Thursday, 23rd April
BB0914 : Companions of the BOOT
Thursday 30th April
BB0915 : The Gale Force Choice
Thursday 7th May
BB0916 : The Comeback Continues
Thursday 21st May
BB0917 : BOOTboys Encore !
28th May - 2nd June
BB0918 : Hello Dollywagon
Thursday 11th June
BB0919 : Has Anyone Seen Lily?
Thursday 18th June
BB0920 : Ancient Feet on the Greenburn Horseshoe
Thursday 25th June
BB0921 : The Tebay Fell Race Walk
Thursday 2nd July
BB0922 : For England and St George
Thursday 9th July
BB0923 : The Coniston Outliers
Friday 31st July
BB0924 : Little To Be Said In Favour?
Thursday 6th August
BB0925 : The Third Night of the Rescue
Thursday 13th August
BB0926 : Long Wet Windy Monty Bothy Fun?
Thursday 20th August
BB0927 : Dear Mrs Scroggins
Friday 11th September
BB0928 : An Ard Day's Hike
Thursday 17th September

BH0901 : Back to the Beginning
Thursday 13th August
BSKIB09 : BOOTskiboys in Saalbach
14th - 21st March
BB09XX : Los Chicos y las Chicas de la Bota
11th - 14th May
BB09Bav01 : Peaked Too Soon
1st September

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Wainwrights

To download a log of which Wainwrights have been done by which BOOTboy in the "modern" era, i.e. since the advent of BOOTboys click on Wainwrights.

If anyone wants to claim other peaks, please let me know and I will submit them to the adjudication committee!

BOOT boys

Click on the photos for an enlargement or related large picture.

Wainwrights

To download a log of which Wainwrights have been done by which BOOTboy in the "modern" era, i.e. since the advent of BOOTboys click on Wainwrights.

If anyone wants to claim other peaks, please let me know and I will submit them to the adjudication committee!

BOOT boys