The snow was getting deeper above Kappel valley and the group was struggling to move forward. It should be added that some of the students had already been tired from the start and reached their limits after more than six hours of hiking. Keast now had to admit that they could not stick to the schedule. The Schauinsland summit, he had planned to reach four hours ago, still lay ahead, but moving in the waist-deep snow required arduous tracking. Now, it was all about getting the group to a safe place. Nevertheless, he did not return to Zechenheim, but chose to head for the Schauinsland summit (where he hoped to find a mountain hut) or Hofsgrund, the next village. Keast lost their way several times and made time-consuming detours.