July 2026 – Crossing the Alps – Day 4: On the Ötztal Urweg Trail

Today, just under 15 kilometres were on the programme. First we took the bus to Umhausen. From there, the stage led to Längenfeld, before we continued on by bus to Sölden. The first part of the trail was tough once again. It went uphill for a long time and was just as strenuous as yesterday. Nevertheless, today isn't really meant to be about the hike, but about something that occupied me at least as much.

Over the past few days, I've received many messages. Again and again, people wrote to me: "I would never dare to do that – all alone." That's exactly why I want to offer a little encouragement today.

I booked the Alpine crossing through AbenteuerWege. It's now my third hiking trip with this operator. I did the first two tours together with Marion and Talha – warm greetings to you both at this point. But travelling alone is nothing new to me. And this very trip reminded me once again that being on the road alone doesn't mean being lonely at all.

Especially on an organised hiking trip, you automatically keep running into the same people. By the first or second breakfast at the latest, you recognise each other, greet each other warmly and quite naturally get talking.

Our little group is a colourful mix. There's a couple I don't see often, but with whom greetings are heartfelt every time. A historian who is always up for an interesting chat. Silvia, with whom I've probably talked the most and often had breakfast. She is a former nurse and now retired. You can tell she knows life with all its ups and downs and has accompanied many people to the end of their lives.

Then there's a younger, very athletic hiker. He had already caught my eye over the past few days. Today, on the bus, I finally asked him whether he had also booked through AbenteuerWege – and indeed, he too was part of our group. There are also two friends who are simply enjoying the adventure together.

Today was particularly funny. Almost everyone – without any arrangement – took the same bus from our various hotels to Umhausen. So we got talking even before the actual start. Only the historian had set off an hour earlier. I met him later at an alpine hut, and on the ride back we sat together on the bus again.

Of course, everyone walks at their own pace. The young hiker set off at quite a clip. I initially wanted to keep up, but first said goodbye to Silvia, because our paths part after today. Some are staying an extra night in Sölden.

So I chased after him. At first I caught up a little, because he kept having to check the map and I could simply follow his route. But on the long ascent, he pulled away from me. At the next hut, he took a break – and I just marched on. My motto: the iron will keeps walking.

Later, he overtook me again on the descent. This time, though, I didn't want to just let him go. I stayed stubbornly behind him and gritted my teeth. That took a lot of strength.

Shortly before the finish, he got on the bus and said he'd ride the last two kilometres. All I thought was: no, I'm walking those too. For a brief moment, I even toyed with the idea of walking the remaining kilometres to the hotel as well.

If you're reading this: no… I was completely spent. The two kilometres were quite enough.

What I actually want to say with this post is something else: dare. Dare to set off alone. Dare to speak to people whose faces have become familiar to you. Often a friendly "hello" is all it takes to get talking.

And if it's only the fear in your head holding you back, then maybe that's the best reason of all to do it anyway. Because that's exactly where the most beautiful adventures often begin.