It was an unfortunately eventful day for Russell and me, with a couple of nasty moments. I was first: when walking along a narrow path on a steep mountainside above Linderhof I caught my foot on an oddly projecting root and was launched off the path downhill. I think I must have been at least six feet above the ground at one point and Dave, who caught a glimpse concurs
I was extremely fortunate in several ways. First, I must have cat genes: I turned in the air to keep my feet under me and to land on my haunch, then immediately turned further on the bounce so as to land the second time on my front, which allowed me to quickly arrest my fall. I still ended up over a dozen feet down the slope, but that was far better than it could or would have been had I landed on my head or had I started cartwheeling.
Second, there were no rocks where I landed, so I survived with just a couple of scrapes (and, a bit of a back-ache that showed up the following morning, so perhaps I pulled a muscle or two when I landed).
Third, at the point I fell there was a grassy slope, but at many other points along that path there were rocks and trees or even vertical cliffs. It was a sobering reminder of how quickly things can go wrong when you are walking in the mountains.
One odd minor side-point: about a minute later when I was telling the others what happened one of them said, "Your heart must be pounding!", so I checked my pulse: standard for hiking at perhaps 100 -- it didn't seem to have affected me at all. I'm not sure if that says good things or bad things about me, but it sure is interesting.
Next Russell. About five minutes later Russell was climbing above and over a large fallen tree that was blocking the path, slips, and slides down into protruding branch stumps, narrowly avoiding getting impaled and reaping an impressive set of bloody scratches on his arm for his effort. Later he was, in a much more dangerous place on top of a narrow ridge, to repeat my stumble, but he managed to catch himself at the last moment before he went off the trail.
I wouldn't say that either of us were pushing the pace faster than we should have done; it was just momentary inattention and poor decision making. As I said, sobering, but ultimately no serious harm done. Nevertheless I will change the H2H site after this hike is done to note that this day's path should not only be avoided if the weather is bad, but also if anyone hiking it is inexperienced: there are some vertiginous stretches that were, according to the team, significantly more difficult than the Klettersteig up Kofel that we did the day before.
Other than that, we had a great day. I think, and Dave, with whom I have had a running joke of responding to his "Man, it is so beautiful here" comments with "It is going to get better", concurs, that each day has been better than the last in terms of the countryside and the trails.
At one point we heard a couple of loud and insistent "caws" from a raven flying nearby, and when we looked at him he curved back to pass us and demonstratively did two 180 degree barrell rolls. Yes, he actually flew on his back for a few seconds, then flipped back rightside up, then did it again. Jonathon Livingston Raven in the flesh. We applauded, which must have pleased him, because the following day we saw what must have been the same bird and he did exactly the same thing.
Last thought for the day: I caught myself wondering at one point when it would start to feel real. I've lived with the idea of doing the H2H for such a long time, and in fact hiked from Bad Toelz to Hohenschwangau last year, that there is a pervasive aura of deja vu about the whole thing, as if I can't quite believe that I'm now really hiking. In addition,it is still so early in the hike that it doesn't feel like we have done anything really yet.
I wonder when I'll feel like I have really achieved something? Not, perhaps, until Montreux, which I have for long regarded as a "reward" stop, when we get a couple of free days and will eat and stay (if possible), in some very fine hotels and restaurants. A reward implies achievement, and moreover we will by then have done 40 stages, so perhaps that is why it feels that only then will it be real....
