This tour was planned as a trail run. In good conditions it is a fun and technical trail to hike or run.
Today, we encountered recent snow along much of the ridge, calling for a bit more care - and warmer clothes.

We started late, for a mountain tour, wanting to let the air warm a little after a very cold night. Yet the ground was frozen down in Oberwäldele, and breathing sharp in the cold. We ascended past Untere Walmendingenalpe toward Walmendinger Horn under the shade of the mountain. It was peculiar to take the first step out in sunlight, just as one traverses towards its southern side high up: A sudden washing of warmth and brilliance of the sunlit snow. Winter is indeed coming, and the stark contrasts of warm and cold with it.

We skipped Walmendingerhorn summit, overrun as it usually is by lift summiteers, and continued directly to the ridge. First, the sections over Mutterbergkopf and Ochsenhofer Köpfe summits offer a rather gentler and quite popular trail. Today we happened to be first here, having the honor of laying first tracks in the snow. Perhaps others found it chilly this morning, too.

As we continued toward Grünhorn the wind picked up. It is a nice-looking summit, rising boldly over the others along the ridge, but also a bit more exposed. No summit lunch today, then. Instead we hid away in the shelter of rocks further down. At least my wet socks dried reasonably well in the sun. A fact that didn't diminish my happiness of having two other pairs in the backpack; there is still a long way to go.

Actually, the technical part is only just beginning when descending from Grünhorn. In good, dry conditions this part is little more than a steep trail. But with the snow, the main risk is that of slipping. Being in the shade for a while with hands repeatedly on snow capped rock, gloves are definitely recommended.

Having done that, a fun rock ridge awaits. Almost all of those little towers may easily be passed without any climbing. But the very last may well be considered the crux of the tour: a few meters of scrambling is necessary to get across. Thankfully the rock is in the sun and seems to dry up fairly well.

Past this, the ridge eases considerably toward Steinmandl. The only thing left to negotiate after Steinmandl summit is a wet and dirty path descending into Schwarzwassertal. A brief pause at Schwarzwasser hut (closed at this time) for changing to dry socks, then we continue on a speedy further descent to Melköde. A somewhat tedious last stretch along the valley floor finally leads back to the starting point.

All in all, the round tour offers approximately 17 km and 1220 meters vertical, where a considerable part follows ridges with great scenery over Kleinwalsertal. While all of it is recommendable for experienced hikers, the full ridge with its ups and downs is quite long, and the most technical section comes late, between Grünhorn and Steinmandl summits. If time is running short, we recommend to descend after Ochsenhofer Köpfe, either north (steep) or south. Of course, one could shorten this hike by taking the lift up to Walmendinger Horn. But as this summit is less interesting it is not included in our tour.