Biberacher Hütte to home

A sad end to my trip when ill health forced me to return home.

Overnight and this morning I was not feeling well. I considered my options, whether to continue or return home, deciding one thing and then the opposite. However I did not want to pass on any germs to others in the confined space of the huts I would be visiting, spoiling their holiday as well as my own. This convinced me to abandon my trip although I expect by tomorrow I will be feeling fine.

Faced with the options for returning home, I decided Zurich was the most promising airport so I picked a route down that headed in a suitably westerly direction. Its first long, steeply downhill section was part of the route I had originally planned to walk anyway, to reach Goppinger Hütte. The thin downhill trail needed care as the recent rain had made it slippery although today the sun was shining most of the time. As I descended I left the high grassland and dropped into trees reaching fields of hay and grass at the bottom. Here I joined a track down the valley reaching the village of Sonntag, 10 or more kilometres later. A pleasant walk on easy gravel tracks and single track roads, through trees and green fields, by small settlements, following the course of a fast flowing river. There were some waterfalls with large drops higher up the valley. 

Route down from Biberacher hutte towards Gopinger Hutte, which crosses the small bridge that can be seen in this valley.

Valley of the Lutz, which I walked down to the bus stop at Sonntag.

At Sonntag I caught the bus. Bright sunlight made using my phone to see the routes of buses and subsequent trains went exceedingly difficult, although at least I could access the internet, unlike at the hut. Persevering, I managed to catch a bus to Thüringen, the kindly driver, sending my confusion then pointed out where the bus to Bludenz railway station went from. I chose this station as there was a direct train to Zurich. 

A plane tomorrow will take me back to London. However buying plane tickets and booking a hotel last minute was expensive but I lacked time to optimise my arrangements. Still feeling "under the weather" so a decision to return was probably wise. As my long trip down from the mountain tops showed, falling seriously ill at a remote spot in the Alps could mean help was a long time coming.