Day 2 – Peilsteinhaus to Hohe Mandling Peak

Daily Distance – 23km
Daily Ascent – 900m
Daily Descent – 750m
Total Distance – 47km
Distance Remaining – 1003km

Two rather surprising things happened today. One, a passing motorist mistook me for the owner of the logging truck that I happened to be sitting by during my lunch break, helpfully stopping to, I think, explain that the direction he just came from was in no way suitable for a logging truck.

The second unexpected event was meeting an almost entirely naked Austrian hiking the other way as I was nonchalantly walking down a forest road. To be honest, I’m not really certain who was the more surprised. He certainly didn’t seem to expect a fully clothed Englishman to be coming in the opposite direction. My only disappointment with the interaction is not knowing what he had in the sack which he gamely tried to cover his modesty with.

It is only day two, but I am beginning to wonder if anyone else is walking this route. Or if they are, has everyone heading West already passed through this area having started earlier. In one way, it has made tonight’s stealth bivouac easier and feeling as if I have this little slice of Austria all to myself is rather nice. However, I do hope to run into more hikers before long. When walking alone there is only so much scope for German practice.

Owing to the only guest house en-route being closed today, I am bivouacking at the grassy summit of Hohe Mandling peak. This ticks off another 6km and 400m or so of ascent which I won’t now have to do tomorrow. This is good, as owing to a lack of accommodation on the next stage I have to add additional distance and ascent to what already looked a long section tomorrow. Also, this will be my first night spent under a tarp rather than in a tent. Hopefully I sleep well tonight despite the reduced luxury.