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Calender Germar's Monthly Updater

September 2001: Garmisch and Toro Peak

After my visit to Amsterdam in August, I traveled for four days to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, my home town. Although it was raining during almost all the time, I had a good time. I was visiting and inviting friends, drove to Munich, went to a new arts museum (in fact, it turned out to be a kitsch museum), and even made it to my beloved lake, the Walchensee. Of course, I was also exploring the close vicinity of my village with its beautiful Bavarian houses, decorated with flowers, wall paintings, and carved benches next to the entrance:


On the way back to the airport, early in the morning, the weather cleared. The picture below was taken just next to the freeway. The meadows were still cladded by morning dew and mist was shrouding the pastures in the background. The day's first rays of the sun were soaking the trees in light and the mountains in the distance in warm hues. That's Bavaria at its best!


Back in California, I was on an "outing" with my friends from the San Diego Hiking Club. Our destination was Toro Peak, which is way up in the Santa Rosa Mountains, halfway between the Anza Borrego desert and Palm Springs. Below, we are resting at a small mouintain hut.


Here we are on the summit of Toro Peak at 2450 m altitude (I am second from the right). The view from the top is gorgeous. To the South East is the Salton Sea. The giant lake was created by accident when a dike broke during the construction of the All-American Canal in 1905. The lake is 80 meters below sea level. The altitude gain between the lake and Toro Peak is therefore larger than the difference in altitude of Garmisch (700 m a.s.l.) and Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze (2966 m a.s.l.)!


Below is the view from Toro Peak down to the Anza Borrego desert. The green square-shaped fields belong to Borrego Springs. Unfortunately, there was some dust covering the mountains in the background. On clear days, it is possible to see the Gulf of California.


We spent the night in the Santa Rosa Wilderness, at over 2000 m altitude. We roasted bockwurst at the campfire, baked potatoes, and told old stories until late at night. My friend Chuck (that's the guy with the happy face sitting next to me), hit the spot when he commented the picture: "Nothing like a few friends, a good fire, and a glass of wine ..."


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