Hochkalter, 2607 m

From the parking lot at Hintersee, we first walk a short stretch along the eastern shore of the lake and then continue on the road to the Seeklaus parking lot. From here, we follow the signs to the Schärtenalm. We climb through the forest, and soon wonderful views of the Hintersee open up. At the Schärtenalm, we can take a short break or better yet - considering the effort still to come - quickly continue towards the Blaueishütte. Shortly after the Schärtenspitze, the path turns slightly left and offers us first glimpses into the basin of the Blaueis Glacier. Just before the material cable car, the path to the Blaueishütte branches off to the left with a few steps. We hike through sparse woodland and close to a rock face for the last half hour to the hut. Here we should take some time for a short rest and admire the glacier from afar while enjoying some cake. The Blaueis is the northernmost glacier of the Alps. Unfortunately, due to its low altitude, it is particularly affected by the retreat of the Alpine glaciers. Incidentally, you can also climb the Hochkalter over the glacier. However, this route is not without danger and has already claimed some lives.

From the Blaueishütte to the summit

We now turn to the somewhat less dangerous (but also not to be underestimated) variant via the Schönen Fleck. From the hut, we first head south. Soon we turn right, guided by a rock marked in large red letters 'H.K.'. Initially over scree and crumbly terrain, then via a nice little climb (I-II) through dwarf pines, we ascend to the Schönen Fleck. There is little space on this notch, so we quickly climb further up the ridge to the left. Over boulders, we reach a gully that provides a passage. Shortly thereafter, we encounter a rock face, which gives us another opportunity for a small climb (II). It's not as difficult as it first appears. We follow the markings and find many footholds and handholds. After that, it continues over simpler terrain. Soon we can look down on the Blaueis Glacier from above: up close, it looks quite dirty and forbidding. We bypass the Rotpalfen to the west and continue climbing on the ridge, over some smaller climbing sections to the Kleinkalter. We might wonder how long everything is taking. But we still manage the last section over several notches and a final small climb, and can finally enjoy the magnificent view from the summit of the Hochkalter. There is not much space up there, but we have certainly earned a snack and maybe even a small midday nap (on admittedly somewhat uncomfortable ground).

The descent

But eventually, we have to go back down. And let's face it: the descent through the Ofental will be no less strenuous than the ascent. It goes steeply down over a lot of loose rock. First, we descend a gully, then cross to the left, pass over a step further down into a notch. After another crossing to the left, we soon reach scree fields. Occasionally, you can 'slide' for a few meters on these, but mostly we will stay on the path until we finally reach a terrain threshold and the tree line. We then follow the path through the forest until we reach the Klausbach valley. From there, we walk downhill to the Hintersee and our parking lot.