Austria - Day 2

Monday 10 July 2017 - Krefelder Hut to Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus (2802 metres)

15 km
1500 metres ascent
7.5 hours
30000 steps

An excellent day. We managed to enjoy some sunshine before the clouds rolled in, but our final 700 metre ascent, achieved in an hour and 20 minutes, saw us at our destination at 3.30, before the rain arrived.

Our luck with the weather won't last, if the forecast is to be believed!

Ski paraphernalia blighted our start to the day as we headed out with a party of six youngsters and their experienced leader, up to the Alpincenter cableway station. One of the girls has bad blisters. We hope they made it to Rudolfs Hut. We should meet them en route tomorrow.

Our routes diverged as we headed along path 726, at the start of which the top picture was taken (showing the col to which we had to ascend), past a small lake that was being dredged, before climbing sharply to reach a broad col. This was the Kammer Scharte, a fine viewpoint at 2689 metres, from which today's third picture was taken, the second being a clump of spring gentians that distracted us on the ascent.

Path 726 soon arrived at a viewpoint over two large reservoirs far below, the closest of which is in need of replenishment. A descending traverse made for slow going as a series of rock bands, sadly not of the musical variety, were encountered, some of them accompanied by steel wires that proved most useful.

Guidebook time to the restaurant at the Mooserboden dam, from which the fourth picture was taken, is 3.5 hours, but after a final 200 metre ascent in the heat of the day, it took us five hours.

We refuelled effectively for our 700 metre ascent to this cosy hut, almost halving our guidebook's 2.5 hour estimate. Lager shandy (Radler) went down well and the others enjoyed various forms of tea, one of which seems to involve a dollop of honey.

We are accompanied, as last night, by some small German groups. They are all friendly, and given our Anglo American make up they are doubly sympathetic to the messes that Trump and Brexit are making of our home countries.

Dinner here is at 7 o'clock. It's approaching, and a group of eleven has just arrived. They haven't booked and as last night at Krefelder they are soaking wet and don't understand hut etiquette. I hope their singing ends earlier tonight, they do look a bit knackered; there was no sign of them at breakfast this morning. 

PS Sorry about the delay. Internet connection problems.