Day 10 – Graf Meran Haus to Voisthallehütte

Daily Distance – 23km
Daily Ascent – 1100m
Daily Descent – 1292m
Total Distance – 178km
Distance Remaining – 873km

Bambi on ice is probably the most apt description for the level of grace and coordination with which I started walking today. It is peculiar that this condition typically only lasts for 15-20 minutes, but is common enough that in trekking circles it has come to be known as “having a bout of the Bambi’s”. During this period, foolishness such as frequently slipping, rocks flicking up and hitting you in the ankle and other clumsiness such as walking into bushes are all likely. In my case I managed to slip, fall flat on my back and squash my cooking pot so that the lid is now rather difficult to remove. Part titanium trekking pot, part pressure cooker now. Fortunately I can recommend a fully laden rucksack to provide a wonderfully cushioned landing. In my (flimsy) defence, I was walking down a slope titled Teufelsteig (the devil’s slope), so perhaps it was some sort of nefarious influence…in the form of deer reenactment.

I heard from an Austrian guy in the hut last night that the journey from Graf Meran Haus to Voisthallehütte is particularly beautiful. I will admit to being decidedly underwhelmed for the first half of the day, before having to admit that the second half was among the most beautiful of the walk so far. Not that steep descents, forest walks and cow pastures are necessarily bad, but they are not among my favourite terrains. Although I will admit that hearing the forest around me clinking and clonking with the sound of unseen cow bells is still quite amusing. Having grown up associating cows with wide, green fields, having them appear out of the foliage to investigate my passing has a certain novelty.

This afternoon was spent hiking up an increasingly steep, but quite spectacular, valley sandwiched between cliff faces. The only blemish is that climbing 800m in the afternoon heat, having already hiked since 7am, was rather a challenge. I much prefer to tackle climbs in the cool of the morning. One thing that I have noticed struggling with is not drinking enough. Adding another kg of water to my bag doesn’t appeal, but it does mean that with temperatures reaching 30°C the past two days, I am pretty parched after a long day.

On my slow journey up the valley, I did notice an unusual monument. Apparently this valley was defended by the Austrians against invasion by Napoleon’s french armies, eventually repelling the incursion. Hardly a hospitable place to fight and a stark contrast to the idyllic walk I was able to enjoy.

Home for this evening is the newly rebuilt Voisthallehütte. It is by far the most modern and architectural hut I have stayed in. Particularly impressive are the oversized windows in the common area, providing great views of the valley below and rock walls to either side. Other than the windows, I have to say it’s my least favourite hut so far. It has the ambience of Ikea designed, mountain top restaurant and feels rather soulless as a result. Also, with everything being so new, and consuming your own food being a bit of a touchy subject anyway, I had to walk off and find a place to cook dinner tonight. I understand that the alpine club who owns the hut gets the overnight fees, with the staff only keeping the profits from food and drink, but I still find it an annoyance. It is clearly a nice service to offer food and drink, and barely a day goes by where I don’t drink a beer, but I do rather miss the rusticness of the huts in New Zealand. Turning such inaccessible places into café/restaurants, which have to be resupplied by helicopter, seems rather contrary to the point of enjoying the remoteness and solitude of the mountains. Anyway, to end on a less curmudgeonly note:

Highlight of the day. Walking through the village of Seewiesen (lake meadows), I spotted what I took to be a water trough to have a good drink. In actuality, the trough actually contained crates of beer, being cooled by a constant stream of cold water falling into the trough. With an honesty box to pay what you thought appropriate and a picnic bench it made a lovely lunchtime surprise. The trough did actually contain soft drinks too, but given the slight ring of algae forming around those bottles, it was clear what the correct drink choice was.