Hiking from Germany to Italy (E5)

Today is the day. By 08:30 we meet at D’s place, coffee in hand, somewhere between sleepy and excited. Then it was off to Oberstdorf, parking near the Nebelhorn cable car. Let’s start our E5 adventure.

Day 1: Oberstdorf → Kemptner Hütte

The first stretch lulled us into a false sense of ease: 10 kilometers of flat terrain toward Spielmannsau. Then the first real challenge: 3 kilometers and 800 meters of elevation gain.

I was completely wrecked, and the final stretch turned brutal. Spirits lifted only with the thought of Kaiserschmarrn at the hut.

We arrived around 16:00, to find there was no power. No electricity, no service, nothing. So we just sat in the gras. Eventually, we were allowed to check in and buy bottled beer (draft wasn’t an option). We learned that a construction crew had damaged the power line. By 18:00, a generator was being flown in by helicopter. Alpine problem-solving at its finest.

Day 2: Kemptner Hütte → Memminger Hütte

Sleep was … limited. The guy in the next bed watched movies until 01:00 and turned his headlamp into a personal nightclub.

We set off at 07:30. A bit up, then down. We took a detour to a waterfall and crossed a suspension bridge that swayed more than we’d like.

In Holzgau: Landjäger break. Then the group split: A took on an extra 14 km and 300 meters of elevation, while D and I opted for the bus (a mildly terrifying ride).

The final 2.5-hour ascent started easy but dragged toward the end. The hut only revealed itself in the last 10 minutes.

We showered, settled in, and met our companions for the next days. A arrived about two hours later. Drinks were expensive. Very expensive.

Day 3: Memminger Hütte → Zams

Everyone was awake by 05:00, thanks to a group of kids stomping through the dorm like elephants.

The day began with a climb over a pass in light rain. The final ascent was steep, but the view into the next valley made up for it.

Then came the descent: 1,900 meters down. Both huts along the way were closed. Familiar faces kept reappearing, and conversations sparked naturally. The trail dragged on and those “well-developed hiking paths”? Not quite. A fell twice.

When we finally spotted Zams, we collapsed into the grass for 20 minutes. In town, we stocked up at the supermarket, grabbed a beer, and took the gondola to a rather questionable “mid-station” (basically a platform on a pole).

Day 4: Zams → Braunschweiger Hütte

We took the first gondola and followed a panoramic trail to save an hour. Supposedly the toughest day - but the morning felt almost flat. We made great time.

Bus to Mittelberg, then a stop at the glacier café for coffee and cake — just as the rain started. In a moment of divine inspiration, we sent two backpacks up via supply cable car. Without that, D and I probably wouldn’t have made it.

The climb started beautifully along waterfalls, then turned steep, rocky, and increasingly miserable as rain intensified and fog rolled in. We were beyond relieved to arrive. Long showers, another €100 dinner, and a restless night.

Day 5: Braunschweiger Hütte → Martin-Busch-Hütte

We woke up to 30 cm of fresh snow.

The hut keeper recommended an easier route: head to the gondola and descend. But also: leave today, or be stuck for the next three days. So we set off in a slow-moving line, visibility at 50 meters, trudging through snow. Everyone was proud at the end - but honestly, it was dangerous.

We reached the gondola and waited 30 freezing minutes in a snowstorm before it started running. At the bottom, we learned that only two buses would operate that day. Miss them, and you’re stuck.

We debated quitting. Instead, we took the bus to Vent and hiked comfortably to the hut. Plan: reassess tomorrow depending on the weather.

Day 6: Toward Merano

We had a bus to catch in Merano, so we started early. The hut keeper said it’s fine to walk …

There was snow, but the trail was still visible. We skipped the detour to the Ötzi site and pushed on.

Conditions worsened: deeper snow, faint paths, biting cold. Near the Similaun hut, snow reached knee height. We made the climb on schedule. Over 3,000 meters altitude. A first for this trip.

Then came the most dangerous part of the entire journey: the descent.

A narrow path, rock on one side, a massive drop on the other. 1,500 meters down to a reservoir. Snow and ice everywhere. One slip would mean a fall.

The worst section was an icy slope secured only by a steel cable. We slid more than we walked.

Gradually, it got warmer. The descent slowed, it finally started to feel like Italy, like the finish line.

Exhausted legs carried us the final kilometers. When we reached the reservoir, relief hit hard.

Bus to Merano. Food hunt. Then a huge, well-earned pizza near the bus station. From there: Flixbus to Munich, regional train towards home.

Done.

What started as a hike turned into a real alpine adventure—complete with power outages, helicopter deliveries, snowstorms, near misses, and unforgettable moments. Not everything went as planned. But that’s exactly what made it worth it.