Hoher Kasten at 1791m. It was windy, cloudy and cool when I got there. And this is where my walking in the mountains ended after a three-hour walk, a 760m climb and a 440m descent. I took the cable car down to Brülisau to save my knees (they hurt a bit) another 800m descent and arrived in the fog. I am back in Arbon at the house of Brigitte and Kurt. To get there I had to change at Weißenbad, Appenzell and St Gallen, but public transport works perfectly here. It feels a lot like winter here in the valley, but also up in the mountains the weather is changing. The forecast says it will snow tonight down to an altitude of 1000m.

So this is it my dear readers and friends. I am not going directly to Berlin, but my time in the mountains has run out. Tomorrow I will visit Elfride, who I met at capanna Cava and who also lives here in the region, then I will visit Helga at Sillberghaus, then travel on to Stuttgart to see my dear friend Friederike, then on to Würzburg to my aunt Uschi and then maybe to Frankfurt and Cologne. And then Berlin.

After five months in the mountains, of which I spent a little more than three months actually walking, I climbed at total of 58,000m, narrowly missing 60,000m. I am extremely happy and grateful for this very special time of my life, for all the beautiful mountains and chalets I found on my way, for the experience and the lovely people I met. I am especially thankful for the incredible help and hospitality I was offered from so many. I would especially like to thank my special friend Maurizio in Torino, Roberta and Karl in Basle, Emanuela and Arturo in Lodano and Brigitte and Kurt in Arbon, but also loads of other special persons I met on my way like Berry at capanna Cava, only to name one. Those who followed me from where ever they were: I hope you enjoyed my blog. Thank you for keeping up with me regurlarly or just popping in once in a while. Maybe I will be back some time again here telling you about a job in a hut somewhere or other interesting news from the mountains....