More Vacationing in Austria: Klamms!

Here in the middle of the Alps we have a ton of gorges to explore. There are a handful less than 20 KM away that we have been checking off our list. Here are a few pictures from the Seisenbergklamm. It is directly in the town Weißbach bei Lofer in an area called the Saalachtal (Saalach Valley).

The Seisenbergklamm, much like the nearby Vorderkaserklamm that we went to when my parents were here last summer, had a nature trail where you were informed of the flora and fauna of the area.



The Liechtensteinklamm is near St. Johann in Pongau is one of the deepest and longest Klamms in the Alps.

I have had a lot of free time of late, so I have been trying to learn new things. One of the things I have been reading up on is the Ayurvedic diet. I learned that I have a "Pitta dosha", and when it is "imbalanced" things like walking around water help. (I can feel your eyes rolling. :) )



It even has a little legend:

The blacksmith of Oberarl, in the Plankenau area of St. Johann, had promised his crippled daughter to the devil if the devil would deliver the famous Gastein hot springs to his doorstep. The deal would have to be completed before the rooster crowed in the morning. The devil agreed and went to work in the dark of night. However, the blacksmith’s wife, a sly old woman, found out about the deal. To put an end to her husband’s boundless greed, she dunked the rooster into the drinking trough, causing it to crow before daybreak. The devil, who was at that moment flying through the Klamm with the hot springs, heard the rooster crow at Oberarl and realized he was too late.
Filled with rage, he threw the hot springs into the Klamm where no human being would ever find them again. Indeed, to this day, no one has been able to capture the healing waters and pipe them out of the gorge.

I do not know why I am so obsessed with waterfalls! I am sure most people will not find 7 pictures of rushing water quite as interesting as I do. But the feeling of being in these Klamms just makes me tingle. I do not know if it is the cool blue of the water, the changes in speed and levels, or the general beauty of this earth that just moves me.

Vacationing in Austria

Jason and I found ourselves wide awake early on Mother's Day morning. Even after walking to the bakery for semmel and enjoying a leisurely breakfast we found ourselves at 9:30 AM wondering what to do. We decided to hike.

We ended up exploring the Stubach valley. At the top of the valley we found another hydro-electric power station. This particular one is run by the ÖBB and construction began in 1906, as a result of "predicting that coal would eventually be unavailable and from a wish to be independent from relying on foreign sources" which to me was fascinating. Anyway, we would have liked to see the dam and lake, but it is still winter in these parts, so we will have to come back in late June. The area is the Uttendorf - Weißsee. The glacier and Weißsee are about 3000m above sea level.

I have been paying attention to the old style farms and houses of the region ever since visiting the open-air museum in Salzburg.

After all the hiking, a traditional Wiener Schnitzel seemed to be deserved.

Finally, Murmeltier!

This last weekend we decided to vacation in Austria. The weather was not super on Saturday, but that did not keep us from enjoying the outdoors.
We decided to try to hike to the top of the nearby Walcher waterfall. The waterfall is located right before the toll on the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße and the base is about 1200 meters above sea level. The Quelle of the Walcher, which is also the base of the Walcher Kees, a glacier, is about 2200 meters above sea level. So we had about 800 meter elevation climb.

Halfway into our climb, I was complaining about how we have been in Austria for over 2 years and I have yet to see a Murmeltier, which I guess are Groundhogs in the US. Not 2 seconds had the words come out of my mouth then I glance over to the left and down the hill a few feet sat one!
It was a curious little creature. Jason and I took dozens of pictures of it and managed to scoot ourselves closer and closer so that we were practically sitting right next to it. It kept running in to it's hole, but as Jason and I quietly sat there waiting, it would poke it's head out to check on us!

As we continued further up the mountain, we saw several! They had a shrill bird-like chirping cry that I assume they used to notify the others that people were coming.
Hiking in these parts of Austria is basically straight up and straight down. One thing that is so amazing about the Alps is how suddenly the environment can change. We went from pine trees to an alpine glacier basin that was snow, clouds, and wild purple and white crocus.

A closer picture of the glacier.


Part of the trail went under the waterfall. You can barely see me on the left on the trail.
This picture was taken on the decent. On the left, you can see a zigzag outline in white, of the snow covered trail that we took up. There were two Alms, although neither of them were open yet because apparently it is still winter here!!

45 days and 1006 KM

I did it! I put over 1000 KM on my snowboard this season. 90 KM in the last week! The surprise snow on April 1 really helped.

I kept track of my kilometerage on www.skiline.cc. I actually think I might have found a glitch in the system (according to computer nerd Jason) because instead of showing up as 1000 KM it started over, and shows me as 1.006 KM. I Y2K'd the thing!


The question I have to ask myself is, "What now?" I have traded my snowboarding boots for my bike and hiking boots. The picture above is of the Schmittenhöhe from the mountain across the lake, which I decided to climb yesterday. I was not in Austria on the 18th of April, the last day of my pass, to see what exactly the slope conditions were at the season end, but as you can see from the picture above the snow is almost gone.

My hike yesterday was about 3.5 hours/10 KM long with about 600 meter change in altitude. I know I do not like trading in the downhill boarding for the uphill climbing, but it is a different way to appreciate the mountains I guess. I hiked number 89 and part of 84 above Thumersbach. I found a few waterfalls that were very worthy of a sit-down, but I resisted.

Because it is the low season, the Alms are not yet operating during the weeks. There is a romantic concept of an Almsommer, spending summers in the Alps in an Alm, and until I went to this open-air museum in Salzburg, I was a bit unclear on the purpose they served. Apparently they were not just built as a place for hikers to get beers, but were the summer residence of the farmer, or worker from a farm, while tending the cows in the summer months.

From this side of the mountains there is a lovely view of the Gletscher.

Austria's Idea of April Fools

So I have been going on and on about slush, and we have been experiencing some serious spring weather these last weeks that has melted my beloved snow. So after all this beautiful spring weather, April 1st rolls around and Austria gives us the big, "APRIL FOOLS! It's not really spring yet!!" and drops the temp and about 2 feet of snow.

HOORAY! Granted I am probably the only person who feels like that, I know now it is getting late enough in the season where you have to get up early to take advantage of what Mothernature has gifted us!

Here are some early photos to give you an idea what it is like to be one of the first ones on the mountain!




I should really change up the pose shouldn't I?

Alpinzoo

What a better way to spend a Saturday then watching Jason interact with animals! A visit to the Alpinzoo in Innsbruck was a perfect way to enjoy the spring-like weather on a Saturday.
Braunbär

Steinbock

Actually, we were really impressed with the conditions in which the animals were being kept. Alright, it is still a "cage" and it is not the wild, but we felt the zoo did an excellent job in creating the habitats and the animals for the most part (according to Jason the animal whisperer, the animals seemed "happy").
Steinadler

Most of the animals were visible, except for the Murmeltier, a wild cat and deer. I had really wanted to see a Murmeltier after seeing all the signs in the Alps pointing to where Murmeltier were supposed to be visible.
Luchs

All of the animals were from Austria; they either continue to live in Austria, are part of a project to revive an endangered species in Austria, and there were a few that had lived in Austria in the past (like Moose) and no longer. It was neat to be able to realistically place them in the areas that we have become so familiar with. Actually, I had just seen Gämse on the Schmittenhöhe this past week!
Gämse
Now we at least know what the Austrian Osterhase looks like....
Schneehase

The Alpinzoo is easy to get to from Innsbruck, because it is practically in the city center! Innsbruck is one of those amazing cities that has the Alps dramatically and practically growing from the center of town. From the city center you can walk or drive there, or take a very short train ride from the Congress Center located in the city center.

Hütte Essen!

No trip to Austria would be complete without visiting a Hütte! Hütte are rustic, "rest stops", if you will, on the mountains. They are usually very high up, offering the most remarkable views, and some of them are only reachable by hiking. They are places to go to get out of the weather, warm up, relax, and have a drink or snack before finishing your hike or ski day in the Alps!



Behold Hütte Essen! It is grilling your own meat at the table while smothering it in broth. I am not sure if it is called Hütte Essen because we are eating it in a Hütte, or because the conicular shape of the thing you cook the meat on resembles a Hut, or hat, in German.



Needless to say all of this goes very well with many beers and a schnaps at the end.

Grossglockner Strasse: Alpine Flowers

Since I have lived in Austria, I have really become interested in flowers that are found in the Alps. I am a novice; once I get some free time I hope to educate myself a bit more in this area. I am just posting these for now, but as time goes on I will try to provide more information to accompany these pictures. Enjoy! I hope they tempt you to make a visit to the Austrian Alps!!
















What do you see in this last picture!!