The Harder Kulm mountain is a favourite hike of the locals. It takes about two hours to reach the top. I tried but I was on my own and it’s a challenge. I gave up after fifteen minutes.
The point where I turned back down.
Rather than the big struggle up the mountain, I chose the gentler- sounding 20 minute descent into the neighbouring community of Unterseen.
…riiiiiiight.
View to the side of the path ..
Pretty steep. Ooooookayyyy.
The path itself was fine…wasn’t it?
Looking back after I’d passed that dry rocky riverbed.
Eventually, if you’re a wuss like me you stop worrying about the sudden narrows in the path, the sudden rises, the sudden twisty bits – but only when you see the locals, Gran, Mutti and the kids, bounding up like they’re crossing the front lawn.
So we get down. Time to look back up.
Harder Kulm. (Can you see the face in the rock?)
This part of the world has a thing about dodgy monks. The 12th century monastery was important in the birth of the town. There was once a particularly powerful monk called Leonhardus. He was not one to waste the chance to exploit the people in the town, knowing very well how scared they were of him.
One day Leonhardus was out on the mountain collecting wood when he saw a young woman. Fancying the chance of some more exploitation he chased her until her only escape and chance of retaining her honour, was the cliff face. She did the honourable thing.
So why the long face?
However powerful a monk may be in his organisation, he’s answerable to an even more powerful CEO. When Leonhardus (or “Harder”) died, the fate of the young girl cropped up in his appraisal meeting. To this day, Harder is condemned to live on in rock, miserable, sullen eyed, droopy moustache, forever stony-faced.
I fly home on Sunday so I’m literally here all week. Anyway, that’s the story they told us on the guided tour. And if you’re wondering why a medieval monk has such a fetching 19th century ‘tache, maybe it’s to let the passing Victorian traveller know they weren’t off the hook, or something…
…or he was a time-traveller, or…I don’t know – oh just look! Look at the lovely mountains!
orwellianTwo 