2. Europe

Austria 2007

I headed to Austria after spending a fun time in Germany with Paul the friend I had met in Malta. Now it was time to get to the mountains though and I could hear them calling my name. I got a free ride from Padeborn to Linz and spent 48 euros taking a train to Innsbruck. Innsbruck is a famous town for climbing and has spawned some very impressive mountaineers such as Hermann Buhl. I got off the train at 9pm. A little later then I had hoped but figured it wouldnt be to hard to find a place to stay. That was a mistake. I wandered around the town for 3 hours until i finally gave up and resolved ot finding a place to put my tent up in a park. It was around 11:30pm and I was fully decked out in my backpacks, standing at a bus stop not really thinking about much. I wasnt worried about finding a place to stay I knew I would I was just not really looking forward to walking to it! A guy walked up to me who spoke very little english and after a little conversation he told me to go to the Youth Hostel on the other side of town. He also told me that he would drive me there! A guy who says he lives in another village and is on a walk through a different town just for the heck of it at almost midnight wants to give me a ride....so what do I do? Well I am tired of walking around town so of course I say sure! He was a nice guy though and actually brought me to the youth hostel, what luck!
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Finally at the summit of Brandjoch. At 2559meters (8395.669 ft. to the American!) it was the highest peak I had climbed on the trip. Excellent views were in every direction as the weather was still holding amazingly. I met a few guys who had also just summited and this was their reaction "You just came from where?! The ridge? With those shoes? No harness?" After a bit of talking they said they would give me a ridge back to the hostel if I walked down with them. Yay! The tram is visible far off on the ridge.
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Finally at the summit of Brandjoch. At 2559meters (8395.669 ft. to the American!) it was the highest peak I had climbed on the trip. Excellent views were in every direction as the weather was still holding amazingly. I met a few guys who had also just summited and this was their reaction "You just came from where?! The ridge? With those shoes? No harness?" After a bit of talking they said they would give me a ridge back to the hostel if I walked down with them. Yay! The tram is visible far off on the ridge.

austria

  • The next morning I tried to go to the climbing shops but foun out that it was Sunday and the country is closed. Dang. Oh well I guess its just time for some pictures around town then.
  • I looked at a few maps and consulted the mighty wise INTERNET and found out a good hike to do. It looked like a lot of fun and a good days worth of hiking. I didnt get to start until late though so I decide to ride the tram up to the base of the ridge to hopefully get the peak before dark.
  • Once at the top i looked in both directions of the ridge. I hadnt quite decided which to do yet but I was helped in my decision by the amount of people in one direction. To my right I could see about 15 people hiking along. To me left there were none. Left it was! The town of Innsbruck was already folding away at my feet. The bike trail winds down the mountain and looked like an incredible ride! I wish I had brought a bike since I didnt pay for a tram ride back down the mountain.
  • I walked over a little mound to find this hut at the start of a Ferrata route. A route climbed "via ferrata" means the us of cables and rebar ladders put into difficult sections of the mountain.
  • The ridge was an excellent climb! A ferrata route is usually climbed with the necessities of helmet, harness and ferrata kit, mountaineering boots. Since I didnt have any of those items I had to make do with tennis shoes bursting out the sides and swimming trunks which were more comfy then my normal shorts. The mountain views were incredible! The tram is visible on the right of the photo.
  • Some of the ferrata sections had really nice exposure. It was hard at some sections as I had to decide whether to trust the rock or the metal more.
  • This ladder section would have left for an interesting climb without the metal. My wonderfully broken in shoes are visible.
  • I sat down for a snack and for the first time since i started the hike I was visited by others. They only wanted me for my good taste though.
  • I reached the summit of the first major peak along the ridge and had lots of time to spare. I could look around and see that all the major peaks within viewing distance of the city had a cross on them. No time to linger, off to the next peak!
  • These two guys were the first that I met on the route. They are properly dressed for the occasion and are coming down a section I had come down about 5 minutes earlier. The hardest portion of the climb on the ridge was in about 30 feet.
  • The two climbers are just dots in the mass of rock now as they down climb the most difficult portion of the climb along the ridge. An overhanging ladder.
  • And we pay millions to live with views like this. Innsbruck and one of the highest bridges in Europe in the distance.
  • Finally at the summit of Brandjoch. At 2559meters (8395.669 ft. to the American!) it was the highest peak I had climbed on the trip. Excellent views were in every direction as the weather was still holding amazingly. I met a few guys who had also just summited and this was their reaction "You just came from where?! The ridge? With those shoes? No harness?" After a bit of talking they said they would give me a ridge back to the hostel if I walked down with them. Yay! The tram is visible far off on the ridge.
  • These guys really know how to make a summit register! This was encased in a metal container along with a stamp that told the peak name and height! It was put there just that morning.
  • The town of Innsbruck, Austria and the famous River Inn
  • More and more mountains. It was hard to have a bad view. I wrote this while on the peak. When I summit I like to close my eyes and then open them after a brief pause. Everything seems new again.<br /> <br /> Earth : The Savior<br /> I close my eyes and all in front disappears.<br /> Noises become louder, the car, the plane.<br /> My life shifts, I forget where I am.<br /> Please Earth rescure me, I am sinking.<br /> Where is the beauty you behold?<br /> Where have you gone, leaving me falling?<br /> "Open your eyes" the voice rips me from the ground.<br /> I am floatin high above the mountain tops.<br /> My eyes open and I see only summits of the earths great creatures.<br /> All is quiet, I no longer register sound.<br /> Amazement has taken that sense.<br /> Quickly all returns, my toes caressing the rock.<br /> My eyelids drop slowly and I whisper.<br /> "Please Earth rescue me, I am sinking."
  • This is a partial trail map of what I hiked. The red is the route I took.
  • One last picture of Innsbruck. While surfing the internet at the Youth hostel I was asked to help change someones tire. He was grateful and bought me a ticket to come down to the Dolomites where he lives and do some climbing in the area. That trip report is next!
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