Welcome back to my Alpen travel journal! We had to reconsider the second hike of our recent vacation in the Alps due to an incoming thunderstorm. We initially wanted to take this route in reverse. However, starting in Bad Gastein and taking a route by the funitel (the ski lift you see in my photos) gave us two opportunities to descend safely if the storm arrived, not to mention several hüttes along the slopes. Oh yes, the Gastein area is a popular skiing destination, and I have visited it several times in winter. Bad means spa in German, and I recall that once we had a thermal bath included with the ski pass. That dip was delightful after a full day of skiing, but that’s another story. In the summer heat, with a storm approaching, it felt nothing like a winter resort. The skiers were replaced by hikers, bikers, and cows. Hundreds of cows.
And us in Bad Gastein, about 1,080 meters above sea level, looking up at the peak we aimed to conquer — Stubnerkogelstraße (2,246 meters). The opening part of the trail led us by the funitel, partially along one of the slopes. Skiing down these six kilometers would take about ten minutes — the slope is rated blue, suitable for beginners. Climbing up, however, was a completely different story; it took about three hours. Which was perfect, as the storm was expected to hit the area in three hours.
If you wonder how steep the slope is, the aerial distance from the bottom station of the lift to the peak is just about 2,500 meters, with an elevation gain of over 1,100 meters. No wonder many people take the funitel to save time and energy, either to the peak or middle station. We only met a few fellow adventurers climbing up from the village. However, the first part of the hike is more pleasant than the final ascent; you walk in the shade of the forest, waved to and cheered on by kids in the lift cabins.
In just over an hour, we reached a hütte next to the middle station, where we refreshed and checked several weather forecasts. Predicting the weather in the mountains isn’t easy. All the apps agreed we had enough time to continue to the peak, though. The middle station is above the tree line, and we continued across open pastures alongside all the cows I mentioned earlier. This part of the trail was quite crowded, as many people had started their hike from the middle station.
Hüttes by the ski slopes like this one accept cards, the ones outside ski resorts often don't. Having cash is highly advisable.
The middle station.
I love these hüttes in both winter and summer.
We even met horses, but this is the only shot capturing them.
Cows, on the other hand, were willing to pose. Or rather too lazy to do anything about being shot.
The top station is few meters below the peak.
Besides the restaurant, there’s a must-walk attraction: Hängebrücke, Austria's highest suspension bridge. It's not for those who suffer from vertigo, though. The bridge swings as you walk across it, providing quite an adrenaline kick. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Yet, there was a decision to make. Should we follow our original itinerary and descend to the village of Anger, which would take another four hours, or should we take the lift down to avoid the storm? The sky appeared clear, but mere sight can be misleading in the Alps. Besides, there were no shelters on the descent; the path led outside the ski resort with welcoming huts. We decided to take the risk and go the original way, hoping the surrounding high peaks would hold back the clouds.
Soon, we could see the village in the distance.
The first part of our descent led through less frequented path; we hardly met another hiker. We encountered several snow guns, though, and lifts.
When we reached the treeline, storm clouds began to gather in the sky, forcing us to rush. You can note them on these shots. Soon, we heard the first rumble of thunder, but the storm seemed to be in the neighboring valley, giving us time to escape it.
Fortunately, the high peaks between the two valleys held back the storm and even the rain on the other side. We rushed through the forest, which had a bit of a Twilight-like feel to my girlfriend, and reached the first buildings above the village, where we could ask for shelter if needed.
Apparently, we were not the only beings seeking shelter.
It still took about half an hour from the first buildings to the village, but walking on a paved road is faster than climbing rocky paths. So, we didn't mind the second storm approaching, though this one was a real threat. While the first storm hadn’t reached our valley, the second one was already moving over the ridge when we spotted it. It caused no harm either, but it made us reconsider our dinner plans and eat in the village instead — which was a good decision. Ramazotti's Pizza has great reviews for a reason. They serve dishes made from local ingredients, including produce from a nearby organic farm. That’s something I desperately miss in the Czech countryside.
We waited for the storm to pass, then caught a bus back to Bad Gastein to pick up the car. And that was it :) Stay tuned for another Alpine story!
Česky z překladače
(ze kterého prý leze slušný text, tak snad vás bude bavit ho číst)
Vítejte zpět v mém cestovatelském deníku z Alp! Druhou túru naší nedávné dovolené v Alpách jsme si museli rozmyslet kvůli přicházející bouřce. Původně jsme chtěli jít touto cestou obráceně. Avšak začátek v Bad Gasteinu a jízda funitelem (lyžařský vlek, který vidíte na mých fotografiích) nám poskytl dvě možnosti bezpečného sestupu v případě příchodu bouřky, nemluvě o několika chalupách podél sjezdovek. Ach ano, oblast Gasteinu je oblíbenou lyžařskou destinací a já jsem ji v zimě několikrát navštívil. Bad znamená v němčině lázně a vzpomínám si, že jednou jsme měli v ceně skipasu i termální lázně. Ta koupel byla po celodenním lyžování příjemná, ale to už je jiný příběh. V letních vedrech, kdy se blížila bouřka, to vůbec nepřipomínalo zimní středisko. Lyžaře vystřídali pěší turisté, cyklisté a krávy. Stovky krav.
A my v Bad Gasteinu, ve výšce asi 1 080 metrů nad mořem, při pohledu na vrchol, který jsme měli za cíl zdolat - Stubnerkogelstraße (2 246 metrů). Úvodní část stezky nás vedla kolem funitelu, částečně po jedné ze sjezdovek. Sjet těchto šest kilometrů na lyžích by trvalo asi deset minut - sjezdovka je hodnocena jako modrá, vhodná pro začátečníky. Výstup nahoru byl však úplně jiný příběh; trval asi tři hodiny. Což bylo ideální, protože za tři hodiny měla oblast zasáhnout bouřka.
Pokud vás zajímá, jak je sjezdovka strmá, tak vzdušná vzdálenost od dolní stanice lanovky k vrcholu je jen asi 2 500 metrů, s převýšením přes 1 100 metrů. Není divu, že mnoho lidí se pro úsporu času a energie vydává na funitel, a to buď na vrchol, nebo k prostřední stanici. Potkali jsme jen několik spolucestujících dobrodruhů, kteří stoupali nahoru z vesnice. První část túry je však příjemnější než závěrečný výstup; jdete ve stínu lesa, mávají vám a povzbuzují vás děti v kabinkách lanovky.
Za něco málo přes hodinu jsme dorazili k hütte vedle prostřední stanice, kde jsme se občerstvili a zkontrolovali několik předpovědí počasí. Předpovídat počasí v horách není snadné. Všechny aplikace se však shodovaly, že máme dost času na to, abychom pokračovali na vrchol. Prostřední stanice je nad hranicí stromů a my jsme pokračovali přes otevřené pastviny podél všech těch krav, o kterých jsem se zmínil dříve. V této části stezky bylo poměrně plno, protože mnoho lidí začínalo svou túru od prostřední stanice.
Chaty u sjezdovek, jako je tato, přijímají karty, ty mimo lyžařská střediska často ne. Mít s sebou hotovost je velmi vhodné.
Prostřední stanice.
Tyto chaty miluji v zimě i v létě.
Potkali jsme i koně, ale tohle je jediný záběr, který je zachycuje.
Zato krávy byly ochotné pózovat. Nebo spíš příliš líné na to, aby něco dělaly s tím, že je někdo fotí.
Horní stanice je pár metrů pod vrcholem.
Kromě restaurace je tu i atrakce, kterou musíte navštívit: Hängebrücke, nejvyšší visutý most v Rakousku. Není však pro ty, kteří trpí závratěmi. Most se při chůzi po něm houpe, což je pořádný adrenalinový zážitek. Já jsem si to náramně užil!
Přesto mě čekalo rozhodnutí. Měli bychom se držet původního plánu a sestoupit do vesnice Anger, což by trvalo další čtyři hodiny, nebo bychom měli sjet dolů lanovkou, abychom se vyhnuli bouřce? Obloha se zdála být jasná, ale pouhý pohled může být v Alpách zavádějící. Kromě toho na sestupu nebyly žádné přístřešky; cesta vedla mimo lyžařské středisko s pohostinnými chatami. Rozhodli jsme se riskovat a jít původní cestou a doufat, že okolní vysoké vrcholy zadrží mraky.
Brzy jsme v dálce spatřili vesnici.
První část našeho sestupu vedla méně frekventovanou cestou, jiného turistu jsme téměř nepotkali. Potkali jsme však několik sněžných děl a vleků.
Když jsme dosáhli hranice stromů, začaly se na obloze stahovat bouřkové mraky, které nás nutily spěchat. Můžete si jich všimnout na těchto záběrech. Brzy jsme zaslechli první hřmění, ale bouřka se zřejmě nacházela v sousedním údolí, což nám poskytlo čas, abychom jí unikli.
Naštěstí vysoké vrcholy mezi oběma údolími zadržely bouři a dokonce i déšť na druhé straně. Spěchali jsme lesem, který na mou přítelkyni působil trochu jako Stmívání, a došli jsme k prvním stavením nad vesnicí, kde jsme mohli v případě potřeby požádat o přístřeší.
Zřejmě jsme nebyli jediné bytosti, které hledaly úkryt.
Od prvních budov do vesnice to trvalo ještě asi půl hodiny, ale chůze po zpevněné cestě je rychlejší než šplhání po kamenitých stezkách. Takže nám nevadilo, že se blíží druhá bouře, i když tahle byla skutečnou hrozbou. Zatímco první bouře do našeho údolí nedorazila, druhá se už přesouvala přes hřeben, když jsme ji spatřili. Ani ta nezpůsobila žádnou škodu, ale donutila nás přehodnotit plány na večeři a najíst se raději ve vesnici - což bylo dobré rozhodnutí. Pizzerie Ramazotti's Pizza má z nějakého důvodu skvělé recenze. Podávají zde jídla z místních surovin, včetně produktů z nedaleké ekologické farmy. To je něco, co mi na českém venkově zoufale chybí.
Počkali jsme, až se bouřka přežene, a pak jsme se autobusem vrátili do Bad Gasteinu pro auto. A bylo to :) Zůstaňte naladěni na další alpský příběh!
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
Amazing shots mate! Took me a long time to finally bump into your posts after often seeing you in my comments but glad it was now rather than later :D /followed!
I'm glad you liked them. I am no photographer, they are merely mobile snapshots ;)
Yet I enjoyed the hike and hoped it was something Hiveans would appreciate. I still have several posts from Austria, and then hopefully something from Split and its surroundings ;)
Hi, @acidyo,
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Hi, don't think I've heard of you before, how am I involved exactly?
This is a comment, not a post
our upvoting system made some mistakes.
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Nice one you have there and damn that was a decent hike! I was here last winter for skiing so I am recognizing everything even though it looks totally different as well haha.
Yeah thunder in the mountains is always something else and so unpredictable. I guess I would have gone to Angertal just to be sure and make some walks from there, but you guys are the brave ones!
Cool to see so many cows joining on the way up :))
We kept an eye on the weather app, there were several safety points on the way :) none of them in the last part, though :)
Yep, summer hikes in the winter resorts you’ve skied is amusing :)
What a wonderful place it seems to me that even I would give up the lift to see all this beauty from the ground. Everything looks so fresh and green, especially the grass. I like to walk in the mountain forests, and I was fascinated by all the landscapes. The bridge looks very beautiful in this whole environment, It would be so cool to walk on it. And, you know, probably the cows would attract me the most. I like so much how they just fly peacefully and don't worry about anything! They are so cute. If I had known that there was going to be a thunderstorm in the mountains, I would never have gone there, because as I know, mountain showers are no joke. Nevertheless, you and your girlfriend are very brave.
Wow, those are some dang fine photos you took there! I know from being out in Colorado recently how quickly the storms can blow in over the Rockies! This looks absolutely beautiful! Just stunning!
It's the genuine beauty of the Alpes, I merely took a snapshot a couple of times ;)
Interesting to see cows so high up in the mountains...Pretty crazy to see how fast the weather goes from stunning to (lets get out of here) lmao....amazing photos
Thank you for sharing!
Cows are often kept in high altitudes - like in the Alps or the Andes.
I'm glad you liked the post :)
No worries
Can not wait for your other posts
There's gonna be my regular weekly post in Czech on Thursday, then perhaps a Splinterlands post. I guess I'll publish another travel stories on Sunday. Feel free to stop by ;)
I definitely will, same goes for me l regularly post of my travels
Well with all those cows they must have a lot of cheese. 😂
The view looks amazing! Gotta love how nature provides adventures for all seasons. Hmm been a while since I took a hike, thanks for the inspiration.
Well, cheese and steaks ;)
HEHEHE how could I forget.
Absolutely gorgeous! I've never been to the Alps in summer, it's so green and beautiful. Funny that there were so many cows out there grazing. Too bad the storm decided to blow in and spoil the fun!
Well, we evaded it, it only affected our dinner plans ;)
Glad it was only the dinner plans! I keep meaning to take another trip over to Europe but just haven't had the time to get away. I also want to head to South America again so two big trips I need to schedule!
I assume you're from the US, right?
Yes, I live in southern California
Well, I've only been to the north of the Sunny State :) Blue Lake, which is a clickbait, there's no blue lake anywhere nearby, not even any lake :))
What an adventure you had out there! It's funny how you can never be too sure about the weather conditions up in the mountains no matter how much you check the weather. It happens to me often and that's where outstanding stories are born but obviously, we have to be twice as careful as we are on the common paths. Happy you are safe and nothing bad happened!
Well, we were not that far from the civilisation, just a couple of hours of running in the most distant spot :))
It looks like you had a great trip, the nature there is just amazing! I have to say, some time ago, I saw your article and its title...Ahoj z Alp, and thought, oh look, a Slovenian person! But after opening it, I realized, okey no, this is Czech! 😂 Still, I have to say, I think I understood about 40% of what you wrote, plus the title, of course. :) also your Czech version of this article I understand pretty well...or was it because first I read english version? I'm not sure 😂
Well, Slavic languages are close enough to understand each other ;)
Thanks for stopping by!
Glad to see you missed the storm.
All the cows, I am presuming they spend indoors in barns when there is snow everywhere?
I believe so - they don't roam the slopes in the winter :)
Ráno jsem se podíval na Tvůj první obrázek a pak mi důl dne znělo v uších...
youtube.com/watch?v=ECVThiZaWJU
:)
Amazing shoots. The landscape view is beautiful
The cows are very healthy as seen from their fat bodies and some of them are camera conscious😀
They indeed looked healthy. And were tasty ;) so was their milk.
I have to admit that I envy the view from where the cows are sitting and the pathways are my favorite.
They were having siesta :)
Thanks :)
👍
Wow this looks amazing. Love all the cows in the field with everything ♡
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The view is really extraordinary, my friend, it's certainly very enjoyable, my friend.
All the photos smelled like life. It was great, my friend😍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Excellent images of the place.
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Thanks, Liz :)
You are very welcome @godfish! it was well deserved. ☀️🍺
I wish I could go here someday!!
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Mehn!
This shots are clean and clear
Beautiful pictures
I can't help but view them a 100 times 🤗🤗
Tak jsem tedy opravdu zvědavý, co vybereš do soutěže. Pokud jsi tedy na to nezapomněl :-)
Nezapomněl, ale zrovna teď nemám úplně kondici vybírat :)
Do večera to zvládneš :-)
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Hello godfish!
It's nice to let you know that your article won 🥇 place.
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