|
|
From the Pühringer Hut, walk alongside the Elmsee lake and then slightly uphill to "Emils Tränenhügel" hill. From there, go through a pretty mixed mountain wood with larches and cembran pines and thick undergrowth to the Elmgrube, on which several little alpine huts are situated. Just behind the first hut, the trail branches off sharply to the right towards the Albert-Appel-Haus refuge. From here, the trail leads steadily uphill, first through pines and later increasingly over open terrain at the foot of the Salzofen Cave. It takes a good 45 min to walk from the Elmgrube to the Abblasbühel mountain. At the Abblasbühel, the trail flattens out again and leads over sometimes marshy meadows with cotton grass and marsh marigolds. Finally, the trail reaches the turn-off to the Wildgößl mountain, although Via Alpina opts for the trail that circumvents it. The view over the vast terrain of the Tote Gebirge mountain range is wonderful and a little further down, the Wiesenlacke rift, to which the trail now descends, can already be seen (approx. 1h from the Abblasbühel). From here, walk along a gently undulating route past the "Schlund" (chasm) that opens up on the right-hand side to the Jägerbründl spring, which eventually offers another chance to fill your water bottles. Now, the “Redender Stein” (talking stone) can already be seen with its summit cross and the trail heads downhill into the "Katzenmoos", where several alpine huts are situated. Only a little stretch further to the Albert-Appel-Haus refuge, which is already waiting with lunch (approx. 4h from the Pühringer Hut). The refuge is in a very lovely setting and initially offers a view over the Dachsteingletscher glacier. From the refuge, continue downwards, where you must keep right at the first turn-off in the direction of "Loser". Head through sparse mixed woodland with larches, cembran pines and spruce trees down over boulder rocks, until the "Augstwiesenalmen" meadows appear. Follow the trail downwards and across the "Augstwiesen" meadows until reaching the other side and heading uphill to the Hochklapfsattel pass (approx. 1h 30min from the Albert-Appel-Haus). Directly at the pass, the "Karl-Stöger-Steig" trail branches off to the right. It continues for a while up through mountain pines and over several ledges, until you arrive on a track that is partially secured with wire cables alongside the rock faces of the Vorderer Schwarzmooskogel peak at a more or less even altitude with a wonderful view over
|
