Hi everyone, we are James @jdp and Sarah @sdh from Munich, Germany, and to introduce ourselves we thought we'd share a small photo blog from our hiking adventure last weekend. Hopefully you like it. :-)

Hike up the Saugasse - Saturday 13 August

We went with a group of 10 friends, first taking the train from Munich to Königsee, and then the boat to the far end of the lake. This is St. Bartholomew's church, named after the patron of alpine farmers and dairymen. It can only be reached by boat or by a long hike across the mountains.

After arriving at St. Bartholomew we then started the long hike up the Saugasse. Gradually leaving the Königsee behind...

Higher and higher...

Eventually we reached the plateau. Time for a quick group photo...

Staying overnight at Kärlingerhaus

Twenty minutes later, after walking deeper into the plateau, we approach our destination for the day, Kärlingerhaus. Also known as Funtenseehaus. Altitude 1,638 meters.

Time for the "Bergsteigeressen" evening dinner, which was spinach dumplings and chocolate cake. Washed down of course with a Bavarian beer from Hofbräuhaus Berchtesgaden.

After dinner a quick dip in the lake, for those brave enough to endure the cold waters...

Then back to the house for sleeps. The dormitories, like all mountain huts in this area, were so-called "Matratzenlager". Everyone gets their own 60 cm of mattress, one next to the other, six in a row.

Hike across the Steinernes Meer - Sunday 14 August

Next morning we see the mist hanging over lake Funtensee.

This spot actually holds the record for being the coldest place in Germany. The combination of high altitude, bowl-shaped terrain, and shelter from winds means that cold air is trapped here. The coldest temperature ever measured in Germany was recorded as −45.9 °C (-50.6 °F) here on 24 December 2001. While we were there it was around 4 °C (39 °F). Not record breaking, but still quite cold considering it was middle of August!

Next we hike up towards the Steinernes Meer (the sea of stones)...

Where we see a mountain goat...

And another...

We also came across these strange patterns in the rock...

At first we thought they were dinosaur footprints. But later, after looking them up on Google, we discovered they are in fact fossilised sea shells. They are known in German as "Kuhtrittmuschel", or the scientific name Megalodontidae. 230 million years ago these rocks were at the bottom of a shallow sea. Now they are located 2,500 meters above sea level. Amazing, hey?

Time for another group photo...