Our trip to the Austrian Alps was definitely an adventure, as things sometimes go differently than planned. Fortunately, life has taught us that when you make a plan out of the unplanned, you can make the best of the unlikely obstacles that get in the way. So, what went wrong?
We landed at Salzburg airport during one of the worst storms Central Europe had ever experienced. “Boris,” as it was known, battered Austria, and the local news channels made alarming viewing. We spent two wet days exploring what Salzburg had to offer in torrential rain before attempting to leave the City to start our seven-day hiking trip.
On arrival at Salzburg’s central station, floods across the country were causing havoc and significant train delays; the advice was not to travel. We called our guest house, who confirmed they were accessible, so we decided to attempt the journey as the weather was due to improve later that day.
When we booked this trip, we knew snow could fall at altitude in September, but the levels seen during Storm Boris were unprecedented. Remarkably, our train journey was without incident, and the sun shone brightly on our arrival at our first destination, St. Agatha.
The snow looked magnificent, untouched and pure, ready for hiking boots to make their mark. The guest house was serene, set in the lush green valley, capturing the quiet atmosphere that often accompanies snow on the towering mountains surrounding us.
Our first two days hiking around St Agatha were amazing. Breathing in the fresh Alpine air was so refreshing. We connected with nature, listened to the distant clanging of cowbells on the pastures, and admired the views across the jagged mountains and a snow-capped glacier high above. We walked through dark green forests and pale grass meadows and kept to the lower ground routes until we had time to investigate the accessibility of the altitude hiking, and we weren’t disappointed.
We left St. Agatha on day 3 to walk to the historic town of Hallstatt along the lakeside, considered one of the most beautiful routes in Austria, and it was. When you book through the travel company we use, you only carry your day sack. Your luggage is taken to your next location on transfer day, and is waiting for you on your arrival.
After such a beautiful day walking, we arrived in Hallstatt, and I have ever seen so many people taking photographs. Don’t get me wrong; Hallstatt is stunning, but the number of tourists was overwhelming after the remote beauty we’d encountered before our arrival. It seemed particularly popular with Koreans, and I was so intrigued that I had to Google to find out why. I learnt that Hallstatt was featured in a South Korean romantic drama, which was so popular that a replica of the town was built in China. It was also thought to have inspired the fictional village of Arendelle in the Disney movie Frozen. Its beauty was contagious, but I found it too commercial, and I felt sad for the locals. The town has had to introduce daily limits on the number of buses and cars that can enter, and some residents have erected wooden walls to block views of their houses. One house had a sign saying “no photographs,” but there must have been over 50 people standing outside pointing their iPhones at their private residence.
Our goal was to get up high, and the Dachstein Krippenstein, at around 2,100 Metres, was our goal. It had been closed since our arrival in Salzburg, but our timely arrival at Hallstatt meant that some access routes were open, and we would ascend by cable car. We were able to access the Ice Caves, which were magnificent, and we managed some high alpine hiking, taking in the panorama views as far as the eye can see. The scenery will remain in my memory forever.
From Hallstatt, we moved on to Gossau, and once again, we were in awe of the spectacular sights. This magnificent alpine village is famous for its view across the glassy lake, and we sat and had coffee admiring the perfect reflections of pine trees, jagged mountains and the via ferrata which I decided I didn’t want to try!
Again, some of the altitude walks were closed. Nearly 2 metres of snow had fallen during Storm Borris, and skis would have been more helpful than our walking boots. However, despite compromising on some routes, I wouldn’t have changed the weather, as it gave us the most fantastic experience of hiking in panoramas you can only dream about.
The accommodation on our trip was lovely. Dinner was home-cooked in St. Agatha and Gossau, and the apple strudel was delicious. The good thing about a hiking holiday is that you don’t have to worry about calories.
On our last evening, we sat outside with a beer and watched the sun drop behind the mountains whilst admiring the views of the Dachstein Glacier.
“There is wisdom in climbing mountains… For they teach us how truly small we are.” Jeff Wheeler
Until next time xxxx
Living-your-best-life 