Hiking In Hinterglemm

Last weekend Megan, Henni, Junior (the dog) and I took a weekend trip to Hinterglemm and Saalbach. For the past 10 years or so Henni, Kurt and Roland have been going there to ski. Recently they've been there in the summers to hike, relax and enjoy the mountains and fresh air.

Friday, September 3rd
We left Linz at about 10:30AM and took the Autobahn towards Salzburg. I was still pretty tired from being up so late the past few nights and fell asleep (Megan took this picture without me knowing). I awoke just as we were passing through Germany. It was strange to see the old border patrol stations sitting there vacant and dilapidated. Now that the EU is in full effect there aren't any border checks between member countries. We stopped a few minutes later to stretch our legs and get some snacks.

We arrived in Saalbach at 2PM and hopped on the gondola to take a ride up to the eastern peak of Shattberg mountain. The weather was gorgeous and it felt great having the sun on our faces and breathing the crisp late summer air. We hiked around a bit, posed with some mountain goats, and Megan and Henni figured out the names of the snow capped mountain peaks we could see off in the distance. Megan and I found time to play a bit before we took the gondola back down.

We headed over to the hotel where Henni had booked our rooms, The Carolinenhof, and had an aperitif with the owner, Liane Einsle. Henni told us how much she loves staying at this hotel because of the friendly and warm atmosphere. After meeting Liane we too knew that The Carolinenhof was someplace special.

We went to our room to unpack and were amazed by the view we had from our balcony. Dinner was served at 7PM and we were invited to sit at the Stammtisch with Liane and some other guests from Germany (Thomas and Petra) to have an after dinner schnapps. They talked about their travels in America and raved about how we have great rollercoasters and steaks.

Saturday, September 4th
We woke up to a foggy, rainy morning and had a late breakfast. We hung around hoping the weather would improve and when the sun broke through the clouds at around 1PM we walked into Hinterglemm. We took a different gondala half way up, and then hiked to the peak of the Reiterkogel (1918 Meters high), stopping along the way to pick wild blueberries which we ate with breakfast the next day. The weather turned out great and we were treated to spectacular views of the cloud covered mountains that surrounded us. (We took over 250 photos during the weekend and had a difficult time of deciding which ones to keep.)

Again we sat at the Stammtisch and had drinks with Liane and a few other guests. We talked about our round-the-world trip and where we were heading. As we were leaving the table Liane gave us a little silver Buddha to carry with us for good luck and protection. It was a simple, heartfelt gift that really meant a lot to us because it was given out of genuine thoughfulness and kindness.

Sunday, September 5th
We had breakfast and a goodbye glass of champagne at the Stammtisch. Unfortunately, we didn't know the gondolas took a one hour break at noontime and we arrived at the base of the Zwölferkogel and everything was closed. We decided to hike around the base a bit and have a coffee while we waited for one o'clock to roll around.

The lifts started up and we headed up to the summit. We hiked another 128 meters to reach the Hohe Penhab peak and had a late afternoon snack. We headed back down to the parking lot around 4PM and were on the road in time to see the late day sun color everything in warm, golden tones.

It was great to spend time with Henni in a relaxed, peaceful environment. Thank you Henni and Kurt for such a great weekend!

Now we're off to pack again because we're taking an early morning train to Innsbruck for more hiking and sightseeing; Omi will meet us there Tuesday afternoon. We'll be sure to give an update and more photos when we're back.