Daily Distance – 21km
Daily Ascent – 860m
Daily Descent – 800m
Total Distance – 230km
Distance Remaining – 821km
Today I received my first gift of “trail magic”, in the form of a brief hitchhike with a kind Austrian lady. It was only 2km, so was over pretty much before it began, but trudging along a tarmac road in 27°C heat was taking its toll on my energy levels, so it was much appreciated. Also, it’s easy to forget just how amazing car air conditioning is until hiking for hours on a hot day! As I will hopefully refer to “trail magic” periodically, I should give a definition. Essentially, they are small acts of unnecessary kindness, which, for being unexpected, have an even greater impact. This can range from cold drinks left en-route (like in Seewiesen), stopping to pick up a grubby looking man walking along a road, really anything that is kind, but non-compulsory. I think of it a little like the “anti-news”. If aliens learned about humanity from television news, they would surely conclude that we are a fairly irredeemable species. However, small acts of kindness and consideration are all around us, and I find that a comforting thought to counteract the ceaseless news cycle. I don’t know when it happened, there probably was no single big event, but at some point my default view of the world stopped being optimistic. I suspect many people have experienced the same and perhaps haven’t had this privileged time to escape to the woods and reflect on what we have lost. There is a longer blog post to write about why I hike, but to gain time to breathe and aimlessly reflect is one of them. In some respects writing helps this process as I certainly hadn’t sat down with the intent to write a monologue on the subject of optimism vs pessimism.
In the hazy morning light I finally gained a first, unobstructed view of Erzberg (ore mountain), as leaving Eisenerz. I can’t help but have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it seems like a scar on nature, but looking closer and seeing that each step on the ziggarut is several times higher than the huge machines doing the work, and realising the sheer scale of the undertaking, I find it difficult not to look at it with some awe too.
In terms of today’s walking, most was pretty easy forest roads, with only a brief deviation into classic New Zealand “tramping” territory, where the path was up and down along a steep river bank for a few kilometres and was generally much rougher than usual. This section was one part nostalgia and the other part really appreciating typical european path quality.
As the result of a key hut that is fully booked, the last part of today was beginning a detour that will bypass the hut in question. Due to a combination of bad planning and a lack of accommodation on my detour, tonight I am wild camping for the second time on this trip. I have managed to find a secluded place in the woods for this camp, a precaution made necessary by the prohibition against sleeping in forests in Germany and Austria. While not the first time I have slept in a forest, it is the first time doing so alone, which is a little nerve racking. While the forecast is for a mild night, I have nevertheless erected my tarp in a simple lean-to, in order to provide a little protection from the cool wind blowing down the valley. Peculiarly, even just having a partial roof also seems more homely. Fingers crossed for a restful night.
Hope the ants left you alone. Well done to Austrian lady for taking pity on a sweaty hiker. There are plenty of good people about, they just don’t make the headlines. Your bivouac look quite homely.
Well done the Austrian lady! Thank you for the explanation of ‘trail magic’. I’ve never heard of it before. I think you’ll have to try not to roll over in your sleep.