Descent into Dante’s 9th Ring of Hell – the Graukogel!

Descent into Dante’s 9^th Ring of Hell – the Graukogel!

Yesterday we took the bus to Bad Gastein and took the ski lift up the Graukogel to the Berghütte (mountain hut).  At the Berghütte we stopped for a glass of “hollerjuice” (don’t ask) before starting our hike to the Palfner See.  In German “See” can refer to either a lake or sea – in this case, obviously, it means a lake.  We had started this hike two years ago but had to abort due to rain and time – we had to get back for the last lift down the mountain.  It was an absolutely beautiful hike.  We hiked the first part of the trail above the tree line – the views were breathtaking.  The last ½ hour hike was a steep climb above the tree line through fields of what Doris called “mountain roses” scattered among the gray bones of the mountain.  Doris, as usual, quickly climbed the stiff slope as nimbly and as gracefully as a young mountain goat, while I, like some ancient mountain bull, slowly and methodically climbed after her. Once we crested the ridge, the first view of the Palfner See was idyllic.  Before I reached the water’s edge, Doris had already stripped down and I could see her swimming out into the lake.  By the time I had arrived, Doris was emerging from the water like a mountain nymph all rosy and joyous.  I slowly undressed – I was anticipating the bone numbing cold of the water.  I slowly walked into the frigid alpine lake.  By the time I was waist deep, I had lost all feeling in my lower body.  The word “hyperthermia” kept repeating itself in my mind like a chant of some impending doom.  I briefly stayed in the water and then quickly pulled myself back into the shore – it was several minutes before I regained full use of my lower limbs and I could speak coherently. By then Doris was ready to dive back in…which she did.  I have a photo of her swimming blissfully out into the lake and waving back at me from this icy, cold abyss with such a look of innocent pleasure on her face that it is, well, almost indecent.  In he background of the photo, you can see a snowfield extending down to the edge of the lake.  When Doris emerged from the Palfner See, she was totally energized.  She no longer wanted to hike back to the Berghütte and take a nice, easy ride back down the ski lift but wanted to forge on to the next lake, the Reed See.  She asked me if I was game, I told her ok but I felt like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. 

We got dressed and began out ascent up the mountain from the Palfner See.  We had hiked over the Graukogel to get to the Reed See.  The ascent to the crest of the Graukogel was challenging but enjoyable. Once we reached the summit, the view was incredible.  We met a group of hikers with a guide. They had hiked up to the Reed See and were now on their way to the Palfner See and then the Berghütte and a relaxing ride down the mountain in the ski lift.  Doris asked one of the members of the group, a young man from Finland, to take our picture. Doris explained that we had just hiked up and were on our way to the Reed See.  Before he took our picture, he smiled oddly and gave us a peculiar look – it wasn’t until later that I realized that it was pity.

We left the group and the crest of the mountain behind us.  We started out descent to the Reed See.  We could see the Reed See in the distance – a blue gem in a setting of green.  It was beautiful and alluring – a prize to be gained with a few hours of hiking.  The hike to the Reed See was fun.  The descent as steep and challenging and we were full of energy and determination.  We passed several small lakes on the way and crossed several small fields of snow.  The view was again incredible.  As we hiked down the mountain, rain clouds began to gather behind us – Doris was the first to notice.  Since she was always out ahead of me, she was constantly looking back to make sure that I was still there and OK.  Me, well I was head down, picking my way through a minefield of twisted ankles, blown knees and broken legs. 

The first rain hit just after we had reached the tree line and about a ½ hour before the Reed See.  Just as we reached the Reed See, it started to hail – icy little pellets behind to beat against our backs and heads.  By then tt was 4 pm and we still had at least 3 hours hike down into the valley where we could catch the bus back to Bad Hofgastein.  By this time, we had reached the end of our fitness.  We were beginning to feel exhausted and did not know how much worse the hailstorm was going to get.  We were soaked and cold – the temperature was dropping.   We were not equipped for a night on the mountain.  Our only choice was to complete the descent as quickly as possible.  We took a quick look at the Reed See – no swim for Doris, no partial emersion for me.  We had enough icy, cold hiking in the hailstorm. 

The descent from the Reed See to the valley floor was a descent into Dante’s 9^th ring of hell.  It was not a hike but a climb down what appeared to be dry waterfalls and streambeds full of rocks and roots made wet and treacherous by hail and rain.  Doris was incredible.  She was always out ahead of me, warning me of particularly treacherous descents.  I knew she was exhausted and cold but she never stopped.  I saw the descent as brutal.  She found it relentless – it was both brutal and relentless.  There was one stretch near the bottom where we had to lower ourselves by a rope attached to capons driven into the stone. It never got any easier until we actually touched the valley floor.  There we staggered around drunk from exhaustion, our legs unsure of how to react on level ground – like sailors returning from a long sea voyage.  We hiked along the valley floor – mostly along the gravel road that runs the length of the valley.  It took us a bit over an hour before we reached the Grüne Baum (a famous restaurant and hotel, host to celebrities, nestled in the valley against a backdrop of steep alpine peaks, aptly called “heaven’s wall”).  We had missed the last bus so Doris asked a waitress at a smaller inn nearby to call us a cab.  We were not quite up to the 2½-hour hike back to Bad Hofgastein either along the Höhen Weg (much prettier) or the hiking trail along the Achen River.  We arrived back home exhausted, sore and hungry.  Doris and I collaborated on a pot of soup – it was all we had energy to cook.  We both took long, hot showers while the soup cooked.  We ate but we were still coming off an adrenaline high to sleep right away.  It was overall a great day – the Graukogel is beautiful and most of the hike was incredibly, enjoyable.  As you get older, you realize that a hike like this is a reward for maintaining good health and fitness.  Even though the last part of the hike was brutal, cold and exhausting, it is still nice to know that even at our age, Doris and I can meet an unexpected challenge together and prevail.  It’s always good to know that Doris has my back whatever happens.

Both Doris and I took two hiking sticks (like ski poles) on this hike.  They made all the difference in the world whether ascending or descending the mountain.  They helped redistribute the weight more evenly, reduce stress on knees and joints, increase balance and help conserve energy.  Both Doris and I agree that without out “sticks” we would never had been able to complete this hike.

This Austrian system for designating the difficulty of a hike is color coded on maps – blue easy, red moderate and white – oh my god, I’m going to have a heart attack.  These colors seems completely innocent and benign on the map but have no correspondence to the reality of anyone else except Austrians until you have actually experienced a blue, red or white hike yourself.  So be forewarned if you ever hike in Austria.  You can survive and even enjoy a white hike but it may be more than you counted on, especially if you are from Florida.  A red hike may break a mountain goat’s heart.  A white hike – well be sure your will is up to date.

Both Doris and I woke up stiff and sore this morning.  I walked into town for brötchen and a newspaper.  The walk down the steps was a challenge but by the time I had walked into town, I was feeling pretty good.  I was thinking about our next hike when I hit the apartment steps – I realized then that the next hike would not be today.  Today, I will catch up on my blogs – too late and to exhausted when we got back to chase the elusive wi-fi in town.  This is the end of our first week in Bad Gastein.   We take the train back to Frankfurt next Friday for Moni’s wedding on Saturday and her 60^th birthday bash on Sunday.  It’s a hard life!