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Messages From the Missions

Viewing the World From "Zugspitze"

In the extreme southern part of Bavaria, Germany, a few miles from the Austrian border, is situated one of the most romantic spots in all the world. The majestic Bavarian and Tyrolese Alps, protecting and sheltering, as it were, the picturesque inhabitants of the quiet valleys below them; the innumerable little lakes and mountain gorges; and the historical value of the country are attractions which yearly entice thousands of visitors.

Here are to be seen the three castles, Linderhof, Neuschwanstein, and Hohenschwangau, mute evidence of the artistic but extravagant nature of the Bavarian King Ludwig II. Here the "Zugspitze," Germany's highest mountain, rests gray and weatherbeaten, its jagged twin peaks reaching skyward. And here, too, nestling securely in a snug valley, lies the ancient village of Oberammergau, far-famed because of its Passion Play depicting the life and crucifixion of Christ.

Receiving permission for a weekend outing, we missionaries of the Stuttgart and Munich districts made this wonderful country the goal of our excursion. Wednesday, July 3, we boarded the train, arriving at our destination in the middle of the afternoon. The first night was spent in the alpine village of Garmisch-Parten-kirchen. Arising early the following morning, we set out for the "Zugspitze" and arrived shortly at the foot of the peak.

To most tourists the mountain had been inaccessible, until in 1924 the Austrian government granted a permit to build a cable-way up their side of the peak. This project was completed in 1926, and now one can go swinging up nearly a mile into space without the slightest effort on one's own part.

We climbed into the frail cabin of the cable-car that was to carry us within a short distance of the very top of the mountain. The door was closed and we were off. Up, up, up,-what a ride,-what wonderful views,-what a strange feeling somewhere in the region of the stomach! At first we were near the tops of the trees, but soon we were swinging over three hundred feet above naked cliffs. A strong wind swayed the car back and forth incessantly, only adding to that insecure feeling. As we neared the middle of the journey, the other car came into sight and then passed us on its way down to the valley. The ride lasted twenty minutes. Arriving at the mountain station, we climbed out of the cabin and were soon viewing the world from a different and interesting angle. In another thirty minutes we had reached the highest peak and stood there, drinking in the fresh mountain air. The magnitude and grandeur of the mighty ranges, which met our gaze in every direction, contrasted strangely with "the nothingness of the children of men."

It was July 4th, our nation's birthday, and standing there on the topmost peak of one of Europe's oldest states, we did not forget to let a heartfelt cheer ring forth for the land we love best.

We had decided to make the steep descent on foot, but the taste of Alp-climbing, that the short but dangerous ascent from the station to the top gave us, did not exactly whet our appetites for more. We concluded to hire a guide. In fact most of the tourists with us had hired guides for the short ascent to the top. However, guides were high and our momentary supply of "the filthy lucre" was low, so we changed our minds again and started out alone. Everyone thought we were insane and perhaps it was foolhardy, but something gave us perfect assurance in ourselves. In fact, fear did not enter our hearts until we reached the bottom of the precipice. The two former sheep-herders in the group of missionaries broke all records for that course by covering it in exactly twenty-five minutes! There were stretches where progress could be made only by holding fast to the "iron rod," and more than once we were forced to let ourselves down over perpendicular ledges with no other support than steel spikes driven in the rock walls. During the journey one of the brethren accidentally loosened a large boulder. His frantic cry of "Watch out, fellows!" came barely in time. A missionary a little ahead of the rest of us stepped quickly aside as the boulder passed him. We all breathed a deep breath of relief as the huge rock shot over a cliff into oblivion.