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Dachstein

The Dachstein region is a mountaineer's paradise, with lakes, glaciers, rock climbing, mountain huts, and hiking trails packed into a small area. It's located in Austria, southeast of Salzburg (Google map). In September 2004, I stayed there for three weeks.

Hofpürglhütte, Steiglpass

Gosau's main attraction are its two lakes, Vorderer Gosausee and Hinterer Gosausee, which on a calm day reflect the Dachstein's highest peak, Hoher Dachstein. The lakes get crowded on a sunny day, but in early morning, the parking lot is empty and only a few people savour the view before starting their hike.

To the south, the lakes are flanked by the Gosaukamm, a short range of impressive peaks up to 2400m. For my first hike, I circled this range, starting with a cablecar ride to 1550m, getting to the highest point at the 2018m Steiglpass, and descending back to Vorderer Gosausee at 937m. Conveniently located in the middle of this loop lies the Hofpürglhütte. (more pictures from this hike)

Oberes Hochkesseleck

Another hike near the Gosaukamm, which I circled by car to get to its south side. Starting at the touristy Unterhofalm above Filzmoos, the first half of the 1000m climb crosses larch woods and cow pastures, while the second half is an easy rock climb, partly secured with steel ropes.

At the top, you are rewarded with views of the surrounding mountains and the two Gosau lakes. You could continue to the Adamekhütte, and descend to Gosau the next day, but I wasn't ready to exchange the holiday appartment for a thin mattress on a mountain hut floor, yet. (more pictures from this hike)

Gamsfeld, Wilder Jäger

Much easier to reach from Gosau, this started with the 2027m Gamsfeld, on which the chamoix had left plenty evidence of their existence. To make the ascend a bit more interesting, someone had put up signs with well-known song titles related to the surroundings, like "Strawberry Fields Forever" or "Up Where We Belong", with enough space between them to hum one tune after the other.

Leaving the Gamsfeld behind, the trail became more rugged, following a long ridge, secured with steel ropes in places, leading to the solitary Wilder Jäger. From there, the path led down to the Neualm, catering to the hungry hiker. (more pictures from this hike)

Pühringerhütte

So far, I had never done anything but one-day hikes, preferring to sleep in my own bed or in hotels. This was about to change with a short tour through the Totes Gebirge (Dead Mountains), a large karst area where only few plants and animals survive in the washed-out and dry limestone. Strategically placed mountain huts make it possible to cross the plateau in various directions.

I started at lake Grundlsee, followed the beautiful path up to the two Lahngang lakes, and arrived at the small Pühringerhütte in early afternoon. The weather was still fine and the landlady said there was no need to reserve a sleeping place, so I went up the 2128m Elm to watch the sun set over the lakes.

When I returned, the hut had filled up, and after a long dinner with stories about chamoix hunting and mountain climbing, I ended up in the makeshift room under the roof. The mattress was a bit thin, but we had fresh air and more than enough room.

After a quick breakfast, I entered the karst region. Painted stones made orientation easy, but walking on the lifeless plateau with almost no other living things around was an interesting experience. And you always had to navigate around holes and cracks in the limestone.

After a short detour up to a mountain called Redender Stein (Talking Stone), I stopped at the Albert-Appel-Haus for lunch, and descended to the Altausseer lake. (more pictures from this hike: day 1, day 2)

Guttenberghaus

Having survived my first two-day hike, I headed straight for the next one. For this, I selected the highest mountain hut of the Steiermark, a climbing route secured with steel ropes, and a 2667m summit.

The hike started in Ramsau, below the Dachstein south face. Conveniently passing the Guttenberghaus at lunchtime, I climbed the Scheichenspitze via the easy and not excessively secured eastern ridge. While the view of the Dachstein south face was a bit disappointing, sitting 2000m above the Schladming road and looking south was magnificient.

Although the Guttenberghaus lacked a bit on the cock-and-bull stories side, the food was good and there were enough beds. The next day, I went back down via the Silberkarklamm, a gorge with well-kept paths and lots of tourists. Unfortunately, I packed an uncharged spare battery and my camera ran out of power in the early morning. (more pictures from this hike: day 1, day 2)

Hunerkogel

After two long hikes, I went for some tourist entertainment. I drove to the Dachsteinsüdwandbahn, went up with the cablecar, and walked on a prepared path on the glacier to a small mountain hut with a good view of the Hoher Dachstein summit. (more pictures from this hike)

Adamekhütte

The Adamekhütte was the destination of the final hike before heading back home. Like the first hike, it started and then passed both Gosau lakes, went up a relatively steep wall, and led to the Adamekhütte through magnificient scenery with views of Hoher Dachstein, Gosaukamm and Hochkesselkopf. (more pictures from this hike)

Unfortunately, even a trail like this can be treacherous. In the previous days, we had watched helicopters and rescue teams commencing their search for a missing mountaineer. Two weeks later, he was found between Hinterer Gosausee and Adamekhütte.