Höllentor

The past year brought me some really nice occasions to hike in the Bavarian Alps with dear friends. One of the most spectacular views from this particular trip, together with Marissa and Holger, was from a spot which is known under two different names, Höllentor and Rinderwegscharte:

• The first name literally means Hell's Gate, because the way down leads to the Höllental valley, which is a very rough area throughout winter due to the frequent avalanches coming down from all directions. If you follow the trail down to the valley and then left back up again over that small glacier, Höllentalferner, you will hopefully reach Germany's highest peak, Zugspitze.

• The second name describes the former main use, to drive cattle (= Rinder) over the trail (= weg) through the gap (= scharte) between the two peaks of the 2.628m/8.622ft Alpspitze and the 2.146m/7.040ft Höllentorköpfl. Yeah, right: cattle can climb up here in the high summer to reach the rich alpine pastures. The grass is just always better on the other side!

If you plan to hike in this area please make sure to also bring some equipment for bad and cold weather. Although the forecast might be fine even on a bright summer day the weather can change quickly leading to an almost instant temperature drop of about 10°C/50°F.

Europe / Germany

Lat: 47° 26' 13.51" N
Long: 11° 2' 55.33" E

Elevation: 2100 m (6.890 ft)

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: High. Pinpoints the exact spot.

• Nikon D300 with Nikkor 8mm/2.8 Ai-S, six handheld shots (four around plus zenith and nadir)

• Hugin 2009.4.0, Photoshop