This means that tomorrow we will take the lower route via the Eschenlaine river to Eschenlohe, which is probably not a bad idea anyway, for a couple of reasons: firstly, if the weather is poor (as it is predicted to be), then a traverse of the Grat between Herzogstand and Heimgarten is not a good idea, secondly I don't know the route and so it will be interesting to see something new, and thirdly I think that the team is still inclined to shorten the hikes wherever possible!
Other than a little rain and thunder at the end of the day, the weather was once again beautiful, and the hike from the Tutzinger Huette to the Jochberg is one of the prettiest I know.
We are starting to amass various minor injuries and irritations: I have a slight infection of one toe due to an ingrowing toenail, Russell has a rash around his ankles, and Sally's Morton's Neuroma is giving her ever more pain. Nothing yet, however, that has caused any of us to skip a day. I think, though, that we are all looking forward to the rest day after tomorrow's hike to Oberammergau.
Richard Maerz showed up around 6PM today, having hiked up to the Herzogstand Haus under the mistaken impression that we would be spending the night there. After walking in and being told that we were not there and had no reservation, he remembered that I had also talked about a hotel in Walchensee. A few telephone calls and fortunate timing in catching the last gondola down brought him to us just as we were finishing dinner (yes, at 6PM -- what can I say, we had lunch at 10AM and were hungry!).
We chatted for a while as a group, then the other three went off to an early bed while Richard and I talked further and then played a quick game of Carcassonne. We'll be having breakfast at 7:30 tomorrow, so I'll sign off here for now. More, perhaps much more, during the free day on Wednesday after we get to Oberammergau.
