Backpacking in the Steinernes Meer
Steinernes Meer - a sea of stones. I'd spotted this large, high plateau on the map some time ago and wanted to explore what was here. The area lies at around 2000m and sits on the Austrian/German border between the much more popular areas of the Watzmann to the north, and Hochkönig to the south.
Erinna and I started from Hinterthal, and slept the night on the approach in heavy rain, before hiking up to emerge from the clouds and traverse the ridgeline to a high point at Brandhorn. The entire landscape is devoid of greenery and consists entirely of limestone boulders and water-worn slabs, plus a (fortunately) well marked trail. We descended to Totes Weib and a beautiful campspot just outside the National Park, waking to an amazing view of the Watzmann and his children. Our final descent took us down to the boat back across the Königssee and the finish to a beautiful three days backpacking.
