European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 6, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Is photos by Gus Schuettner september Snow coat the Mountainside at the a Wahlhaus hut a respite for Hirts. Bavarian hiking be wary of the weather a guest Imp is the bunks inside if Stabl Haus hut in the Alps near . By Norm Zeigler travel outdoor writer outside the window if the Hul Llic landscape was a while. Snow was coming Down hard with j wind blowing it in slanting lines approaching Siori Onul. Viability was no More than 100 Yards and must the terrain was obscured loss in whiteout. Ii Chilly enough in i bunk room to see our Liri Mth but finally we All rolled nut from under Bur piles of Wool blankets and headed downstairs. In the breakfast room the other overnight guests were talking quietly Over la Weir morning Coffee. There was no mood bul missing the sunny enthusiasm of Blue Iky morning in i 111 mountains. The evening before we made the Brief k ii Iii by hike from the Jynne r Cable station to the Hul ii rising he is enl i Sload of if five hour hike up from tin Willey ill in urine rain. Coming up the in tip line visible Sla Tinb at about 4,950 n beginning is in inter Mill no dusting and merging Minlu .1 thin lout solid Banket m the Illi tude increased. Ahlf three of in sinuous , the forecast clip but a fur i lightly improving weather and we wirl in spurt for n glimpse o the of pril Typl a vistas you final in the Tiu risk brn thures Mil for the Chance to hike Ilariu a Urilt Krumbi i d by Poncio ind Hotuj the Corl Vun Stalil Hipius normally Lui my nil with during september Inri october nearly empty. By , fewer than a clo Zun people had Clu Cuil in and it was nol .1 night la hike by in Irli Ghl. The wind was rising ant the Snow was kitting heavier. After a nearly dinner of and pad we a in the it Iii Cun Fml a of the Small dining room socializing Wii i the other guess until Bei Tinie. Located no an Altitude of about 5,600 feet the slip huh ius is one of hundreds nip Ufaler huk scattered throughout the Alps. Most of hem Art much More Tymn simple shelters offering beverages a warm evening meal a simple breakfast jul varying quantities of running water. Sleeping accommodations Are Basic. Most of the Beds Are in giant bunk rooms the Stahlhaum can sleep 90 people but families or Small groups seeking privacy can rent rooms with two four or Highl Beds. Like Many Huls in the Alps the building belongs to the Deutsche Alpen Portiin German Alpiro club. Subsequently there Are different prices for members and non members. It has been operated for 20 years by Helmut Pfiler. For Pfizer it is a Beautiful Way of life with few bad times and Marjy Good times when we walked out onto the porch of the Stahlhaum after breakfast the weather was not exactly the laughing Blue skies and Indian summer that the tourist brochures Promise for Bavaria in september and october. The temperature a is 28 f., and a 25-Mph wind was whistling through the mountains blowing the icy flakes into our faces like slinging pellets. We shouldered our packs and stepped out into the storm and into 10 inches of Snow. In Bare ground conditions some of the hiking trails in the area loot like superhighways. Bul with an accumulation of fresh Snow and whiteout conditions obscuring Distant landmarks it is difficult to distinguish a hiking Trail from a or ,1 dead end Ravine. Ii is Al this Point that inexperienced hikers and people lacking the proper equipment or knowledge of the area should sit tight and wait out the storm. In town Snow can be a nuisance in the mountains it can kill you. The risks include disorientation panic and hypothermia. We were fortunate to have an experienced guide. Afke Public a fairs specialist Ted i to Singer to Lead the Way we look the Trail Down slowly in places the drifts were nearly knee deep making for Ricky going where Liere were hidden Rucks or a sleep incline. As the Trail wound downhill Minlu a Ravine we gradually got out of the worst of the wind in the ice of a Mountain and the weather look on a less threatening . The howling a term had diminished to a Mere heavy snowfall. A woman in a Hul farther Down hailed us with a Hearly sch Heil ski Hail and a laugh As we passed. When we got Down to the tree line the evergreens their boughs heavily Laden Wilh Snow resembled 3 scene from a Christmas card. This was late summer in Llie Alps. 12 stripes Mign it october 6, 1988
