Lately I went on a trek in Austria with overnight stay in a hut together with my husband, little sister and her best friend. The name of the hiking tour “Pinzgauer Spaziergang” means something like easygoing Sunday afternoon walk in the Pinzgau but it turned out to be something else.
1.The Beginning
Even the beginning of the trip was adventureous. We left the car at the cable car sation in Saalbach where we planned to come down the next day. We needed to get to a village near Zell am See, where we wanted to start the mountain ascent. Finally we joined other travellers in a taxi bus with detour to Hinterglemm. We reached the starting point of the trail up the mountain with the help of locals. It began just in a meadow right next to the walls of a picturesque farmhouse. I generally like remote places which are kind of complicated to reach and of course hidden traces, as you might have guessed.
After lots of rain we reached the hut. I think mountain huts are best when the weather is unpleasant. We were the only guests. Covered with blankets leaning against the tiled stove, we watched locals looking like Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. This was the beginning of “The Fellowship” (of the Rings) – as we were joking from this moment on.
2. The Next Day on the Pinzgauer Spaziergang
The next morning the four fellows started walking acommpanied by heavy rain, mist and even strong wind from time to time. The wind made scary sounds and shook us a bit. Saruman’s work?
We had planned to have panoramic views on the Pinzgauer Spaziergang, which is famous for this. We didn’t plan to play path finding, but in the high fog we had to. We didn’t plan to cross snow fields, but at the end we did even that.
No wonder the hike took much longer than planned. We were constantly walking on about 2000 meters altitude and the weather kept challenging us. 
Exhausted and happy we reached the  summit with the mountain station of the cable car – only to learn that there are two of them, an eastern and a western one. We had reached the wrong one and we had a quarter of an hour left to reach the other summit to get the last cable car 2000 meters down.
3. The Way Down
“Let’s call the cable car station”, one fellow said. No connection – and no wonder. Did anyone ever see Frodo with a cell phone?
This place looks amazing! Although i would die coming from South Africa our Winter is 25 Degrees so i am not used to the cold. I love mountains though and hiking. Hopefully i get to travel to Austria one day.
Hi Lisa, Thank you for commenting. Yes, it was cold indeed. Austria offers great landscapes in summer or winter. I am happy it’s so close to my home base. Cheers, Ricarda
Looks like amazing scenery but maybe better attempted in the summer? We’ve visited Bavaria and parts of Austria in winter before but I’d love to explore more one day.
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for your comment. Maybe I would not do the same in the cold season again but it was a lifetime experience…
WHOA! That looks like a serious hike. I think I’d be too cold to tackle that!
Hi Kristin,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, it’s of course not everyone’s cup of tea. It was quite tough but also a great experience.
Austria was always on my list. Looks very scenic.
You definitely should go! It’s an incredible country.
Oh man, I’ve been ina situation like this before. When a nice hike turned out to be a stressful, windy trek through knee deep snow! Makes for a cool story though 🙂
Hi Chiera, yes, it’s something I will always remember. And it was so cozy in the cabin…;-)
Great post! Really enjoyed reading through your adventure. The weather seemd to add to the excitement.
Hi Jasmine,
Thanks for this nice feedback. It was not easy, but yes, really exciting…
Cheers, Ricarda