Taking a Hike
Hiking in the Hochkönig Region
I was a little nervous when I heard we were going to be returning to the Hochkönig region. As I’ve said before, I’m no skigull. Thankfully, we were travelling in August and that could only mean one thing: taking a hike. Although it sounded like a lot of hard work, it surely had to beat skiing!
Hang on… Now, this is what I call hiking – Austrian style. With their Hochkönig Guest Cards, the Oldies had free use of hiking buses, chair lifts and cable cars. Whee, what fun! Not only is it an easy ride, the guest card opens up so many possibilities. You can take a chair lift up one hill, a cable car down another, and if you don’t fancy a long walk back by road you can hop on a bus. The only hard part is deciding which route to take.
Luckily, the Wingless Wonders have a foolproof rule of thumb to help them choose. No, it’s nothing to do with the length of the route or the altitude metre difference. They simply go according to the number of Einkehrmöglichkeiten there are to be found along the way. The more the merrier. Literally.
Einkehrmöglichkeit, a simple little word – well, in the German speaking area – but it conjures up a world of meaning. It is basically a place where you can stop off along your hike, put your feet up, enjoy the views, have wonderful food and drinks, relax on a bench, a swing, or even a hammock or a rocking chair. It’s no wonder that it’s Her Ladyship’s favourite word in the German language. And although it’s a bit of a beakful, it’s fast becoming mine too!
Amazingly, in spite of the free lifts and astounding number of Einkehrmöglichkeiten, the Dynamic Duo actually managed to cover quite a bit of mileage under their own steam. I’m not surprised. This stunning landscape just draws you in and makes you want to keep on going. I didn’t even have to egg Herself on. Much.
Apart from the stunning scenery, there were some intriguing sights along the way. I was rather taken aback by this wooden shed covered with Leichladen – ‘corpse boards’. Apparently it was traditional in this area to lay out the dead on wooden boards until they were taken away for burial. The boards were later inscribed and hung on the sides of buildings along the side of the road as a memorial to the deceased.
We also had the added bonus of a few freebies along the way. The Oldies found plenty of tasty chanterelles and wonderfully ripe bilberries and cranberries. They even shared with me!
Not bad. I could get used to this Alpine hiking lark. Although at times it left me breathless, I felt on top of the world!
