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Journal: |
I slept long and well in the "lager" and went for breakfast just
before 7am. A young (late 30s) German guy who had helped me
the previous evening with translation joined me for breakfast.
He lives in Berlin where he sings classically as a tenor and also
conducts a German classical choir that has toured widely in Europe.
He was with a small group, who I think may have been from his choir,
and he said they were "greenhorns" on a four-day hike.
I said
my farewells to the friendly guests and staff and left soon after
8am. I was looking forward to the day's hike which was
going to stay mostly around the 2500m elevation, although I knew I
had a long day in prospect if I wanted to reach Sand in Taufers, a
small town where I hoped to get a hotel (and shower and wi-fi) for
the night.
The first section involved walking in a big
semi-circle around to Chemnitzer Hutte, my intended goal for last
night (before I was talked out of it by the Hutte proprietress).
You could see Chemnitzer Hutte across the valley, but the two rules
of thumb I have developed for hiking in the Alps both applied - it's
always further than it looks, and it's always harder than it looks.
The early going was relatively easy along a well-maintained path
but, after about an hour, the easy trail disappeared and suddenly I
was following paint marks on boulders high into an alpine wilderness
where there was little vegetation, but lots of boulders, snow,
rushing streams and a few small lakes. The cloud ceiling was
less than a few hundred metres above me, putting a lid on my world.
I felt privileged to have it to myself until surprised by a trail
runner who appeared from behind me and quickly disappeared ahead,
bounding through the boulders. I was very envious of his
little Camelbak. I reached Chemnitzer Hutte after three hours
of very enjoyable high altitude walking and had a short morning
break, resisting the temptation to order a Coke.
After
Chemnitzer Hutte the Via Alpina followed the Kellerbauer Weg, a 16km
path along a mountain range to the south-east, staying just below
2500m most of the way, following contours and switching from one
side of the range to the other, above the tree-line the whole way.
The trail was generally good, the weather was clear, and I was
treated to spectacular views the whole way. In the distance
were higher mountain ranges still covered in snow and down below
were farms, villages, forests and roads in the valleys. I
maintained a good pace, stopping about half-way along to eat my
muesli bar lunch, in a windy saddle and reached the end of the trail
near the Speikboden peak where I returned to civilization. By
now it was after 3pm and it was very tempting to take the chairlift
and then gondola to the base of the mountain (as suggested in the
Via Alpina guide-book). The fast walking, mostly on rocks, had
hammered my feet and the 1500m descent to Sand in Taufers was not
that appealing. However, I kept walking and the last hour and
a half was made a bit easier by a pine-needle covered path through a
forest that wasn't too steeply graded. Eventually I reached
the base of the mountain and followed a very fast-flowing river into
the town. It was over-looked by a story-book castle, but the
town, while probably ancient had now become a tourist and sporting
mecca. There were companies offering rafting, canyoning,
mountain-biking, etc., and laneways and upmarket brand shops
everywhere.
I found a hotel near the centre of town about
5:45pm and checked in. The receptionist said there was a
supermarket about 5 minutes away closing at 6:30pm, so I dumped my
bag in my room and walked over there to replenish my lunch supplies
and get some much-needed soft drink. My hotel deal came with
dinner and breakfast, and the evening meal was very nice, though the
portions were a little small. I guess I've been spoiled by the
Hutte's which generally have big hiker-sized portions.
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