The hike would therefore be considerably shorter than the planned high-level route, and the weather was forecast to improve during the day, so there was no hurry to leave.
After a leisurely breakfast and some time sitting around in wet clothes near the Kachelofen (wood stove), hoping vainly for them to dry (the drying room we had left them in over night did nothing of the sort, possibly because it was already more than overfilled with the clothes and sleeping bags and rucksacks and who knows what else of a group of about 8 Nordic youths who after spending one night camping outside decided to retreat to the hut), we set off around 9:15 when the heavy rain slackened.
My boots had become sodden during the hike the day before, and a night in the "drying" room hadn't helped things: I was shortly squelching along merrily, as were Kristof and Sally (Russell's remained dry). At fault, at least in my case, was the fact that although I was wearing long pants, they were not waterproof, and water leached through onto my legs and socks and found its way into my boots that way. Today, our restday in Oberstdorf, I'm going to go to the sports store and see about buying a light-weight pair of gaiters (Gamaschen).
After a short descent in intermittently light and heavy rain, we started the climb (of about 450m) to the Himmeleck Sattel. The wind picked up as we approached the top, and when we went over the pass the windspeed was comparable to what it had been while crossing the Bockscharte the day before. At that moment, however, it was not raining, and the pass was low enough to have only a few traces of snow, so the experience was exhilarating rather than the painful terror of the previous day.
The rest of the hike was uneventful and we arrived in Oberstdorf (after a stop for Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cakes) in the Oytal Haus) at around 4PM. We said goodbye to Kristof (who was heading back to Munich on the train) and agreed with him that with luck he would hold until the end of the trip the distinction of being the guest-hiker who accompanied us during the worst weather on the H2H.
I notice that it has become a habit in this blog to thank the guest-hikers, but it really seems as if they have provided exactly what we needed when we needed it; be it cheering up, photography services, moral and tactical support, or as in this case with Kristof, expert Alpine guidance. Kristof: thanks immensely for hiking with us... and we hope we won't need you again as we did this time!
As I write this, it is mid-morning in Oberstdorf. Outside light rain is falling, but because we aren't hiking today, who cares? Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be fine for our ridge walk to the Fidererpasshuette, so all is well with the world.
Well, almost all. We had our first serious disagreement today. The issue, on the surface, was whether or not to take two consecutive rest days at this point. I think, however, that underlying this were a number of other issues for which the restday policy was a convenient channel to the surface.
The underlying issues include the grinding effect on morale of chronic pain, a philosophical difference as to the proper balance between risk and reward, and, most fundamentally, a growing awareness that our goals and interests in doing this hike are not as identical as we perhaps thought that they were.
I'll describe the surface issue first. Sally would like for us to take two rest days in a row now. She argues, undoubtably correctly, that many studies have shown that for optimal performance increase the body needs more than one day of rest to recover, and that by not taking more than one day off at a time we are slowing or stopping our own progress towards greater hiking fitness.
Moreover, she points out, it is better to try to heal a minor injury by taking a couple of days off consecutively rather than to run the risk of it becoming a chronic problem. Sally's feet have been hurting her since the first few days and she thinks that having a second rest day might help them to recover.
While arguing her case, Sally also made the following points:
o After all, we have lots of free days in the schedule: why hoard them? Why not use an extra one now?
o In fact and more generally, why not spend extra time at places we like? Why be slaves to the plan?
o Lastly, does it really matter if we are unable to complete the Alpine portion of the H2H before winter sets in? We can always take a train or taxi to the next stage that is snow-free and continue from there.
And here we come to the underlying issues. On the face of it, if you just look at the surface issue, I agree with Sally and we should take two days off now. But if you look at the big picture, then we disagree because we have different views as to the underlying issues.
My primary goal for the H2H is to walk the entire way from one house to the other. It is not my primary goal to be on vacation or to spend time getting to know great places we discover while hiking.
This primary goal is subordinate to safety (if it is clearly unsafe to hike, then we won't hike, even if it means that we run the risk of not being able to achieve the primary goal). And it is also somewhat subordinate to enjoyment: if we are all not having fun for a longer period of time, then we should abandon the primary goal and do whatever will make us happier. Life is too short to spend several unhappy months in pursuit of an abstract goal that is of no value to the wider world.
However, I am having fun and the surface issue is not one of safety, so I look at the primary goal: will taking an extra day off at this point increase the risk of our not being able to complete the hike on foot? And it seems to me that it will.
This is not a case of the schedule being arbitrary, or of me "hoarding" rest days. This is the "easy" part of the H2H: we are in the mountains, but they are relatively low for the most part and there are feasible alternative paths. This will not be the case between Sargans (at the beginning of Switzerland) and Bousieyas (about 10 days before Monaco).
We have seen in the last few days how bad the weather can be in the Alps in the summer. The Bockscharte was only 2164m: in Switzerland and in France we will be going over many passes that are much higher. 150m up and down in the snow in a storm (which is what we did) is plenty unsafe for me: if we encounter similar conditions where we would have to do twice or even four times as much climbing and descent to go over a pass, well, that's too risky and I will turn back or (preferably) not start that day's hike at all.
Furthermore, we have also seen that when weather like this sets in, it can continue for several days. That is why we opted to go via the Landsberger Huette and skip the initial dangerous part of the Jubilaeumssteig. Had we not done so, then only today would we be heading up to the Prinz-Luitpold-Haus, because only today have the winds died down and the temperatures gone up In this case, there was an option. Later there may not be... or if there is an option, it will be one which adds a couple of extra hiking days -- or more -- to our route.
And all of this matters because the great risk of the H2H is not getting out of the Southern Alps near Monaco before the winter sets in. As it is, we cross our last high pass around the same date as the huts in that area close for the season. Anything non-safety-related that increases the possibility that we will be too late is therefore unacceptable -- at least to me. And taking an extra rest day now when we do not absolutely have to would increase that risk. I would rather "save" rest days now (i.e., take proportionately fewer than we will on average over the whole H2H), rather than "spend" them and then not have them when I need them later.
But, and here we come to the root of the affair: doing the H2H on foot the whole way seems not to be as important to Sally as it is to me. Or possibly it is as important, but her chronic foot pain is making it unpleasant enough for her so as to supplant the primary goal (as, by the way, might very well be the case for me if I was suffering the same pain).
And here is the key: that's OK. There is no reason why it should be as important to her as it is to me to do the whole thing on foot, nor why she should accept intolerable pain. She can take a free day (or any number of free days, or even stop altogether) any time she wants: she is under no obligation to do the H2H. Of course I'd much prefer for her to come along, but she needs to do what is right for her.
Just as I should do what is right for me. I am still having fun. I feel as if I am getting fitter from day to day (for example, the initial weakness I felt in my right knee has almost disappeared, probably as a result of the supporting musculature getting stronger). I have no chronic pain (or rather, the pain I have -- the Morton's Neuroma -- is minor enough so that I can handle it), nor do I have any minor injuries which would benefit greatly from two days rest in a row. So why should I put my primary goal at risk?
The bottom line is that if Sally needs to take a rest day, then she should do so; but I will not because I do not need to do so. I think that the situation is analogous to what happened on the C2C: where various people took days off for excellent reasons while the rest of us hiked on. The issues are just clearer when there are six other hikers who would have to wait around until one felt better rather than where there are just two others.
I should emphasize that this was a good talk. I think that this sort of discussion is normal in any group endeavour -- particularly on an extreme expedition such as the H2H -- and I believe that we ended up in an amicable place with, I hope, Sally understanding better where I am coming from.
At any rate, when I asked if I should also reserve the next five days accommodation for her as well, she said that I should, so it looks like, at least for now, the team is going to continue on together!
Interesting times....
I have just checked this post with Sally, before putting it on the blog, and she would like me to add the following points:
o She doesn't feel as if the disagreement merited the word "serious".
o The important thing to her is not to have a two days rest in a row right at this moment, but instead every 15-20 days during the trip.
o It isn't just the foot pain; she also feels as if two days rest in a row is qualitatively different from one day because she can relax more and enjoy the stillness and feel less of a nomad when she knows she doesn't have to pack for departure the next day.
Since it would be unfair to use my privileged position as the writer of this blog to have the last word, I'll leave it there. I hope the issues involved are sufficiently generic to be of general interest....
