In July last year I took off on a solo mission in the Austrian alps which besides turning out to be one of the best things I have ever done unexpectedly led me to some important life lessons and epiphanies.
I have always liked hiking by myself even though in Cape Town it is hardly possible due to safety reasons. So when I was in Europe during my travels in 2019 I decided to do a hike in the Austrian Alps – a dream I have had for a long time. My base was at a friend in Innsbruck, whom I had met a few months earlier in Portugal. Since I had never hiked the Alps before and especially never hiked alone for multiple days, I decided to go for a shorter 3-day and 2-night hike along the Eagle Walk in an area called Wilder Kaiser. The pictures I found online looked amazing and I was so excited.
On the morning of the 24th of July I took an early train from Innsbruck to St. Johann in Tirol. From the train station it was a bit of a walk to the start of the hike but I was optimistic and amped for the hike. The first day was said to take 5 hours – it took me 7 hours! There was a detour on the way due to rockfall, it was pretty hot in the middle of European summer and I was not used to hiking with a backpack with clothes and snacks for 3 days. Also the journey is the destination and I didn’t want to rush and miss out on all the natural beauty and incredible views. The first overnight was at Gaudeamus hut and it was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. I slept in an interesting dorm room where the dorm beds are connected to one huge bed, which fitted about 6 people next to each other at the bottom and 6 on top. It was reasonably priced and super comfortable with great bathrooms and a comfy bed, which was the best after 7 hours of hiking up and down the mountains. Dinner was served at 6 pm sharp and I sat outside with the most incredible views across the greenest grass with countless cows whose bells were ringing while they were grazing. The backdrop of mountains was the most unreal view I might have ever had.
Tip: Beware of the cows, which roam free and you come across everywhere you walk. Normally they don’t cause any trouble. I only had one occasion where a young cow stood in my way and started licking my arms and then didn’t want to leave me alone and chased me back up my path, I guess she liked the salt from my sweat. But I managed to trick her and get around her and then ran off.
I left Gaudeamus hut heavy-hearted the next morning at 9 am with a plan in mind to arrive at my next destination – Hintersteiner See (Lake) at 2 pm to be able to enjoy the lake and have a swim.
I would have loved to just stay another night in this spectacular place, but after I left on the morning of the 2nd day, I was taught an unexpected life lesson. Once I was on my way again, every turn and every corner was holding a surprise, something amazing that I couldn’t have known or expected or even imagined before. And these experiences, views, or moments were even more amazing than the day before. It wasn’t a new concept to me but showed me very clearly that on a hike as well as in your life you can never know what will happen around the next corner, or the next day or in the future. Which basically takes away the fear of the unknown and fear of change because you cannot even fathom the amazing things that will await you – things you could have never expected. It was a great reminder to not hold on too tight to moments or things, to keep going, accept change and let yourself be surprised by life.
I arrived as planned at the lake Hintersteiner Lake at 2 pm. The lake is so big you cannot see from one side to the other and it takes more than an hour to walk along the shores to the other end.
I did not want to miss the opportunity to spend some hours during the day enjoying this spectacular lake! I stopped twice walking along the lake to the southern side swimming in the lake and taking in the incredible beauty of the scenery around me. It is not allowed to swim on the sides of the lake outside the designated “swimming beach” which costs entrance fee and is overly crowded but I’m a rebel right? This was one of the times during the hike when I wished I could share this unique experience with someone – one of the few downsides of traveling and hiking on your own.
Interesting fact: The lake has a size of 56 hectares and is 36 meters deep (118 ft). It was created during the last ice age and underground springs fill the lake with crystal-clear water.
The second night I stayed in a guesthouse called Pension Maier and shared a lake-view room with 2 Austrian women. I was so tired that I walked or rather stumbled down the stairs of the guesthouse in my socks to the restaurant next door to join the two women and another guy for an early dinner at a table on the terrace in front of the restaurant with beautiful mountain and lake views.
On the last day the official route sounded a bit short with only 9,5km and ends with a lift-ride down into the valley. Since I didn’t want to spend the money on the lift-ride and also wished for the hike to not be over yet or ideally never end, I decided to walk down the panoramic route of the mountain into the valley of Kufstein (which took an extra 2 hours). As I arrived in Kufstein I couldn’t wait to catch a train back to Innsbruck to kick back and relax.
3 days and 41km up and down through the Alps at +-28/30 degrees and sunshine. I was surprised about how strong I was and also how long I was able to hike in a day. Hiking is definitely addictive and therapeutic. The hours pass, the mind wanders, there are so many nice landscapes to enjoy. The journey is the destination.
Walking for hours and hours away from people, technology and infrastructure is so good to clear the mind and to order one’s thoughts. And this is something that would not happen if you hike with other people. Walking by yourself for hours is almost magical.
The most entertaining part of the hike was how many people commented on my shoes. I was hiking in VIVOBAREFOOT primus trail shoes. About 95% of all hikers I met were serious hikers from Germany, Austria, or Switzerland and were properly equipped with heavy hiking boots. A lot of them had painful feet and many blisters. So I showed my lightweight, super comfy VIVOBAREFOOT shoes and everyone was surprised that I would a) hike the Alps in those shoes and b) have no blisters. A few of them took pictures of my shoes or wrote the name down. I hope they give them a try. Since I got my VIVOBAREFOOT 1,5 years ago, I don’t want any other shoes for hiking anymore. Read a bit more about my experience with VIVOVBAREFOOT below.
Conclusion:
Best decision ever – I will be back for more. If you get a chance to do it, do it! Austria is much cheaper than Switzerland. It is super safe, super organized, and super amazing. The route is easy to find, there are signposts everywhere. You meet people along the way on your hike, overtake them or get overtaken, you meet some of them at the huts at night. I was mostly too tired to talk much but everyone was super lovely. The staff in the huts was incredibly kind. And they even cooked a special vegetarian, gluten- and lactose-free meal for me.
My experience with VIVOBAREFOOT:
I had been intrigued about VIVOBAREFOOT shoes for a few years knowing two friends who had them and seeing other people wear them on the mountain. But I wasn’t sure if they would give my ankles enough support (I have a history of spraining my ankles). I was used to wearing trail running shoes and even went over to a high-ankle hiking boot. When the life span of that high ankle boot was over I finally went to a VIVOBAREFOOT shop and bought a pair. And I will never look back. I don’t want to hike – even walk in anything else anymore but my VIVOBAREFOOT shoes (except for when I am actually barefoot of course). Once you get used to them you just cannot go back to cramping your foot into a shoe that does not fit the anatomical shape of your foot or to having thick soles where you never feel the ground properly. After I bought them I read up a bit on their website about all the research and it boggled my mind that I had only now gotten myself a pair. When wearing shoes with cushioning we don’t feel the ground properly and we use the wrong muscles in our bodies affecting our whole posture and health. You can find out more about it on their website in the post “SHOES HAVE DISTORTED OUR FEET”. A huge difference I felt from wearing VIVOBAREFOOT was that I used to have pain in my legs even after shorter hikes especially in my calves. Once I got used to the VIVOBAREFOOT and my degenerated feet muscles came back alive, I never had tired or painful legs after my hikes. Since my mission is to help you to live your best life and improve your life by being happy and healthy, I am promoting the VIVOBAREFOOT link and banner here on my blog. There won’t be much material “stuff” that I recommend because I am generally a minimalist/essentialist and I believe that less is more. But THIS shoe is truly essential to me.
Did you enjoy this post?
Subscribe to get the latest blog posts directly to your inbox!
I was there about a week later and took almost the same route. I was going solo as well. It was a joy and refreshing of the spirit and I hope to get back to the Alps soon.
How lovely to hear you had a similar experience! I also hope to be back in the alps soon for more of these incredible experiences!