Alpine moonshine - no banjo music!

Sunday we caught the early bus to Sportgastein.  The bus was almost full when we left Bad Hofgastein.  Most of the people on the bus were our age or older, dressed in hiking boots and carrying hiking sticks and backpacks. We were surprised at how many people were out so early for a hike in the high mountains.  Each stop on the way to Bad Gastein brought more people onto the bus.  When the bus arrived at Bad Gastein it was already full, there was a large crowd waiting to get into the bus.  At first the bus driver tried to call another bus but none was available.  Eventually, he began to pack people onto the bus.  “Back, back,” he shouted.  “Make room, make room.”  At each additional stop on the way to Sportgastein, more and more people got on.  The bus was packed tighter and tighter.  People were joking and laughing – everyone was good-naturedly dealing with the situation.  At one point the bus driver shouted, “Men and woman don’t be shy – press up against each other.  We need more room.” Everyone laughed.  At another time he shouted, “If anyone farts, he owes the bus a round of drinks.”  Everyone laughed.  It was actually a fun trip – everyone was relaxed, friendly and turning the whole ride into one long running joke.  When we arrived everyone got off the bus – still joking and laughing.  We all then scattered like quails in the wind – everyone going in different directions to find a favorite hike.

Doris and I had decided to hike from Sporgastein to Angerthal which is about a 5 hour hike up over the Stubnerkogel down into the Angertal (tal means valley).  We first climbed for an hour through a beautiful forest adorned with wild flowers wherever  the sun pierced the trees.  We stopped at the Bockhart See Hütte (restaurant) for some cold holler juice before we began the next leg of the climb. 

From the lower Bickhart See, we had a 2 hour steep climb up to the Miesbichl Scharte which a pass between the Stuberkogel and the Silberpenning – both mountains.  Even though it is a very challenging climb, the panoramic view of the mountains is incredible.  I could look down and see the lower Bockhart See directly below.  The water was this translucent emerald green and I could see 30-40 feet to the bottom.  I could feel the icy coldness of the water from 500 hundred feet above the lake.  Higher up, about an hour hike from the lower Bockhart See, I could see the upper Bockhart See – both are located above the tree line, surrounded by beautiful alpine meadows full of the most incredible variety of wildflowers and subtle shades of green.  The lower lake is much larger than the upper lake but the upper lake in a small jewel of the lake where Doris and I took our first alpine swim together two years ago.  There is nothing like a brisk swim in a glacier feed lake to get the blood pumping.  We wanted to take a side trip to the upper lake but we were hiking new trail and were not sure how long it would take to complete the hike.  The last bus at the Angertal was at 5 pm and we did not want to miss it.  There is no way to call a cab from the Angertal and it’s a 3 hour hike back to Bad Hofgastein.  The hike to the upper lake would have been a 2 hour detour with a half an hour swimming and hanging out at the lake.   We decided not to take the chance. 

The view of Nassfeld and the surround mountain range has to be the most incredibly beautiful view that I have ever seen.  Everything that I see is above the tree line.  The mountains and meadows are covered in wildflowers, subtle shifting shades of green in the distance until snow and glaciers cloak the upper slopes.  The green of the high mountains is dynamic - always changing with altitude, shade and sun.  The view of the mountains shifts and morphs as we climb higher and higher.  New ranges are reveled – more spectacular and beautiful than the last.  In the distance we can see the Großglocker, the highest mountain in Austria and the second highest mountain in Europe.  We can't quite see the summit which is shrouded in clouds - like some ancient frost giant wrapped in an alabaster cloak. 

This hike is considered to be difficult but we meet a number of hikers our age and older - all out for a Sunday stroll in the Alps.  It is encouraging to see people older than us still fit and active enough to complete this very challenging hike.  It gives us hope that in 10 0r 20 years we will still be active and hiking these same mountains and, perhaps, other more challenging hikes.

At Miesbichl Scharte, we found a number of hikers breaking for lunch.  It was too crowded for us so we pushed on.  Once you cross over the pass, you leave the high mountains behind.   You still have these incredible views but they are softer and gentler.  You can see mountain farm, grazing cows and forests of pine covering the lower mountains and valleys.  We then began our descent towards the Angertal – this would turn out to be a 3 hour hike.  The descent is still steep but less than the climb up from the Bockhart See.  We spent the next 1½ hours hiking through alpine meadows full of wildflowers – white, blue, yellow, red and orange flowers and across mountains streams.  We came across this small, delicate blue flower that we had never seen before.  The blue of the flower has to be the most incredible blue that I have ever seen in my life. Every time I saw the flower, it just took my breath away. I took a photo of it the next day on another hike but the camera could not capture the true blue color the flower.   Doris told me the name of the flower but I never can remember it.  Songs have been written about it.  There is a type of romantic poetry that is named after the flower.  There are many folk legends about it - it's suppose to be lucky to see it since it is relatively rare. Once we hit the tree line, we stopped at an alm (farmhouse restaurant) and refreshed ourselves with some holler juice.  The alm also had some homebrewed schnapps but we didn’t try a shoot.  The schnapps is sun brewed from fresh mountain herbs.  We have seen homebrewed schnapps at a number of alms – Alpine moonshine. 

The hike down from the alm to the Angertal was again steep and demanding.  We were beginning to tire and were trying to rush to catch the 3 pm bus back to Bad Hofgastein.  As we passed through the forest, we saw thousands and thousands of ants – on the trail, beside the trail, everywhere we looked there were ants.  We saw several anthills that we 2-3 feet high.  I have never seen so many ants so visible – it was almost spooky. The great thing about this hike was the enormous change in altitude and the variety of scenery.  The beauty of nature surrounded us and kept transforming itself as we walked. 

We missed the 3 pm bus by 15 minutes.  Since the next bus was at 5 pm, we hike back to this Hütte about ¼ mile back up the trail.  It turned out to be great.  Doris had fresh-steamed trout with herbed potatoes and horseradish mixed with whipped cream.  I had a vegetable strudel, mixed vegetables and a green salad – all perfect and delicious.  The Hütte raises its own trout so it was freshly caught that day.  It was the perfect end to a perfect day. We caught the 5 pm bus back home and just chilled and relaxed for the rest of the evening.  

Yesterday we took the train and gondola up the mountain that we see everyday as we sit on the porch.  I am writing this while waiting for Doris to get her hair done and I can't remember the name.  We had a great hike full of spectacular views and as always beautiful wild flowers.  In the winter this is a major ski resort but in the summer  people go to hike and enjoy the view.  It's a great place to start a hike from since there are so many options. We ate lunch before we took the gondola and train back down to Bad Hofgastein.  Doris had pancake soup - it's an Austrian thang! I had split pea soup.  We shared a large basket of french fries - ketchup costs extra.  I was eyeing a basket of fries that a Russian kid was eating the day before at a restaurant in Angertal and yesterday my dream came true...I have a real weakness for potatoes.  

I have had acrophobia my whole life - the irrational fear of heights.  It's funny in a way because I love hiking in the mountains, especially the high mountains.  It used to be really bad but has gotten better over the years but it can still send me into a major anxiety attack if the conditions are just right.  If I'm hiking a steep slope and I want to stop for a panoramic view, I have to stop, brace myself and look; otherwise, the acrophobia can be a bit overwhelming.  I've had good luck this trip except for yesterday. We were hiking up a narrow ridge with a sheer drop off on each side. The trail was very narrow and steep.  The higher we got the narrower the trail.  If I looked right or left, all I could see was the abyss.  The trail ended at the pinnacle of this 800 foot rock that jutted out from the top of the mountain.  I was half way up when I had an ass kicking, full blown, acrophobic panic attack.  I told Doris to go on - she had a personal reason for wanting to make this hike.  She understood why and need to turn back so she left me to find my way slowly back down the ridge.  I stopped, took a deep breath, focused on the ground until I calmed down and started back down the ridge.  At the bottom I found a flat rock, sat down and tried not to throw up.  I sat there and watched kids and old people walk unconcerned up the same path that I had just vacated.  I hike in the mountains for the pure pleasure of the hike - the beauty is incredible, but when the hike ceases to be fun, I stop and walk in a different direction.  I could have forced myself to complete the hike to the top but the costs would have outweighed the benefit.  I would have only be able to stand and look at the ground and never enjoy the view.  As I have gotten older, I understand my limitations better and I'm more accepting and forgiving of my weaknesses, but it still bites my ass that I could not complete a simple, enjoyable hike because of an irrational fear that I have minimal control over in certain situations.  Don't get me wrong - I have successfully worked on reducing my acrophobia for years.  10 years ago I could not have made any of these high altitude hikes I've completed in the last two weeks.  Even since I was here two years ago, the acrophobia has gotten better. I can even enjoy a ride on a ski lift or gondola without white knuckling the whole trip and staring either at the floor or closing my eyes.  It's not anxiety free even now but a lot better.  Anyway, I love the mountains - it's where I feel most at home. Bad Hofgastein is the bomb!

We leave on Thursday for Frankfurt and a weekend of partying at Moni's wedding and her 60th birthday party.  I get to go all Euro Mike in my new clothes.  We did hit the spa and sauna one last time yesterday afternoon.  We did the salt sauna with the Bademeister - not as good as the first but boy was it hot.  You get to rub yourself and our partner if you have one with oiled salt between the first and second sessions, and as always the cold showers and ice rub down - sublime. Doris went swimming but I just hung out in the sun and worked on my "all over alpine suntan" - eat your heart out Florida.  This has been a great trip - I will miss Bad Hofgastein and the Alps.  Hopefully, we will be back sooner the next time.