08 - 08/12/23: Etapa 08 Neuberg ad Mürz - Meran Haus

Sunday 13.08.23: Since I had no network and satellite reception on Hohen Veitsch in the last 2 days, I'm catching up on both entries today:

Departure in Neuberg - which also has a Hundertwasser house - late after 09:15. I had great respect for this stage because, unlike the stage the day before, it practically goes uphill all day - 8 hours, 1400 meters of altitude and 18 kilometers! Unfortunately, I was right. Right from Neuberg, it goes steeply + 700m up to Veitschbachtörl. After the first few meters of altitude, I breathe heavily like a steam horse - not to mention sweating! I feel completely exhausted. Every step costs me effort, I almost overlook a dangerous forest mouse due to so much concentration - grrr! Just yesterday, I thought to myself that the morning was always easy - not today!

After Veitschbachtörl, there is also no network and satellite reception - that's it with navigation via mobile phone. As agreed, the paths suddenly disappear, kilometer-long stretches are filled with blueberry bushes or waist-high grass, which only let me guess the trail. The blueberries are tasty, but it costs me additional meters and energy to search for markings! I have posted two sample photos of the diffuse paths...

At the Grundbauernhütte, I am already exhausted, but there is still 1/3 of the way ahead of me and +500 meters of altitude! Step by step, I torture myself up the mountain. The Hohe Veitsch lies in front of me like an endless alpine ridge. When I finally reach the junction to Graf Meran Hütte and shortly after the hut itself, a prayer escapes me....Hallelujah!

The hut is quite busy. I'm lucky: a couple that had reserved doesn't show up. So, I get a room for myself instead of having to sleep in the dormitory. I sit down for a few Zirberl with two Upper Austrian brothers, about 50 years old. The younger one did the Nordalpenweg in 2014 - but he wanted to finish it in 2-3 weeks. Therefore, he 'walked' two stages a day - sometimes even more!? The record was 56 km in one day - crazy. However, he had to break off the tour soon because he was only on the road with minimal equipment - short pants and a short tank top, hardly any change of clothes - and in 2014, there was extremely bad weather in the summer with snow flurries on Veitsch!

The story discouraged me even more...I thought my body was getting closer to its old level, but today's day and then the story put everything into perspective again....