Hello Austria 🇦🇹
Sven Walther
Ellmau / Wilder Kaiser
We arrived in Ellmau (see last blog post) – and this was when we could finally start focusing on the actual journey. We set up our temporary home on a small farm and went on day trips, short and long, depending on the weather.
I had already mentioned the Bergdoktor in the previous post – afterwards we hiked up the Astberg on a longer loop with beautiful views of the Wilder Kaiser.
The weather was mostly mixed – but at least one day brought blue skies and sunshine, perfect for some photos.
View from the farm toward the Wilder Kaiser
View of the Wilder Kaiser
But to be honest, most days looked more like this…
Heavy rain – even the duck pond overflowed
…so we decided to make another unplanned stop. Marco and Tanja from the Camping Caravan Podcast kept sending us photos from the Großglockner – all sunny and rain-free.
Großglockner / Heiligenblut
So we packed up again and headed for Heiligenblut. Since it was a spontaneous decision, I hadn’t planned everything properly and only realized at the toll booth that the way to Heiligenblut leads via the Grossglockner Hochalpenstraße. Apart from the steep toll fee (charged by the metric ton…), it was a fantastic and educational drive – tight switchbacks, steep climbs and descents – I can handle them now.
At the highest point there’s a relatively small tunnel (just 4 m clearance in the center)
Quick stop, nearly froze, then moved on
After many more bends and a bit of searching, we finally arrived at the campsite in Heiligenblut – Tanja from the Camping Caravan Podcast spotted us early.
We got the spot right next to Marco and Tanja – right at the entrance where everyone notices you (and the Mammothon draws attention anyway).
Hello neighbors in Heiligenblut
Hello neighbors in Heiligenblut
Our pitch
Unfortunately, we seemed to have brought the rain with us – not quite as bad as in Ellmau, but still wet. So we headed out on two hikes to waterfalls – you’re getting wet anyway…
The rain keeps following us (me)
The Mystic Trail to the Gössnitz waterfall
Gössnitz waterfall
But there were two real highlights:
- Our evening game nights with Marco and Tanja
- Our hike in perfect weather up to the Großglockner
Yes – we actually had a clear day! The sky opened up more and more during our long hike, and eventually we had an unobstructed view of the summit (and plenty of photos to prove it).
The start of the hike with a view of the reservoir
At first the summit was still hidden in the clouds
Lou posing
The three of us posing
That’s the way forward
We crossed a wild waterfall
I’m still full of energy – where are you…?
Glacier in retreat
It was both impressive and unsettling – from the foot of the glacial lake, signs showed how far the glacier had reached in different years. The impact of climate change is staggering.
Almost at the top – and the summit has broken free of the clouds.
At the top – Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe
It was a wonderful few days at the Großglockner. Before leaving, we emptied the wastewater and refilled fresh water (for the first time since setting off 4 weeks earlier!). With low water pressure, filling nearly 600 liters took quite a while…
Schladming / Krug
Now on to the real reason we came to Austria – we continued to Schladming, home of Krug (we had already been once last year).
We wanted some modifications done, plus two or three small repairs – so we scheduled a week in Schladming.
Family gathering of the Krug trucks
Family gathering of the Krug trucks
Family gathering of the Krug trucks
In the meantime, we stayed in a hotel (strange, when you’re used to living full-time in the Mammothon) – the place had a bit of a spiritual, new-age vibe :)
View from the hotel room
Church in Schladming
For me, it was off to a client meeting in Vienna – taking the ÖBB train from Schladming station (right by Krug) for 4 days in the big city.
Meanwhile, Saskia continued exploring the Dachstein region.
Lake on a hike
Dachstein from afar
Panorama
One modification really stood out – as well equipped as the Mammothon was, it had been missing air conditioning. That’s now fixed!
Mammothon now with air conditioning