Some Hiking in the Austrian Alps
Trip Start
May 02, 2007
1
26
70
Trip End
Ongoing
St. Wolfgang,
Austria
Thursday, August 2, 2007
After leaving Babette's apartment on July 25 we headed south and found ourselves on the "Romantic Road" in southern Bavaria. It's a beautiful drive that we recommend, even as a day trip from Munich. It takes you through picturesque landscapes and many quaint Bavarian towns. We set up camp in the tiny town of Rosshaupten and cycled up and down undulating grassy hills and past and around ice cold lakes
01.Landsberg, Germany
. We stopped in Fussen which, if you're a sports fan this may interest you, is home to the training camps of the German world junior and Olympic hockey teams (although over here they call it "ice" hockey - as if there was any other kind!). We also visited nearby Neushwanstein, one of Germany's most famous castles, and which looks like something straight out of a fairy-tale. Arriving back in Rosshaupten we came across a festival in the main square for which we had to stop. We listened to a traditional Bavarian band, watched dirndl dancers perform and lederhosen-clad men blow through alpenhorns, all the while sitting on benches at tables with locals and visitors alike, and, of course, drinking beer and eating sausages.After, we made a quick stop in Garmisch Patenkirchen to check out Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze. We were planning on hiking it but decided not to as the weather was taking a turn for the worst. Our agenda next brought us into the Austrian Tyrol to Innsbruck, where we watched a great blues band perform for free in a square as we sat in the hot sun on a terrace drinking beer and wine. From here we moved on to Ehrwald where we based ourselves for a hike - to be more specific, a "four hour" hike...or, at least, this was what Yvonne told me! Well, in her defense, it should have been, but it turned out to be about ten hours. We didn't realize how far we were camped from the trailhead and ended up walking two hours in scorching heat just to get there
02.Dirndl for sale
. The first leg of the hike was up steep trail that followed the path of a gondola that most visitors make use of. The next part was a beautiful walk that traversed the mountain face and led us to a large lake called the Seebensee. We were dog-tired at this point but the Coburger Hutte (a hut with restaurant and accommodations) at the peak of the hike was beckoning us, so we pushed on and climbed the sharp ascent using quick switchbacks. Rather than hiking back where we came from, we followed a path that continued on straight to where we were camped. It took us through the V of where two peaks come down to meet, then down another steep path that zigzagged over loose rock. Nearer the bottom we took a wrong turn because the signposts were wrong, and were then forced to clamber uphill again before finally descending. Since it was getting late and we were trying desperately to avoid getting caught in the middle of a forest after dark, we ran as much as we could. We had nothing left in the tank and were out of water; we were operating on adrenaline. We safely made it back before the sun completely fell and, despite the unexpected, the trek was well worth it for the spectacular views over the valleys and the close up looks at the jagged peaks and pristine lakes. Also, the super yummy "kaiserschmarrn" (an Austrian dish similar to a ripped up pancake with raisins and covered in caramelized sugar, served with apple sauce) at the Coburger Hutte made it every bit worthwhile!We scooted back through southeast Germany and returned to Austria for some sightseeing in Salzburg. To get us in the mood, we watched The Sound of Music the night before heading into town. I must be getting old...because I actually liked it! Well, more for the interesting story of the Von Trapp family than for the music. We read that Salzburg is ranked up there with places like Venice and Florence in terms of visitors - the ratio of tourist per resident is something like 36:1 every year - but we weren't prepared for what we experienced
03.Traditional Bavarian dancers
! It was crazy, the streets are so small and with the vast number of visitors many of the avenues were just a sea of bobbing heads. Nonetheless, we did enjoy our time there. We made a quick sidetrip to nearby Schloss Hellbrun and visited the Wasserspiele, a garden of unique and interesting fountains. It was a guided tour, which we would normally avoid like the plague, but it actually turned out pretty entertaining. The guide turned on hidden fountains every once in a while, surprising us all and getting us wet in the process. It was funny watching the reactions from the group as they tried to dodge the spray.This brings us to our present location, where we just got back from an exhausting hike up to Shafbergspitze - a 1700 m high peak with views over the vast Wolfgangsee, many other lakes, and little towns dotting the shorelines. From the top you can also see the Alps take off into the distance on either side - the bigger ranges lying just beyond the immediate ones, and which we will be driving into over the next few days. There are nostalgic steam and diesel powered trains that go up to Shafbergspitze but, as our philosophy is that you can't really appreciate the mountain and its views unless you make it up on your own power, we chose not to take them. It was a 3.5 hour hike, mostly through dense forest trails. The path didn't level out at all; instead it climbed steeply and continuously until the top
04.Alpenhorns n Lederhosen
. Once there though we treated our wobbly legs to some yummy Austrian eats and beverages and also gave them a rest as we bought tickets for the train ride down the mountain. Now, one might be inclined to think that after this grueling workout we'd opt for the easy way back once down - the ferry across the lake and a short bike ride back to camp - but why be rested, dry and comfortable when you can be tired, wet and miserable? We ended up pocketing the six euro ferry tariff and cycled around the lake, even though the sky was now a charcoal black and rain continued to fall. As we biked the rain got heavier and heavier and by the time we got back to camp our clothes were like papier mache on our skin. Thankfully Yvonne had the foresight to pack our rain coats, so we were at least partly dry. For some reason we always seem to push ourselves close to our limits, not necessarily on purpose, but nevertheless we do. We must have a sub-conscious desire for punishment!We are sadly counting down the days until we have to sell Freda (at the end of this month) and ending our European excursions. We have been contemplating skipping our Greece portion (where we are flying to) to prolong the roadtrip. After Freda's initial problems, she's been nothing but fantastic and we love the set up, so it will be hard to say goodbye. But, with our plane tickets already bought, we'll most likely stick with the original plan. In the meantime, more Austrian Alps to come...then its pizza, pasta, and gelato time in Italy (for a day or two anyway), before returning to wine and cheese country on the island of Corsica!
