Artur's first (little) climb

Cruise on Königssee wasn’t our only goal In Berchtesgadener Land. As I’ve already mentioned, we bought a combined ticket for the cruise and Jennerbahn. When in the Alps, we wanted to get to at least one of the summits. Watzmann for sure would’ve been a great goal, but not with a child. Having said that, we decided to get to Jenner (1,874 metres).

As we could observe from the cable car (can I call it a train? Please :)), the route to Jenner isn’t that challenging. I’ve seen worse, trust me. But Jenner isn’t that high, either. Nevertheless, we took the Jenner train. For one, it was great fun and new experience for Artur (his first mountain ride, and not the last during the trip). For two, it took much less time and effort. Have I mentioned that it was really hot that day? Yup, for most of the trip we had a wonderful weather. Having to carry a tired kid in a chilly weather is exhausting. Not to mention having to do that on a hot, sunny day and on a way up. Not great (although I can only imagine that, as I wasn’t the one carrying him).

Back to the hike. Or “hike” at parts. The train took us from 630 metres (the lower station) to 1,800 metres (the higher station). There is one stop in the middle with one path for those taking off and a turn and change of trails for those travelling further up. Of course, we were in the second group. Weird experience, though. Up there was a restaurant/bar (not really sure), where you could sit and relax. We decided to head to the top straight away. We didn’t have that much time left if we wanted to make it in time for the last train down. We thought that Artur would stay at the restaurant with his grandmother, but in fact he was the first one to start the climb.

The first part of the climb was quite pleasant. Wide, plain path leading up to a viewpoint, from which you could see Königssee in all its glory. Plus it was giving a great view of the Jenner peak as well (invisible from the other side). The second part, though a lot shorter, was much more challenging. Uneven, slippery, full of rocks that could fall on your feet. And you could easily fall down as well. Felt dangerous. We had to be really cautious. I was so proud of Artur that he managed to get to the top!

And the views! As always, when you climb a mountain and the visibility is pretty good – worth all the effort. Can’t wait for the mountain trip this autumn!

The view of Königssee

 The last part of the climb

 View from the top on Königssee and the viewpoint