06 - 08/10/23 : Étape 06 Waxriegelhaus - Schneealpenhaus

Thursday 10.08.23: A great day - a great stage.....but let's start at the beginning:

07:00 in the morning...the alarm clock on my phone rings...I press the snooze button once and turn to the side...hm...suddenly something slaps on my cheek...instinctively I swipe it away...eww...it was a little grasshopper! That's one way to wake up - but quickly!

I take care of all my ailments, then have breakfast, and off I go! The 4 km and 450 meters of elevation gain on the 'Snake Path' (winding up the basin in switchbacks like a snake) to the Karl Ludwig Haus (Luzi Wuzi - unfortunately closed) that I skipped on yesterday's tour, is added as an appetizer to today's 16 km stage - we'll see...

But at the beginning of my hiking day, there is a hurdle: I make a turn - and there it is...the wild Alpine vineyard snail right in front of me! No panic; Slowly back up, and go around it widely....phew, that was close! So uphill to the Rax (+ 450m), then on to the Heukuppe (+ 200m / 2007m elevation) and over to the western end of the Rax to Gamseck. From there, the secured via ferrata descends down into the saddle (- 800m) between Rax and Schneealpe. I briefly consider whether to take the via ferrata or bypass it. Oh well...let's do it! I'm barely 15 minutes into the via ferrata when it starts raining...where did that come from? It's not raining heavily, but just enough for about 15 minutes to make the rocks and the safety rope wet and cold. I dance over the rocks as if on eggshells - no risk no reward! After 45 minutes of climbing, it's already over - the rest of the descent into the saddle is a steep forest path. On the other side towards Schneealpe, it gets even steeper with a 600-meter climb to the Schneealpe plateau, and then another 5 km over to the Schneealpenhaus.

This stage was beautiful; The Rax with its alpine round back; lots of chamois; the exciting descent; the many clouds after the rainy days....But it was also quite chilly (about 12°C) with a icy strong wind. One more realization: I need to carry more water - my bottle was already empty at noon!

Body check: Feet no problem; muscle soreness is a thing of the past; both knees inconspicuous - today was more uphill than downhill; New problem: a little blister on the right - I will treat it with Pepanten Plus right away....

By the way, to Andrea: Thank you for your entry, but I think you got the wrong tour in Komoot! My tour also went via the Tratenkogel (also called Dratenkogel or Drahtenkogel) - that means a few more meters of elevation and kilometers of trail....