I thought I was prepared for Watzmann. Five hours of research, proper boots, enough water for two people. What I wasn't ready for was the silence that follows realizing you're completely out of your depth. The trail markers in Berchtesgaden don't lie about elevation gain. Neither does your body at 1,800 meters when your lungs start bargaining with your pride. Hochkalter loomed in the distance—this impossible wall of limestone that locals climb like it's a neighborhood hill. A German hiker passed me, nodding politely as I gasped at what he considered a warm-up. No judgment, just the quiet acknowledgment that mountains don't adjust their difficulty for your ego. I made it halfway. The view was enough. Sometimes the lesson isn't reaching the summit—it's knowing when the mountain has already given you what you came for. #Travel #AlpineReality #MountainHumble