Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Lechweg Day 1 – Formarinsee to Lech
Step Count: 37,971 Anika, 36,513 Nathan
Last night, Pat and Andrew arrived at about 7 pm. They put their bags in their room, and we promptly went out for an Austrian dinner. It rained off and on from about the 4 o’clock hour past dinner time, so it was lightly raining as we walked home from dinner. We went to bed with the windows open and Nathan heard the cows jingling their bells in the middle of the night.
We had no set meet up time this morning, but instead we planned to text when we were up and about. I was up around 5:30 and Nathan got up a little after 6. We showered and got ready and the clouds looked very ominous indeed. I put on pant length leggings and mentally prepared myself to hike all day in the rain.
We met Pat and Andrew for breakfast at 7:30, and oh my God, look at the spread! Several types of bread and rolls, 29 cheeses, homemade by the hotelier’s daughter, yogurt, berries, cereals, juices, hams, salamis, and salmon! She also makes made-to-order eggs and omelets. France could learn a thing or two! And we are here tomorrow as well!
While we were enjoying our breakfast, the clouds broke up and burned off and blue sky and sun appeared. A wardrobe change was required.
Around 9 am, we packed up and set off into town with our daypacks. We bought tickets for the 30-minute hiker bus up to Formarinsee (22 Euros each!) and by 10 am we were at the Formarinsee bus stop. We walked down to the lake at 1,789 M, and then walked around the lake and back up to the Freiburger Hutte at 1,931 M. The hut was not yet open for the season, so we proceeded to walk the opposite side of the lake and back down to the start of the Lechweg. All in all, I think we added another 3 miles to the day.
About noon, we got back to the bus stop, toilets (with running water!), and the start of the Lechweg.
Oh my goodness, this place is so beautiful. Today’s hike was only supposed to be roughly 8 miles, but it took us until after 5 pm to get back into Lech because there is an Instagram-worthy shot every step forward. Nathan’s phone nearly ran out of juice and we had to pull out the power bank to charge it back up again.
Around 3 – 4 pm, I nearly ran out of juice, so Nathan and I snacked on some trail mix and a salami stick before stumbling across a local recreation area with clay tennis courts, swimming pools, sand volleyball, and the obligatory snack shop. They served Aperol spritz and some kind of fizzy, local Austrian rosé over fruit – Don’t mind if I do!
Rehydrated, we left the little trail-side cafe to go up one last hill (!), and make it back to Lech around 5:15.
Now freshly showered, we have a dinner reservation for 7 pm in town with Pat and Andrew.
