Packed with light sleeping bags, warm clothes and Vinschgau farmhouse bread for dinner and breakfast, we set off today from Sterzing towards the Pfunderer Joch and its legendary trail into the Pustertal valley. We spread 78 kilometres and 2380 metres in altitude over two days, if only so that we could spend a night around the campfire. When asked "What do we do if a thunderstorm comes during the night?", I reassured my mates with assurances that there were a few mountain huts where we could sleep if necessary. That was all I knew. The last time I was up here was in winter. I could recognise a few small huts under the thick layer of snow. "No adventure without risk!" My last sentence didn't really convince the two boys, but at least they didn't turn round again on the pass road.
As we turn off from Fussendrass towards the Pfunderer Joch, the gravel path becomes noticeably brighter. It is very hot, the sky is bright and the mood is more relaxed, despite the heavy rucksacks. We reach the mountain pastures where we wanted to spend the night in the early afternoon. We have left the tree line below us and the pass no longer seems far away. In any case, we can already make out the path up to the pass.
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