South from Berchtesgaden is the Berchtesgaden National Park, the only one in the German Alps. The preserved nature makes it especially attractive for hiking activities on its territory. A good route is to circle around the Watzmann, which can be stretched to several days, if not a week.
After more than 15 years of hiking this was my first visit to the Alps in summer. And it was my first night at a shelter, called Rifugio in Italian. Here are some photographs from this short 5 day hike to the Bergamasque Alps.
The mountain ridge of the Carnic Alps at the border between Austria takes a whole week from one end to the other, with striking views at the Dolomites. Our stay was "overshadowed" by some clouds, which, on the other side, may add more beauty to the photograph than a sterile blue sky.
The Sierra de Guadarrama is just an hour from Madrid, easy prey for people with limited time. It is a good "out of season" target from the German perspective thanks to its warmer climate. And it also allows a short look at Madrid, the capital of Spain.
The Karwendel between Munich and Innsbruck is a Natural Park and good for extended snowshoe trips in winter time, something I already enjoyed at least three times. However, I still have to go there in summer.
Maritime is a strange name for mountains. This part of the Alps is close to the Mediterranean Sea, on the border between France and Italy and contains the most southern glaciers of the Alps, whatever small they are. The area can be approached either from Turin or from Nice.
Both Austria and Switzerland have got their share of the Silvretta, which belongs to the Central Alps. A variety of summits higher than 3000 m have lead to the formation of glaciers, a kind of icing on the landscape and slowly melting away.
One week on the Stubai High Trail, a 120 km long hike from hut to hut, offering beautiful views at glaciers. It was a nice walk in fine weather, with the small Bremer Hut offering the best cuisine.
Susa Valley is somewhat misleading, since it is a tour around the upper valley. Not far from Torino, access is easy by train. The mountains are high above the valley and if you want to descent from high up to Susa, you should invite one of your knees to the planning meeting. There are many traces left by the military, barracks and fortresses.
The Vanoise massif near the French-Italian border lends its name to the national park, the first one established in France and placed around many glacier-topped peaks above 3000 m. A good starting point for a week-long hike is the town of Modane, accessible by train from Lyon. The park is linked with its neighbor in Italy, the Gran Paradiso.
The visit to the Vosges was a much better deal than the one we paid to the Black Forest two weeks earlier, for three reasons: sunshine had brought the incredible thick layer of snow down to a bearable size, the weather was with us, and the Vosges seem to have a somewhat wilder touch compared to the Black Forest. The Vosges are not part of the Alps, but close enough to be hosted here.