„Jedem Anfang wohnt ein Zauber inne, der uns beschützt und der uns hilft zu leben – in the core of every beginning lives magic, magic that protects us and helps us live“ H. Hesse
When I wrote this story, I had just arrived in Triest. Behind me, 28 day of walking – 500 km through 4 countries, 3 national parks and across 7 mountain groups. From Salzburg to Triest. I made it, and I still can’t really believe it.
In spring, this was a vague idea. A month later I still had nothing to do in August and it became a plan. I had never walked more than five days before, nevertheless it sounded like a fun adventure. Crossing the alps. Yep, definitely a little crazy, but no one talked me out of it, and most people were more like “Girl, go for it. You’ll be fine.” I did and I was.
Since October I’m working at the Freiluftwerk, an outdoor shop in Freising. With the guidance of Stefan and Rainer I bought the equipment to hike and to be self-sufficient. I had just bought a tent. Keen to go camping I decided to do this tour as a camping trip and not as the proposed hut tour. Also because my student budget did not allow me to eat 4 weeks on huts. (Weeeellll, after buying all the equipment – for this I could have been eating 4 months on huts). Anyway, I wanted to have the outdoor experience.
Not fully trusting my abilities, I asked my brother to join me for a week and the 30th of July we arrived midday in Salzburg. Ready for a new adventure. The tour has been proposed and written by Christof Hermann, so all we had to do was following the instructions in the red book.
Salzburg, 30th of July: 35°C, Alexander and Antonia already soaked before making the first step. Walking 3h along the tempting Almkanal through Salzburg was torture, but we also had had no clue what was still waiting for us – the so called Dopplersteig to the Untersberg: climbing the stairway to heaven (Himmelsleiter) and along rotten wood stairs, secured with lose steel ropes beside the abyss.
After this, I was not entirely sure if this trek would be the right thing for me. Anyway, I had survived the first day. We made it just in (sunset) time to the Zeppezauer Haus and with a cold beer in the hand, all doubts faded quickly. I asked to set up a tent nearby. Wild camping as I had imagined it wasn’t working out quite well. The mountain pine (Latschenkiefer) didn’t leave a spare square meter to set up a tent. The inn keeper declined but allowed us to sleep on the Helicopter landing site, but without the tent. It would be the same story over and over again – and ending in many, many beautiful clear nights under the stars.
There we met Karo, who planned to do the same trip. Together we walked across the Untersberg Plateau. The scenery was dominated by the mountain pine and the Kast, a special type of limestone. Definitely Alex favorite landscape, he wasn’t running out of information about it. The first 1500m of descent were as hard as the ascent. EVERYTHING hurt. Just outside Berchtesgaden a pool came across. We didn’t hesitate a second, the summer sun was still burning hot.
The first farmer in Berchtesgaden we asked for camping was grumpy as hell, ooh we were gone quickly! Our next attempt was a little luckier and we slept with a beautiful view at the doorstep of a little chapel.
After we mastered the challenge to get food for four days in our backpacks we started into day three. We would walk from Berchtesgaden to the Königssee and up into the Berchtesgadner mountains, pass the Carl-von-Stahl Haus, the Wasseralm, the Ingolstätter Haus and back down to Maria Alm.
Shining, shimmering, splendid – it was hard to leave the Königssee but a little later we got a refreshment at the traditional enzian distillery. With the master’s recommendation we tried the enzian herbs spirit – a good choice. He said the pure enzian one taste only of dirt. I tried that one a few day later… If dirt tastes like this, no desire to try it EVER. Only a little better were our Maggi- and Knorr pasta we had almost every night… but you know, hunger is the best chef!
We thought that hiking would be the hardest task of the day, but nope. Finding a flat place without cow manure proved to be a lot harder and the grinning face of the inn keeper told me that this was usually also the cows bed – lucky kids, we got through the night without a cows kiss (tents were still not wanted anywhere).
A group of ibex where lying next to the path, which went along lush flower fields, an ice cold mountain lake through never ending rainforests.
At the hut we had met Bernhard, also on the way to Trieste. Soon we had two teams, the silent walkers and the ones, philosophizing about the world and its psychology.
It was pouring rain when we arrived at the Wasseralm. No tents allowed, sleeping outside under a roof also not.. but Alex’ negotiation skills saved us, and we were allowed to sleep outside. After seeing the 3-level-bunk-beds, looking like alive-coffins, I was even more happy!
More lakes, an amazing view to the Obersee of the Königssee and a delicious beer at the Kerlinger Haus were part of day 4.
After the long discussions about sleeping inside, Alex and I tried to stay away from huts this night. There was still no chance to hide a tent anywhere and the longer we were sitting there, the more clouds came up. Soon we were racing through the last 2h of the hike, to get to the hut before dark and made it just in (sunset) time. The Ingolstätter Haus was located in the middle of the Steinerne Meer and has a stunning 360° view. By now the clouds had disappeared and the temperature had dropped. Alex preferred a night inside, I was willing to give it a try and saw the milky way for the first time. A night I’d remember for a long time.
What I’d also remember was my ankle which started to hurt some days ago and got worse every day. I had to bite my tongue a few times this day, and when I arrived at the Riemann Haus and looked at the 1600 m descent in front of us I was close to giving up and joining Alex on the way home. Half way down, our path separated (my ambition pushed me through another day). From now on I’d be on my own – well, in theory.
Karo and Bernhard were still with me. Without them and tons of blue- and blackberries along the way… I think we had made it through the hardest day of the hike, day 6 – just as promised. I found a supermarket and a tree to sleep under and fell asleep.
Author Christoph often had a second, easier alternative for long days. His choice of words usually indicated very clearly which one was his favorite. It was never the short a/o easy one. With a bad ankle I should have gone the short alternative, but his description sounded so frustrating, I couldn’t. I walked along the crest of the Salzburger Schieferalpen to the Statzer Haus.
“Rain may fall and wind may blow, and many miles where still to go (…) but under a tall tree, I will lie, and let the clouds go.. rolling by.” J.R.R. Tolkien.
It was a cloudy, little rainy day, and the promised views very rare. It would be one of the few days I walked alone. My bad ankle was suddenly gone. Maybe my body had accepted his new purpose and finally stopped to resist. Happy day, it felt a little like starting over again.
The Statzer Haus was located at the top of the hill, with a great 360° view and later a 360° thunderstorm around us. The sky was glowing from the lightnings. This night I would spend inside, not in the mood to be exposed to the weather. Soon it became clear that all (11) people on the hut were doing the same crossing. Some planned to go the whole 500km, others just a part of it. The next couple days I’d see all of them again on the way and on the huts.
I had the breakfast and a morning bath at the Hundsteinsee. Thankfully I took a closer look AFTER both. The lake was also the cow’s swimming pool and we were probably cleaner before taking the bath. Yuuuummi.
It was a looong way down to Taxenbach and an even loooonger way to Rauris. The trail led us through the Kitzlochklamm, very beautiful with a slight overload of tourists. Rauris is a lovely, old town with flowers everywhere. Unfortunately, I was pretty much done that day and had only eyes for a place to sleep. I asked a lady on a little farm and luckily, they had meadows and allowed me to sleep there. After the supply shopping and getting a new biwak (since we couldn’t use the tent the entire first week, Alex had taken it home.), I went back and spread myself in the grass. FINALLY some rest. But not for long – a girl camping somewhere didn’t happen very often. Soon the neighbors came by, curiously asking me what I’d be doing and offering me a room and a shower. In love with my outdoor bed I didn’t take the room but was very happy about the shower. Soooooo nice! I was in love with the Rauris people, and even more when they provided self-made bread and homegrown tomatoes.
In the morning I left as early as possible to get the first 15 km behind be before the burning midday sun would rise. Day 9 and I had reached the feet of the Hohen Tauern National Park. With the ascent started the storm. I made it quickly to the Schutzhaus Neubau. The weather had cleared up when we arrived at the hut, but they would not let me sleep anywhere close. I moved in and got the emergency bed. The hut was fully booked. This bed was in a tiny chamber, directly beneath the roof. Thank god there was no fire – there would not have been any way to get out. Around 1500 a.d. people had been digging for gold in these mountains and the ruins were still around – a stunning scenery with glaciers and rowing waterfalls.
Day 10 was a biiiig day. With reaching the Fraganter Scharte, I made it to the highest point of the trail and with a little detour I reached my first 3000m summits in the Alps, the Schareck (3123m) and the Baumbachspitze (3105m). Karo was with me, and with us many, many other people. Just below was the summer skiing area, Mölltal Gletscher. Awkward to see people skiing at 25°C and even worse to see how they had moved the mountains there. It gave me a lot to think about skiing.
Along the pist we slid down, got a little lost and once back on the trail we passed the sign 5h 30min – it was already 2pm and the sky above us turned black. Not fun. With the thunder in the back we walked in high speed across two saddles. Screaming of joy, we reached the last one. Exhausted and happy we arrived after 13h at the Fraganter Schutzhaus. Dry, thanks to a thousand prayers to the weather gods.
By now we were 11 people hiking the same trail, meeting again in the hut day after day. Unfortunately, it would shrink after today. It’s so nice to arrive and everyone is there already.
After this looooong day I fell into the sheets at 9pm, only to be woken up from the bright light and the friendly reminder of my new roommate – “It’s 9.30pm only”. Well, my night ended at 5am and my crackling sleeping bag had to be packed three times, it just didn’t fit into the bag this morning.
Feet and knees were fine again, and Karo and me could not get enough of great summits. Beautiful trails and a 360° view were a great reward after the tough ascent with tired legs. The first 1000m of the descent were fine, the next 1000m were torture – all on paved roads. We were pretty thankful for the lift into town that night. The rest took the short alternative route and had cold beer prepared when we arrived in Stall.
It was not raining anymore at night and I found a place in the middle of the village, at a community place – finally back to the billion-star hotel! The next morning, Karo left us. A sad moment.
To give my legs a little break I joined the others on the bus and shortened the day for a few kilometers. We got caught in a thunderstorm and waited like Hobbits beneath a stone. When the lightnings stopped we covered the last kilometers along the mountain ridge to the minimalistic Hugo-Gerber-Hütte on 2300m. The cloth dried at the fire and we cuddled together in the tiny living room and played Siedler. One of my favorite huts. The rain shortage in the last weeks had dried out the source and every drop had to be carried to the hut. The shortage will follow us all the way to Trieste. Hello climate change – it sucks to have no water.
I woke up to the first foggy day of the tour. Hiking along the ridge all day long was the excuse for no view at all – a little bit of climbing and many fun, narrow trails. AND you don’t need a view to jump into one of the 14 blue shining mountain lakes. Such a relief for the sore bones. AND we had the chance to send some postcards home to our loved ones – post gets picked up daily.
I slept next to the Feldner Hütte, somewhere between the cows, in the rain. Uuhhh I prefere dry nights. I tried the Biwak for the first time and pulled it over my head. How am I supposed to breath now? This technic did not fully convince me. I’m sure the Kreuzeckgruppe is very pretty – but I’ve been walking through white walls for three days. After descending a few hundred meters, it cleared up, FINALLY and we found ourselves in rich blueberry fields. Delicious! Even better was the self-made Apfelstrudel in a restaurant where we met again. They took a bus and my backpack to the valley, with music in my ears I flew down to town.
That was day 14. Half-time!! I arrived at the pub of thousand beers, highly recommended in the guide. Wheeee, this bar fit more in a red-light district. Not exactly what we had in mind. Instead we celebrated with a delicious dinner at Leitners restaurant in Greifenburg and I spent the night next to the forest, watching the perseids. It was still a weird place, and in the morning, I was pretty happy to be still ok, totally ready to leave that place behind me.
That night I sent a thousand wishes to the stars, ready for the second half.
„Der Weltgeist will nicht fesseln uns und engen, er will uns Stuf´ um Stufe heben, weiten – the world soul does not seek to fetter and confine us, phase after phase it wants to elevate and expand us.” H. Hesse
