Zielspitze

Published on 2024-11-16 by Michael Stanton

I parked at the usual parking lot in the valley above Partschins, but this time I would be exiting the valley on the west wall to get up to a place called Giggelberg which hosts the lift station of the Texelbahn. I got up there via trail and occasional forest road, then continued straight up past a lake to a trail that began traversing the mountain to the west.

Higher, I passed a party of hunters and stopped briefly at a cabin with a spring to fill my water bottle. I'd forgotten my food in the car! But I had a full liter of water now, gloves and a headlamp. That would have to do. The hunters came up and began settling into the cabin as I departed.

Looking across the valley to Tabland

My unnamed valley below the Zielspitze summit

A pano-rama looking down this valley

Now the way went steeply up from the traversing trail, and entered a steep valley with no name. The way went relentlessly up. I was pretty tired by now and still had 500 meters of elevation to gain. Finally, I reached the ridge crest to see a nice backpack sitting on the trail. I would not be alone on the summit! I thought by the size of the pack that the man would sleep up here on the ridge crest overnight, which seemed like a fine idea.

Now a trail traversed around the summit pyramid, eventually going up and down at each ridge intersection. Finally it went up and stayed up, and I emerged on a ridge a bit below the summit. The man came down here and I said hello. A few more minutes and I was on the Zielspitze. Fantastic views into the Texel Range and out. Snowy peaks were crisp in the clean air.

A climber descends from the summit pyramid

A similar scene, close-up

Looking north to the Hochwilde

I made it back down to the ridge crest to discover the man napping. Unfortunately, I woke him up, and then he followed me down close behind for the next 500 meters of descent. Finally I pulled off to the side and he silently continued on. Strange on such a lonely day to see one person, and they are both persistent and silent!

At the hunters cabin music was playing and a little dog came out and barked aggressively at me, even growling at one point. Now that I have a large dog, small dogs don't scare me. I told him to pipe down, and he did, shrinking away behind a rock. Later, as I sat by the fountain, I think he wanted to make up and become friends. He slunk quietly closer. But I guess I spoke too harshly to him, and he gave up the attempt at friendship and slunk away. Oh well. The hunters must have been out scouting something.

The last 500 meters to the car felt very long, and the sun had long since set. I found it hard to see the roots and rocks and had to go a little more slowly in the shadowy forest. I came out on the road and rather painfully descended the last 100 meters to the car. Whew! 2100 meters up and down.

A climber at the base of the unnamed valley

Naturns is far, far below

Last light on a forested slope