Maukspitze

Published on 2021-11-12 by Michael Stanton

As snow begins to blanket the mountains, I'm on the lookout for remaining snow-free south faces that conserve precious sunlight and allow me to pretend it's still summertime. It looked like the combo of Ackerlspitze and Maukspitze might make for a great day -- soon I was walking up and admiring the uncanny reef of the eastern Wilder Kaiser, with its toothsome spires over forest and meadow. A particular focal point was the high, rather broad ridge of the Östliche Hochgrubachspitze, scene of a wonderful day with Vaclav in 2018. The ridge is called the "Riegelekante."

The Westliche and Östliche Hochgrubachspitzen over the Jausenstation (stack station).

The high country from Graspoint Hochalm.

Looking up to technical terrain from the Östliche Hochgrubachkar.

In general, the Westliche Hochgrubachspitze looks more interesting, with a much sharper looking clean ridge cutting southeast from the summit. Anyway, it was the clearest view I'd yet had of that complex wall of peaks.

Before I knew it, I was pushing up through alp under the Ackerlhütte, then further in warm sun up to the Östliche Hochgrubachkar, a pleasant high point for the hiker unwilling to begin the "use of hands" work that lay higher. I was willing, however, so I started up the wall on an ingenious little trail with occasional metal handholds. After about 20 minutes, I reached another basin called the Niedersessel, where a steep route (let's call it what it is, a rock climb!) goes up to the Ackerlspitze, and a less imposing but still very steep trail sets off for the Maukspitze.

Here I ate some chapati and hummus.

What a vast underwater complex it once was!

Looking down on the Ackerlschneid, my goal is to reach it again safely!

The wild Griesner Kar.

Taking the steeper way, I enjoyed the climbing, even though I used the metal bits on exposed traverses (I've gotten older!). Sometimes I had to walk through deep snowdrifts, which was slow and unpleasant. I reached the Ackerlschneid, the saddle between the two great peaks, and set off for the Ackerlspitze. Pretty soon the going got slow because of slippery snow. The trail here is really something. Bits of vegetation, dirt, shattered rock and the occasional solid rock, making a 200 millimeter wide "trail" up unforgiving, scruffy terrain. The snowbanks which nestled on the face usually made their homes in the trail. They required care to navigate, and I wished for sturdier boots. I was following tracks of one individual who must have gone up the day before or hours before, since they hadn't returned and I thought it unlikely that they would descend the snowy north side to the Griesner Kar.

Finally I was on the ridge with gorgeous views down to that Kar, and getting worried about the final scramble in snow. Walking on the snowed-up ridge felt trecherous, and it didn't take long to decide to give it up in order to preserve enough time to hike up the Maukspitze. Descending was quite slow back to the Ackerlschneid, then I made more rapid progress traversing with a bit of up and down across to the bulk of the Maukspitze. I crossed through the Torbogen, a car-sized space under a natural rock arch that marked a key passage. Moments later, I stood on top.

Ach, time to turn around without the summit!

A wistful look to the famous central peaks of the range.

From the Maukspitze, looking back over the time-place of my mid-morning hours.

Over the previous 48 hours, I re-read an old story from my youth: Ghost Story, by Peter Straub. Really entertaining! But my perspective on it is so different now. I kept asking: why didn't these frightened old (and some young) men turn to God? It never even occurred to them. Though they were dealing with a supernatural monster that reveled in death and cruelty. My feeling about such monster stories is that for all their horror, they "prove" supernatural life. After all, if a being lives for thousands of years, ruffles easily through the minds of humans, shape-shifts from bird to lynx to man, doesn't it rehabilitate the words of the Bible in a modern age?

And in there, the answer is prayer and contemplation of God. For this invokes Him. And dark forces scatter from such light -- they have so many more places they can go to find victims in the shadows! Yes, they are insane, but they are not without a compartmentalized logic. (For it is insanity to believe you can live separate from God -- you, yes, even you vampires, are made of Him).

Sigh...so these poor old folks are harrowed to their graves, hypnotized by the darkness of it all. Never thinking even once that the appearance of the monster suggests the likelyhood of angels.

Anyway! I started down, first to the appropriately named Flachschneide (flat place). Then quite slowly through the snowdrifts and ragged sections of trail back to the Niedersessel. On the way, I saw a tiny black speck above the Ackerlschneid and took a picture. It was the person who had been ahead of me on the way up the Ackerlspitze. He was moving slowly down the snowed-up ridge. I was glad to know all was well. Further down, I saw a young woman in trail running gear moving rapidly up the steep trail and said hello.

She would run by me 2 hours later as I approached the car, presumably after hiking up the Maukspitze -- amazing!

I stopped for a drink at the Ackerlhütte, then ground out the descent in pleasant late afternoon sun, then shady forest. It was a good day.

See the lonely figure on the right?

See the pink bejacketed trail runner in the lower left?

See the Rettenstein, favorite peak of my beloved?