Comparing hikes; Mt. Washington and Katahdin to Zugspitze in Germany

[Chuckysan]

Hello All, and happy (almost) New Year!
My wife and I are both 47 and have hiked both Mt Washington (Tuckermans ravine trail) and Katahdin (Chimney Pond to Saddle trail) recently. We plan to travel to the south of Germany at the end of June:D and were wondering if anyone on the forum has hiked the Zugspitze. We are trying to compare the difficulty levels of Katahdin and Mt. Washington to that of The Reintal route (class 3) to the top of Zugspitze. Thanks for ANY input.
Chuck

[4eyedbuzzard]

Never hiked it, but I'll bet the altitude (approx 10,000 ft) will make it feel more difficult than hiking either Mt W or K as you get above 6 or 7 thousand feet regardless of terrain. Living at sea level plays against us in higher mountains. Those of us who live at sea level tend to start having more difficulty at 6000 ft or so without any acclimatization time. It takes weeks to get the red cell count up to where you would be fully acclimated if living at that altitude, but even a few days at 4,000 ft or above will help you get more used to it. At around 8,000 to 10,000 ft you will likely get winded much more easily even if you're in good cardiovascular condition.

[shelterbuilder]

Can't help with the comparison - when I was on Germany (early 70's), I cheated and took the cablecar to the top! But the views are absolutely breathtaking. It should be quite a climb for both of you. 4eyedbuzzard is right - getting acclimated to that altitude can't be done quickly (unless you cheat with a little blood-doping). Just take it slow and easy. How long do you figure the climb will take you?

[Chuckysan]

Thanks for the input! I've been researching the various websites that discuss the hikes leading up to the summit of Zugspitze. It seems the least technical can take 8-10 hours. The quicker routes entail climbing metal ladders and affixed "ropes" which I want to avoid. Quite a few of the blogs mention staying overnight at one of the huts on the mountain and summiting the following day. Our intention all along was to summit and then take the cog train or cable car down (I know, I know....). We will be staying in a nearby town of Garmisch -Paterkirchen (altitude of 2323 feet) for a few days before attempting the summit of 9,714'. Please keep your comments/suggestions coming. Thanks

[4eyedbuzzard]

Yikes, that's 7500 feet of elevation gain in one day. Mt Washington and Katahdin are about a 4000 foot gain for comparison. Huts half way up huh? Probably a good reason for that.

[shelterbuilder]

Taking the "easy" way down sounds like a good idea to me. Staying at one of the huts sounds even better (European huts are reputed to be quite an experience, but from the altitude aspect, that would only mean a 3,000 to 4,000 foot elevation gain in either day). Don't forget to take pictures for us!

[Papa D]

For a real climber (and I climb) neither Katahdin or Mt. Washington represent anything 'technical" the standard routes up both involve hiking - the winds on Mt. Washington can be absolutely incredible (or mile) though and Katahdin gets snowed in an closes due to weather - the hard part of Maine, NH, and the whole trail is the sustained long distance hiking, not necessarily the technical difficulty of one place

[Driver8]

Yikes, that's 7500 feet of elevation gain in one day. Mt Washington and Katahdin are about a 4000 foot gain for comparison. Huts half way up huh? Probably a good reason for that.

The nearby town is at 2323, but I bet the hike starts at more like 3200. Still a good 6500'+ in one day, though. I like the hut idea a lot. Not sure hanging out in the town's gonna do much for acclimitization. Maybe some prep hikes in the area to the 5000-6000 level would do some good.

[Kerosene]

I was concerned about elevation on a day hike of Half Dome in Yosemite (8800'), as I have been sensitive to elevation in the past after flying to a ski resort and then lugging suitcases up a few flights of stairs. However, I had no issues on the hike and had a lot of energy on the return 8-mile trip to the car. However, outside of the last quarter-mile, which goes straight up the rock face assisted by cables, the trail up to Half Dome is pretty easy. I also doubt that acclimating at 2300' will really help you that much.

[4eyedbuzzard]

The nearby town is at 2323, but I bet the hike starts at more like 3200. Still a good 6500'+ in one day, though. I like the hut idea a lot. Not sure hanging out in the town's gonna do much for acclimitization. Maybe some prep hikes in the area to the 5000-6000 level would do some good.Agree. I lived at 7200 for a year or so (Park City, UT). It took probably two months to fully acclimatize to that elevation. Even then though, hiking (or traversing ridges when skiing) up at 11,000+ was definitely taxing. Even the locals get winded more easily - the air is just plain thin.

[Chuckysan]

I like that idea and we've found a few that meet your suggested criteria. We plan to be in the area for over a week so I think we will be able to get a good sense of our capabilites with a few hikes with increasing altitude. Thanks for your input. :)

[Mags]

I Am in Germany in currently. Meting my fiancée's family. Nothing to really add to this discussion other than I have eaten more varieties of sausage and potato meals than any American of Mediterranean ancestry should have to eat in a lifetime. :) Add the beautiful 45F and drizzly weather I see here everyday and I am ready to get back to my sunny, snowy and beautiful Colorado mountains ! :)

Being serious, acclimate for a day or two first . take some moderate hikes at a lower elevation if you can. It is what I suggest to people coming to CO . figure it should ith work for the Alps, too . (And I hope you like wurst with mustard and wurst with curry and wurst wIth sauerkraut etc etc. etc . :)

[4eyedbuzzard]

... I have eaten more varieties of sausage and potato meals than any American of Mediterranean ancestry should have to eat in a lifetime. :) If you're worried about the health implications of eating all that sausage, don't. I mean, what's the wurst thing that could happen? :D

[Chuckysan]

Taking the "easy" way down sounds like a good idea to me. Staying at one of the huts sounds even better (European huts are reputed to be quite an experience, but from the altitude aspect, that would only mean a 3,000 to 4,000 foot elevation gain in either day). Don't forget to take pictures for us!

Plus it will save the legs for additional hikes!

[4eyedbuzzard]

I emailed my cousin in Ingolstadt to find out if he's climbed Zugspitze, as he's climbed both Mt W and K several times with me (although many years ago). He should get back within a day or two.

[A/T Spike]

I stayed in Garmisch-Paterkirchen in'84...wow what a beautiful place. We took the cable car up theZugspitze. Getting to the actual summit requires climbing a ladder upa vertical cliff, then walking along a knife edge about two feet wideand very, very scary. Both sides drop off several thousandfeet....needless to say, if you fell, you could watch several lifetimes flash by before impact. The cable car ride was fantastic...infact the whole area is just post card perfect. I don’t rememberhaving any problems with the altitude, but we weren’t exertingourselves either.

[leaftye]

Agree. I lived at 7200 for a year or so (Park City, UT). It took probably two months to fully acclimatize to that elevation. Even then though, hiking (or traversing ridges when skiing) up at 11,000+ was definitely taxing. Even the locals get winded more easily - the air is just plain thin.

I never fully acclimatized when I moved from near sea level in Alabama to over 5000 feet in New Mexico. In Alabama I could run hard until my legs got tired, but even after 4 years in New Mexico, I could never get enough oxygen though my legs felt great. My 3 mile jogs were under 20 minutes, but my time was based entirely by monitoring my heart rate.

[Driver8]

Looks like quite a beautiful mountain. This is a nice write-up linking to several pretty photos: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zugspitze.