Let's go to Schesaplana. The highest peak of Rätikon, that Is located exactly on the border between Austria, Lichtenstein and Switzerland. It is not for nothing that the summit cross bears the inscription "You are the lord of the mountains and the king of the peaks". The next higher mountain is more than 30 kilometers away. The summit offers a view over hundreds of Alpine mountains up to the Pennine Alps, Ötztal Alps, the Zugspitze massif, The views to Lünersee lake, a turquoise Blue Pearl and many other peaks around in are fantastic! On the first day a narrow mountain path leads us from the Innertal car park past the Palüdbach and the Glingabrunnen, a series of springs with an underground inflow from the Brandner Glacier, in the direction of the Mannheimer Hütte. The hiking trail runs through the Zalimtal, past the Obere Brüggele Alpe via serpentines to the Oberzalim Hütte. Via the Leiberweg, a trail partly blasted into the rock, we will reach the Mannheimerhütte, a wonderful place to spend the night at 2679m.
The next day after a good breakfast we approach the Brandner Glacier (generally easy to walk on, no Glacier experience needed, no danger, grödeln could be helpful by the way and good to have) to the highest peak in the Rätikon, the Schesaplana. The descent is via the hiking trail to the Totalphütte where we will have a break.
From the Totalphütte we hike on the same level and with beautiful views to the Gamsluggen. Here it goes chain-secured in a zigzag down a rock face into Switzerland. The wonderfully green valley is a feast for the eyes after all the stones of the Schesaplana. You hike eastwards along the valley on easy paths to the Gafalljoch. You always have Kirchlispitzen and Drusenfluh in view. Once you have reached it, you have a wonderful view of Switzerland and Lünersee. Directly on the border between Austria and Switzerland at 2222m you can relax and enjoy the view. After having a break in such a place where we could meet even eagles and marmots if we are lucky, we get down to the lake where we have a break the helps the knees from the long way down. In case someone Is too tired could have options to take cable car from Lünersee to the valley to save few hundreds meters down. Then the path soon branches off permanently and you hike through forests and meadows along the stream to the valley.
