abqtoadam: The Alps

I was extremely fortunate to have stayed with Ruth, my couchsurfing host. She was fun and interesting, and she coordinated with her friends to organize a hike in Austria specifically for my stay. And she had a brand new Audi, which her parents were leasing and letting her drive.

We left her apartment around 6:30am on Sunday and picked up three of her friends in town before hopping on the Autobahn to drive across the German border into Austria. I didn't get any pictures of the scenes of the countryside, but they were as awe-inspiring as the photos from the Alps. In some parts, mists rose from the grassy fields that were dotted with livestock and bordered by dark, thick Bavarian forests. In other parts, the clouds hung low in the sky and descended down toward the ground. Rays of bright morning sunlight poked through occasionally, making the entire landscape glow in silvers and golds. Many of the romantic visions of rural Europe were represented along this drive – lone farmhouses, rolling hills, sheep and cattle, a random fox running through a field, and villagers dressed in traditional Bavarian garb riding tractors through the narrow streets of small cities.

We pulled off of the main highway and drove ten minutes up a mountain road to the base of the trail. The first part of the trail was a steep, unremarkable road without much along the lines of views. After the quick gain in elevation, though, we were able to see the peaks above and the valley floor below. And then, after a bit more elevation gain, we found ourselves at an alpine cabin which functioned as a restaurant serving beer and Austrian food.

At this point, we had a decision to make. The trail split into two parts: one that went up very steeply and required some climbing gear, and another that made a more gentle ascent to the peak. I felt some ambivalence toward the route choice. I had zero outdoor climbing experience (and very little experience in any environment), and I had very little desire to injure myself 500 miles from my home, and several hours of hiking from the car. But the group was very into taking the steeper route, and they insisted that it was suitable for beginners, so I went along with.

The ascent was indeed quite steep. We crossed the tree line and hiked along a narrow rocky trail with little traction and a lot of loose, large rocks. The sun felt quite warm beating down on us.

The trail stopped at a series of ridges, and the others took out their gear. They had packed extra harnesses for Ruth and me, and Ruth and I had rented helmets at the cabin at the base of the mountain. We clipped our harnesses to lines in the side of the rock formations and walked along the narrow ledges on the side of the mountain. It turned out to be incredibly easy, and there was only one point where I felt that I was in a bit of trouble (there was a climb straight up, and my arms started to tire as I figured out where to lift myself to on the rock face).

The views during the ascent – and especially at the top – were incredible. The pictures do a good job of describing it, but there's always a bit lost from the natural colors, textures, and expansive, panoramic views.

After having lunch at the top, we made our way down the “easy” route that we had bypassed in favor of the more challenging trail. We stopped at the cabin and had beer and snacks, and then we made our way back down toward the car. In all, we were on the trail from around 9am to about 7pm.

It was a great experience for me. Doing a “real” hike in the Alps was a solid part of my bucket list. It's always nice to cross something off the bucket list.