Читать книгу The Karnischer Hohenweg - John Hayes - Страница 12
ОглавлениеINTRODUCTION
Don’t be surprised to hear the Peace Bell being rung as you climb Monte Coglians (Stage 4A or 5A)
The Karnischer Höhenweg is a 169km long-distance trek along the main ridge of the Carnic Alps, a mountain range straddling the border between Italy and Austria. It’s a beautiful high alpine walk, mostly above the tree line, with amazing views of the Dolomites to the south and the Hohe Tauern to the north. Although not particularly famous, the Carnic Alps have a unique history and geography, and walking there is a special experience.
The Karnischer Höhenweg follows the World War I front line, and reminders of the conflict that defined both Italy and Austria are everywhere. Although the fighting took place 100 years ago, the front line – marked out by trenches, dugouts and barbed wire – is still a distinct feature.
Perhaps less obvious is that the Carnic Alps are also the location for another important dividing line, the Periadriatic geological seam, which runs parallel to the range in the valley immediately to its north. This division between the African and European tectonic plates, as Africa continues its drive northwards, is key to understanding the origins of the Alps.
These dividing lines turn what would otherwise be just another wonderful stretch of alpine walking into something really special. One minute you’re walking through classic limestone scenery (technically the Carnic Alps are in the Southern Limestone Alps) and the next you’re among ancient schist and granite, in scenery more commonly found in the central core of the Alps. One minute you’re in Austria and the next you’re in Italy, and despite open borders, the cultures, like the geology, are very different.
The special nature of the Carnic Alps makes them a honeypot for hikers, and five different long-distance walks traverse them. In addition to the Karnischer Höhenweg and the Italian version, the Traversata Carnica, they are traversed by: the E10, one of Europe’s 12 long-distance hikes; the Via Alpina, the main red route on its way from Monaco to Trieste; and the 03, the Südalpenweg, one of Austria’s 11 national trails.
The Peace Trail
The mountain fighting in World War I lasted for just two and a half years, from May 1915 to October 1917, but its impact, both culturally and physically, endures. The immediate post-war period saw ethnic cleansing, a hardening of the borders and, on the Italian side, a concerted process of ‘Italianisation’ – the imposition of the Italian language. The bitterness provoked by this process was deep and, some argue, still persists.
The Peace Trail and much of the early promotion of the Karnischer Höhenweg is down to the work of ex-army officer, alpinist and historian Walther Schaumann. The son of a soldier who had served in World War I, Walther believed that restoring wartime relics and making them accessible to visitors was an important act of reconciliation. He coined the term ‘Peace Trail’, which now applies to three routes: the first part of the Karnischer Höhenweg, established by the Dolomitenfreunde (Friends of the Dolomites) in Austria; the Itinerari di Pace sul Carso della Grande Guerra in Italy; and the Pot Miru (Walk of Peace) in Slovenia.
Walther Schaumann founded the Dolomitenfreunde in 1973 with the aim of supporting peace and international understanding through research and documentation of the former conflict areas. The main activity was turning ‘war trails’ – the routes formerly used to supply troops – into ‘peace trails’. Each summer, volunteers from all over the world gather to carry out this work. The motto of the Dolomitenfreunde is ‘Trails that used to separate the front lines nowadays connect us.’ As well as creating some 300km of peace trails, the association has established outdoor museums at Plöckenpass and Monte Piana and an indoor museum at Kötschach-Mauthen.
Watch out for the memorial to the founder of the Peace Trail near the Hintersattel (Stage 2)
The route
The Karnischer Höhenweg follows the Carnic Alps and is traditionally walked from west to east, from Sillian through to Thörl-Maglern (although to find easy transport the guide recommends extending the walk a few kilometres to Arnoldstein). The mountain range is long and thin, and generally speaking both the route and the border between Austria and Italy follow the central ridge. The range is intersected by two significant passes, the Plöckenpass and the Nassfeldpass, both of which are important north–south transport links. Generally the route stays high, at between 2000 and 2500m. The first two-thirds are alpine in character, with spectacular walking, consistently above the tree line. The final third is more pastoral, with meadows, cows and trees.
The route can be completed in 8–10 days, although, given the amount there is see, most people will take longer. In particular, there are alternative routes around Monte Coglians, the highest mountain of the Carnic Alps. The original route (referred to in this book as the ‘Austrian route’) can be completed in 8 days; it stays to the north of Monte Coglians. The southern route (presented here as the ‘Italian route’) requires 10 days and is more challenging than the Austrian route.
See also ‘Selecting an itinerary’ below for two alternative options: an 8-day trek taking in the highlights of the Karnischer Höhenweg; and a more leisurely 12-day trek.
World War I earthworks and remains
Moving a field gun at Filmoorhöhe (Stage 2); Observation post on Eisenreich (Stage 1); Trenches on Kleiner Pal (Stage 5B); Naval gun at Straniger Alm (Stage 6) (public-domain photographs taken from the archives of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek)
In the Carnic Alps, the World War I front line coincides with today’s border between Austria and Italy, and generally speaking the border follows the watershed. Where the ridges are long and sustained, the trench lines are easy to spot because they are almost invariably orientated to the south (the Austro-Hungarians established their defensive positions first). In the more mountainous parts of the route, the location of the front line is sometimes harder to identify, but all the mountaintops are fortified and here the remains are typically extensive.
The visible evidence of the war is everywhere. As well as trenches and protective earthworks, tunnels were hacked into the sides of mountains, sometimes extending from one side to the other. Command posts, cooking stations and latrines can be found, along with rotting floor and roofing materials. Coils of rusting barbed wire, still where they were positioned over a hundred years ago, are everywhere. Occasionally a brass button or a strip of shoe leather acts as a more intimate reminder, if needed, that men actually lived and fought on the mountaintops.
Less immediately apparent than the remains on the front line are what’s left of the transport infrastructure developed to supply it. At the beginning of the campaign, all the materials were carried up to the front line by pack ponies, dogs and men (often prisoners), so any zigzag trail working its way up the mountainside (sometimes all that’s left is the outline on the hillside) is likely to have been constructed for this purpose. Some of the routes are particularly elaborate and involved significant works of construction and engineering. Later in the campaign, the infrastructure became more sophisticated, and the technological advances involved, including cable cars, were used after the war to develop the skiing industry.
The World War I Open-air Museum at Plöckenpass is particularly interesting. Here, the Dolomitenfreunde have restored an area that, because of the pass, was particularly heavily defended. Both the Austrian and Italian front lines, which here were only 30 metres apart, can be visited. It is not a museum in the conventional sense, there are no entry and exit points and the curation is minimal, but after days of walking through war remains it’s easy for your imagination to fill in the gaps.
Where it can, the route follows the border and the front line. The bigger mountains, however, are typically circumvented either to the north or south. Nearly all these mountains can be easily climbed and the crowning fortifications visited.
Field kitchen on Kleiner Pal (Stage 5B); Insignia carved into rocks; All-too-real dugout on Große Kinigat (Stage 2)
SUGGESTED READING
The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front, 1915–1919 by Mark Thompson
The War that Ended Peace by Margaret MacMillan
The landscape and views
The Karnischer Höhenweg is a ridge walk and the views in all directions are often spectacular. It sits right in the middle of some huge mountain ranges. The views to the south, particularly at the beginning of the walk, are dominated by what is arguably the most beautiful part of the world’s most beautiful mountain range, the Sesto Dolomites. To the north, the much smaller Lienz Dolomites (the western end of the Gailtal Alps) attempt to grab attention, only to be put firmly in their place by the more distant but much larger white-topped summits of the Hohe Tauern. Views of Austria’s most important range, dominated by its highest mountains the Großglockner (3798m) and the Großvenediger (3764m), can be seen along the entire length of the Karnischer Höhenweg. To the south, views of the Sesto Dolomites are replaced by the South Carnic Alps, a complex range of limestone mountains dissected by deep valleys. The Julian Alps, Slovenia’s most important mountain range, come into view from the southern side of Monte Coglians on day 4 and, like a harbinger of the journey’s end, dominate the second half of the Höhenweg.
The landscape changes as the Karnischer Höhenweg journeys from west to east. Until Nassfeld, it is alpine in character and features massive limestone peaks and long ridges of granite and gneiss. After Nassfeld, and dropping down a little, forests dominate and here the highlights are the little hamlets, occupied only in the summer, dedicated to the production of cheese.
The highest point on the route is Pfannspitze (2678m), a granite mountain climbed on the second day. There are, however, a series of optional climbs, some of which, if the weather is good, will be irresistible to those with time. These include some of the highest mountains of the Carnic Alps, the massive limestone lumps of Monte Coglians (2789m), Monte Peralba (2694m), Große Kinigat (2689m) and Trogkofel (2279m).
The limestone stretches of the Höhenweg are the most dramatic, characterised by towering cliffs, steep banks of tumbling scree, and dry valleys. Although less dramatic, the gneiss landscapes provide the best walking. Here, the ridges are more sustained, and the hillsides, particularly those facing south, are grassier.
The silhouette of the Julian Alps from the unnamed pass near Ringmauer (Stage 6)
Geology
Some argue that the Carnic Alps, from a geological perspective, are the world’s most interesting mountain range. They are designated, along with the Gailtal Alps, as a UNESCO Global Geopark.
The geological boundary between the African and European tectonic plates, the Periadriatic seam, runs along the valley immediately to the north of the Carnic Alps. In a simple world, this would have provided the dividing line between mountains to its north, dominated by the granite and gneiss of the Hohe Tauern, and mountains to the south, the limestone of the Dolomites. However, although the Carnic Alps are on the southern side of the dividing line, they don’t just consist of limestone but also include the granite and gneiss of the Hohe Tauern.
The area was covered twice by the sea for hundreds of millions of years. The first of these seas covered today’s Carnic Alps in the Ordovician age, during which sediments were formed. Then 440 million years ago an ‘event’ triggered the first build-up of mountains in the area and an igneous plate was pushed over the sedimentary rocks. The remains of this plate can be seen in several places on the main Carnic Alps ridge.
Some 350–400 million years ago, and after erosion had removed most of the mountains, a second sea (the Thetis Sea) covered the area for some 200 million years. This enabled the formation of incredibly thick coral atolls, the remains of which are today’s limestone mountains, including the Dolomites.
The final formation of the Alps began 200 million years ago, and here again the Carnic Alps are special. The mountains folded upwards and rolled northwards like waves breaking on a beach. (The geological term is ‘nappe’, from French nappe, a tablecloth, because of the way a tablecloth folds and crumples when it is pushed across a table.) With the waves breaking over the Periadriatic line, the layering of the rocks became more and more complicated. ‘Suddenly’ (in the geological timescale) old layers were sandwiched between younger ones, sometimes vertically, sometimes horizontally.
The Carnic Alps UNESCO Global Geopark is well resourced, with a visitor centre at Dellach and six geotrails – short walks featuring important geological features described with noticeboards. Four of these geotrails (Wolayersee, Plöckenpass, Zollnersee and Nassfeld) are close to the Karnischer Höhenweg. The Plöckenpass trail, near the World War I Open-air Museum, visits the Cellon avalanche gully, which features the world’s longest in situ rock strata timeline.
Looking from the Luggauer Sattel to the intimidating cliffs of Torkarspitze (Stage 3)
Plants and wildlife
For most of its journey, the Karnischer Höhenweg stays high and travels through a landscape that for much of the year is covered in snow. Natural vegetation needs an ability to cope with low temperatures and make the best of a short growing season.
The edelweiss (symbol of both the German and Austrian Alpine Clubs), with its creamy felt-like petals in a star formation, may be the most famous flower, but it is only one of over 1500 species that can survive such alpine conditions. Easier to spot than edelweiss are blue trumpet gentians or harebells. Perhaps a little gaudy and much larger is the orange lily. You may also see, growing heroically on inhospitable limestone scree, the golden yellow Rhaetian poppy, the larger flowered ox-eye, or the globeflower. Common in damp valleys, and familiar to English walkers from the Pennines, are the tufty flowers of cotton grass. Attractive even to those with the most casual interest in flowers are orchids, the most spectacular of which is probably the lady’s slipper orchid with its maroon and yellow petals. Also featured are the alpenrose, of which there are at least two common varieties: the red-flowered auburn alpenrose, and the hairy alpenrose, which has pinker flowers. The mauve-flowered Wulfenia, a member of the plantain family, is unique to the Nassfeld area. In the wooded areas, conifers such as fir, larch and pine dominate, but particularly at the eastern end there are large forests of beech.
Like the flowers, animals have to be capable of surviving extreme conditions, living on slim pickings. Previous visitors to the Alps will be familiar with the whistling warnings issued by a marmot leader who, spotting or smelling an interloper, tells his colony of fat meerkat-like creatures to get back into their rocky burrows. Less common and generally seen only in the distance are the chamois and ibex. Both in the past have been hunted to near extinction and both are happily in recovery. Much rarer, and warning signs suggest they should be avoided, are the brown bears whose meagre numbers are also on the increase.
The Alps are not a particularly rich habitat for birds. Most common is the alpine chough, a small hyperactive crow specifically adapted for high altitude. If you see a raptor it is likely to be a common buzzard, although there are also honey buzzards around. There are about 350 pairs of golden eagles in the Austrian Alps so if you’re lucky you might see one of them.
In addition to coping with the alpine conditions, plants and animals must also compete with agriculture and the annual cycle of transhumance, the summer grazing of sheep and cattle in the mountains. Particularly on the Austrian side of the border, but in Italy as well, the lifestyle associated with transhumance remains central to the cultural identity of people living in the mountains, and the return down the valley of sheep and cattle, which takes place in mid September, is a major event for locals and tourists alike.
Edelweiss, with its star-like petals, is the symbol of the German and Austrian Alpine Clubs
How hard is the walk?
The Karnischer Höhenweg is a well-defined alpine hike. The Alps, ‘the playground of Europe’, are where adventure travel began, and there is nowhere in the world that gets close to matching their ‘walking infrastructure’. This includes the accommodation, the paths themselves, the waymarking, and the ropes, cables and ladders placed to enable obstacles and exposed stretches to be navigated with a high level of confidence.
The amount of accommodation available means that a range of day lengths can be catered for. To complete the walk in 2 weeks, however, including some of the optional highlights, expect to be walking for 6–8 hours per day, carrying a pack of 6–7kg and climbing around 1000m a day.
There are some stretches of walking where a head for heights is needed and where you might find cables and even ladders to help with progress and provide additional reassurance. This means that a wide range of walkers can manage what would otherwise be challenging walking. The stretches requiring a head for heights can be avoided but it would mean missing some of the best parts of the walk. It should be stressed that unless you intend to attempt some via ferrata options (not included in this guide: see below), no specialist equipment is required. Providing you have the necessary head for heights and a sense of adventure, the Karnischer Höhenweg is a good introduction to alpine walking.
This guide suggests variants to the main route, which usually involve climbing a local summit. None of these climbs require technical experience but, again, some of them involve steel cables and ladders. Each variant is accompanied by a brief description, including an indication of the degree of challenge associated with it.
Via ferrata options are not included in this guide, although there are lots of opportunities in the Carnic Alps for those with the expertise and equipment. This is where the sport of via ferrata was first developed, as climbers began to exploit the cables and routeways that were originally used for supplying troops on the top of the mountains.
The difference between walking in good and bad weather is enormous. On the Karnischer Höhenweg, it is generally easy to get down from the mountains, but cold weather, snow and poor visibility feature even in the middle of summer. Being a ridge walk, the Höhenweg is not a good place to be in an electrical storm. Weather forecasts should be carefully heeded and will be supplied to guests on request in the huts and hotels.
Selecting an itinerary
Walking through trenchworks along the granite ridge approaching Reiterkarspitz (Stage 3)
Halfway along the Karnischer Höhenweg the route divides into two, with alternative Austrian and Italian routes around Monte Coglians. The route is described in 8 stages for the Austrian route and 10 for the Italian route; 8 days is the minimum amount of time needed to complete the whole route. Each stage is approximately a day’s walking, but this should be regarded as a loose framework around which to plan your visit to the Carnic Alps rather than a strict menu. There is a lot to see and each stage has variants. The descriptions and information provided are designed to enable walkers to produce an itinerary that matches the amount of time they have available, their interest in World War I, and their willingness to climb some additional summits along the route.
The first decision is whether to take the Austrian or Italian route round Monte Coglians. The Italian route is recommended but it does involve a sustained stretch of cable-assisted walking. It is spectacular and the reward is a stay at the fabulous Rifugio Marinelli. If you wish to climb Monte Coglians, you will have to choose the Italian route.
The second decision is whether to walk through the World War I Open-air Museum. It is a fascinating journey, described as part of the Italian route, but it does in effect add 2 days to the itinerary. It is possible to take the Austrian route round Monte Coglians (the easier route) and walk through the museum but this again takes 10 days.
The third decision relates to the balance of time spent on the first two-thirds of the walk and the final third. If the first part of the walk holds more interest for you, consider dropping the final couple of days and heading down to the valley by ski lift at Nassfeld. This would allow you to take the Italian route round Monte Coglians, visit the World War I Open-air Museum and complete all the best walking in 8 days.
Incidentally, many will regard the first stage from Arnbach to Obstanserseehütte, at 8hr 45min, as too long, and indeed other guides split this stage into two, staying at the Sillianer Hütte on the first night. This makes for a dull first day, however, spent climbing up through pine to the main ridge. If 8hr 45min is felt to be too long, then consider taking one of the ski lift options. The stretch of walking from the Sillianer Hütte to the Obstanserseehütte is awesome and guarantees that the trip along the Karnischer Höhenweg starts with a bang rather than a whimper.
The route summary tables at the beginning of this guide provide information on timings and distance for each stage of the walk. Appendix A offers a full route breakdown, with a summary of accommodation options and intermediate timings, to help you plot your own itinerary.
On the Sentiero Spinotti (Stage 4A)
The tables below suggest two alternative itineraries: an 8-day trek taking in the highlights of the Karnischer Höhenweg; and a more leisurely 12-day option.
| Highlights of the Karnischer Höhenweg: 8-day trek | |||
| Day | Time | Distance (km) | Notes |
| Day 1: Arnbach to Obstanserseehütte | 8hr 45min | 18.3 | Consider taking ski lift |
| Day 2: Obstanserseehütte to Porzehütte | 7hr 30min | 13 | Climb Große Kinigat |
| Day 3: Porzehütte to Hochweißsteinhaus | 8hr | 17.8 | |
| Day 4: Hochweißsteinhaus to Rifugio Marinelli | 8hr 50min | 19.9 | |
| Day 5: Rifugio Marinelli to Plöckenpass, with Monte Coglians | 7hr 15min | 13.9 | Return along route and climb Monte Coglians |
| Day 6: Plöckenpass to Casera Pramosio | 7hr 15min | 11.2 | |
| Day 7: Casera Pramosio to Straniger Alm | 6hr 15min | 13.4 | Climb Hoher Trieb and continue to Straniger Alm |
| Day 8: Straniger Alm to Tröpolach | 6hr | 14 | Take the Millennium Express from Madritsche Ski Station down to Tröpolach for trains to Villach |
| Total | approx. 60hr | 121.5 |
| More leisurely option: 12-day trek | |||
| Day | Time | Distance (km) | Notes |
| Day 1: Arnbach to Sillianer Hütte | 4hr 30min | 8.6 | Consider taking ski lift |
| Day 2: Sillianer Hütte to Obstanserseehütte | 4hr 15min | 9.7 | |
| Day 3: Obstanserseehütte to Porzehütte | 6hr 30min | 12.2 | Consider staying at Standschützenhütte after 3hr 40min |
| Day 4: Porzehütte to Hochweißsteinhaus | 8hr | 17.8 | |
| Day 5: Hochweißsteinhaus to Wolayerseehütte | 6hr | 14.7 | |
| Day 6: Wolayerseehütte to Plöckenpass | 5hr 15min | 10.4 | Take the Austrian route but head south at Plöckenhaus; or go via Rifugio Marinelli and consider climbing Monte Coglians |
| Day 7: Plöckenpass to Casera Pramosio | 7hr 15min | 11.2 | |
| Day 8: Casera Pramosio to Straniger Alm | 5hr | 13.4 | |
| Day 9: Straniger Alm to Nassfeld | 6hr 20min | 17 | |
| Day 10: Nassfeld to Eggeralm | 4hr | 14.2 | |
| Day 11: Eggeralm to Gasthaus Starhand | 4hr 20min | 15.8 | |
| Day 12: Gasthaus Starhand to Arnoldstein | 8hr 30min | 28 | |
| Total | approx. 70hr | 173 |
Getting to and from the route
The small cemetery at Hochgränten Pass is the highest wartime cemetery in the Alps (Stage 1)
How much time you need is also influenced by where in the world you live, but getting to and from the Karnischer Höhenweg, located as it is right in the middle of Europe, is relatively easy. Getting on and off the Höhenweg, both at each end and at various points along the route, is particularly convenient, and for much of the route you are never more than 3 hours’ walk from a railway station. The valley to the north of the ridge, known as the Lesachtal at its western end and the Gailtal at its eastern end, has a train running along it from Kötschach-Mauthen to the mainline station at Villach.
International connections to the route are also good, and all the cities listed below have international airports. Of these, Munich, Vienna and Venice have the best international connections. Particularly convenient for Sillian are:
Innsbruck – train journey involving just one change (4hr) or there is also a bus that is just as fast as the train
Salzburg – train journey via Lienz (4hr 30min)
Munich – train via Innsbruck (5hr 30min)
Venice – where a bus via Cortina provides the best route (6hr)
Ljubljana – train journey via Lienz (6hr)
Vienna – train journey via Lienz (6hr 30min).
From Arnoldstein it is possible to get to:
Ljubljana – train and bus (2hr 30min)
Venice – train (once daily) (2hr 30min)
Salzburg – train (3hr 50min)
Vienna – train via Villach (5hr 30min)
Munich – train via Villach (6hr)
Innsbruck – train via Salzburg and Villach (6hr 20min).
When to go
The persistence of winter snow and the likely arrival of new snow in the autumn determine the relatively short length of the walking season in the Alps – from early July through to the third week in September. The huts only open when the snow disappears and walkers start to turn up.
Although it varies from year to year, lingering snow in July is possible. Alpine thunderstorms are more frequent in July and August, whereas September is the most settled month. The peak season, coinciding with holidays, is August, so if you’re not tied to the holiday season, timing a trip to make the best use of September makes a lot of sense. The only downside is that the alpine flowers will be past their best.
Accommodation and food
The Hochweißsteinhaus, nestled at the head of the Frohnbach Valley (Stage 3)
What makes the Alps in general and the Carnic Alps in particular especially accessible is the quality and extent of the accommodation. To walk the whole route involves staying in a mix of mountain huts and small hotels, although a strongly recommended option involves a couple of nights in farm stays, known in Italy as agriturismo. This interesting and varied ‘package’ forms a key part of the Karnischer Höhenweg experience.
The Karnischer Höhenweg is popular, so if you plan to walk it in August, it makes sense to book in advance. This is straightforward, although one of the huts (the Hochweißsteinhaus) asks for a deposit via bank transfer, which can be expensive outside the eurozone (although if you point this out, the requirement to pay a deposit may be dropped). If for whatever reason a booking can’t be honoured, then ring and explain. The booking systems for the huts are currently developing rapidly, with online booking steadily becoming available. A list of accommodation, with contact details, is provided in Appendix B.
If booking by phone:
To call an Austrian number from outside Austria, use the country code (+43) followed by the area code minus any initial zero, then the rest of the number. To call from inside Austria, include the first zero of the area code. This applies to both landlines and mobile numbers.
To call an Italian number from outside Italy, use the country code (+39) followed by the area code including the first zero. Area codes for Italian landlines always include an initial zero, whether you are calling from outside or inside Italy. Italian mobile codes begin with 3 (not with zero).
At least three nights on the Karnischer Höhenweg will be spent in mountain huts (Hütte in German, rifugio in Italian), of which there are hundreds scattered all over the Alps. If this is your first long-distance trip in the Alps, mountain huts may take some getting used to, but they are a key part of the alpine walking tradition and their origins date back to the explosion of alpine tourism in the 1890s. They were particularly popular in the German-speaking world, where they were promoted by the German Alpine Club (which at that time was a single club formed of affiliate clubs from Germany and German-speaking parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). The nearest non-alpine equivalent is a youth hostel. Accommodation is in open dormitories or slightly more expensive smaller rooms which, at busy times, will also be shared. The huts are very convivial (expect to meet the same people several times), never run out beer, and provide an opportunity for some sleep (depending on your room-mates) after a good day in the mountains.
As a minimum, three nights will be spent in huts on the Austrian side of the border, where German-style food is provided. Similar food is provided in the small hotels and is best described as ‘hearty’ rather than fine dining. Standard fare includes soup (Suppe) with large dumplings – either Leberknödel (liver dumplings) or Speckknödel (ham dumplings); Gulasch, often served with dumplings (Semmelknödel); spaghetti bolognese; and, of course, large sausages (Bratwurst) served with bread, mustard and sauerkraut. Less common in the huts but available everywhere else in Austria is the Austrian equivalent of fish and chips, a type of schnitzel cordon bleu, consisting of white meat (veal, turkey, chicken or pork) wrapped around cheese, with a covering of breadcrumbs and deep fried. This is not the best place for vegetarians. Vegetarian food may be available, but (even if you give advance notice) don’t expect the standard to be anything more than basic.
Austrian hut cuisine
It sounds like a cliché but the food just across the border (at Wolayersee there is an Austrian hut and an Italian hut within 200 metres of each other) improves dramatically. The full range of rustic Italian food becomes available – antipasti, pasta and rich main courses – and there is suddenly a choice of wine. The Rifugio Marinelli is my favourite hut anywhere in the Alps and serves wonderful food (restaurant standard), with an emphasis on friendliness rather than efficiency.
The two farmhouse stays are also wonderful – one (the Straniger Alm) is in Austria and the other (Casera Pramosio) in Italy – and they both win awards for cheese. Although I preferred the Austrian cheese, the food in the Italian farmhouse was particularly good, especially the breakfast. (Be warned that at Casera Pramosio they speak no English, and apparently few Italians understand their local dialect. The staff at Rifugio Marinelli will help you if you want to book ahead.)
Mountain Gasthof or Gasthaus accommodation represents a very broad spectrum, ranging from small hotels or inns to something altogether more primitive – primitive even compared to the mountain huts.
Budget
A reasonable rule of thumb is to budget 50–60 euros a day, although this depends on what you choose to eat and drink rather than the type of accommodation. There is little difference between the cost of a small hotel and a mountain hut, although sleeping in large and sometimes noisier hut dormitories can be cheaper.
All the huts recommended are owned by the Austrian or Italian Alpine Clubs, so Club members get a discount. If you’re British, the simplest option is to join the British section of the Austrian Alpine Club – the fee includes insurance. (See contact details in Appendix C.)
What to take
The golden rule is to take only what is needed. Weight is a key consideration and the greater the load, the bigger the strain on the body, particularly the knees. Weigh everything and restrict the total load (excluding water) to no more than 6kg.
When packing, prepare for wet and cold weather; snow, particularly above 2000m, is not unusual. In addition to good quality waterproofs, pack a fleece or a lightweight down jacket, a warm hat and gloves. If your gloves are precious, then a pair of old gloves to protect the hands on the cable stretches could also be packed.
Hopefully, the ‘problem’ will be the sun rather than cold and wet so make sure you have a brimmed hat, high factor sunscreen, lip salve and sunglasses. With any luck, the cold- and wet-weather gear will stay at the bottom of your rucksack, and shorts and T-shirts will be the order of the day. For emergencies, carry a head torch (also useful in the huts during ‘lights out’), a whistle and a compact first aid kit.
For the huts, as well as personal toiletries, pack a lightweight towel, a sheet sleeping bag and earplugs. Outdoor shoes aren’t allowed in huts; although indoor shoes are provided, you may still need to carry some sort of lightweight shoes for use in hotels and when travelling.
This guide describes food options for each day’s walking. There is usually somewhere to stop for refreshments but emergency rations and snacks should be carried. Everyone will have their own emergency ration solution but a bar of chocolate hidden at the bottom of the rucksack (out of the sun and to avoid temptation) is mine. Walkers usually fill their water bottles in the huts, and there is no charge for this.
A comfortable rucksack is an essential item but it’s more likely to be comfortable if the total load is only 6–7kg. It needs a waterproof cover. Stuff bags within the rucksack might also help; they hardly weigh anything and impose a bit of order when things are getting packed in the morning.
Footwear should also be light. Remember that 1kg on your feet is equivalent to 4kg on your back. Heavy boots, in particular, should be avoided. Many walkers (me included) have abandoned boots altogether for summer walking, opting for ‘approach shoes’ or fellrunning trainers instead. Lightweight footwear means feet stay cooler, skin is less likely to blister and you can walk further without getting tired.
Routefinding
The Karnischer Höhenweg is well waymarked and, providing the weather is reasonable, finding your way is easy. Generally the path follows route 403, a route defined both in terms of local signs and relevant paper maps. Signposts are positioned at each significant junction and pass, and between the signposts there are marks (red, white, red – the Austrian flag) painted on rocks or (when crossing a meadow) on poles.
Excellent waymarks at Steinkarspitze (Stage 3)
GPS
Although most walkers now have a smartphone, many still don’t use its GPS functionality, although GPS is the cheapest and most effective way of taking the stress out of navigation. A GPS tells you where you are and getting this right is usually the key navigational challenge. If you already have an Android or Apple smartphone, you can download a GPS app and buy the required digital maps. My recommended app is a product called Viewranger (www.viewranger.com), which has in its map store all the digital maps needed for the Karnischer Höhenweg.
In addition to a smartphone and a GPS app loaded with the right maps, you need GPX tracks of the route itself. These are available for free, stage by stage, on the Cicerone website: www.cicerone.co.uk/942/GPX.
