Day 9 – Neuberg an der Mürz to Graf Meran Haus

Daily Distance – 18km
Daily Ascent – 1450m
Daily Descent – 370m
Total Distance – 155km
Distance Remaining – 896km

It’s fair to say that the first three quarters of today’s walk were the worst on the tour so far. The signs were frequently absent, changed colour spontaneously depending on the whim of the sign painter and the paths themselves were more conceptual than actual. I have slathered my legs with antiseptic hand gel this afternoon to disinfect all the small scratches obtained from battling through foliage. On top of leaving late after going shopping and the guest house breakfast only starting at 08:00, all of the faffing with route finding was really an unwanted delay.

One thing with communal sleeping is that it’s first come, first served on the mattresses. So if at all possible it’s best to arrive early to avoid having to climb over three people in order to access your mattress. Of course, it doesn’t always work out that way. I suspect my inability to understand the landlady of tonight’s hut on the phone may have landed me in a more expensive room with only two beds, which I will literally pay for later.

Highlight of the Graf Meran Hut (Count Meran Hut) is definitely the hut cat. My efforts to befriend him have so far failed, but perhaps later…

Fortunately, the other compensation is having other hikers to talk to. Nobody is doing a long walk, just a few days out, but nonetheless it’s nice to have some people with whom to practice German. Although, actually the biggest group here is mixed Austrian, Irish and Spanish, who all work for a company in Vienna and speak English as the common language.

Other challenges that need to be overcome are booking accommodation for the next part of the hike. Beyond Eisenerz I don’t have anything booked because so many places are already booked for my dates. Planning for this stretch is really not proving ea