Day 5 – Weichtalhaus to Grasbodenalm

Daily Distance – 15km
Daily Ascent – 1575m
Daily Descent – 450m
Total Distance – 97km
Distance Remaining – 954km

Today has been instructive in the vagaries of Austrian mountain accommodation. And “vagaries” is really just a nice, English way of saying that it’s often a bit rubbish. I knew ahead of time that the designated stopping point of this stage, the Karl-Ludwig Haus (KLH), is closed as nobody has been found to run it since the last tenants moved out. Based on this knowledge I had two initial plans in mind:

• Stealthily bivouac near to the hut by arriving late and leaving early. Hopefully also gaining some nice, mountain views in the process.
• Use the winter room that the remoter huts often have. This is a sparse and often slightly musty room used by climbers etc during the winter when the hut is closed for the season.

In the end, owing to better than expected pace early in the day, I thought better of waiting quite a few hours before stealth bivouac would be an option. Also, given the large number of huts in this area, I thought any justification if caught would seem pretty weak. I also attempted to poke my head inside the winter room to see how bad it was, but was held back by barely being able to move the door. The door was rigged to raise a large container of water by way of a pulley mechanism and was probably designed to be opened by a team of oxen. With images of being trapped inside until next winter running through my head, I beat a retreat and deviated from my original plan.

During my research, I had read scattered references to Ebner hut being near to KLH and unstaffed, but open. It just so happened that it was clearly signposted, along with another, also unstaffed and slightly farther option called Grasbodenalm. Well, so much for internet research and signposts because both options were locked up tight. This left the options of retracing my steps back up the hill which I had just walked 30 minutes down and facing the winter room of dubious escape, or pitching my tent in the green area outside of Grasbodenalm and hoping nobody minded. Fortunately, while deliberating, the farmers who own the property came along to give some (I think) salt and ash grit to the cows and I was able to gain permission to camp here tonight. All in all a good result for everyone but people who make signposts. Giving directions to huts where it is impossible to gain shelter seems like a recipe to send hikers off into the middle of nowhere and farther away from help rather than closer.

Long ago, back in the mists of time called this morning, I had planned to start this entry by introducing the German word “Zahlreich”. Literally translated, rich in number. That is how the guidebook described the number of ladders in this morning’s section, and having walked/climbed that section, I would say it was a word well chosen. None were actually as steep as those encountered on the Tour du Mont Blanc, so the greatest difficulty was avoiding all of the newts who had decided to make the moist path their home. Given the heavy rain overnight, I was very glad to be inside in a warm bed. Even if I did have to actually share with other people this time. Which reminds me, in the last few days I have often heard people speaking Italian and slavic languages, rather than German, with English only used as a bridging language between the German and non-german speakers. Perhaps it is similar in parts of German, but Austria has a distinctive “gateway” feel to it with more distinct nationalities mingling than is to be found in Bremen.

The only other things to report from today is that the weather has been capriciously cycling through threatening rainclouds and burning sun all day. Also, a short while ago a cow got its head stuck between the bars of a gate. Fortunately it managed to figure out the correct geometry of ears and gate before I was required to develop new skills in the field of animal rescue. Which still would have been easier than trying to explain to the farmer what the problem was without embarrassing myself and resorting to mime.