Photostory

A gem between the hiking trails is the ‚Gföllsteig‘ in Heutal. We went by car to the Gasthaus Hintergföll. There we parked our car. The Gföllsteig starts only a couple of meters away from it. It meanders as a small and steep but wildly romantic path down into the canyon to the Unkenbach. At each curve you have a different view to a meadow, a hollow way, sometimes stony, sometimes soft. Wonderful! We spent some time in the creek bed and went unhurried up again. The descent is marked with 25 minutes and the ascent with 35 minutes. That is about the time that it took us even with taking a lot of photos. If you like you can go further, e. g. along the Unkenbach to the Schwarzenbergklamm (a flume) and then on the round tour back to the Gasthof Hintergföll. There are several possibilities.

Wednesday morning it was time! The alarm clock was set for 4:15 am; a quick view out of the window – there: a starlit sky. Genious! That will be a stunning sunrise! A quick jump into our hiking clothes and up on the top of the mountain. We went by car up to the Loferer Alm. We thought we had permission to go as far as to the Schönblick Alm and would have to walk the rest. But our ticket was valid also for the second barrier. So we drove to our viewpoint and waited unhurried for the sunrise. So it was a sunrise deluxe 😉 Because we have been on top earlier than expected we were greeted with a fantastic starry sky. I couldn’t get much better than that. Then came the first glimpse of dawn. More and more light and colours. Clouds that were lighted from below. And

Today we left directly from the hotel – without car. We desperately wanted to walk along the Saalach as we are here in the Saalach valley. From our car we spotted the path many times and it looked very inviting. So we had to walk it. We started from the Kirchenwirt and went towards the main road. From there a small way leads to the banks of the Saalach. It is marked „Schüttbad“. You walk over a small bridge and directly after it a nice path starts with those characteristic white stones. After that you walk a little bit on the road and behind the hotel Schüttbad the Gaissteig starts. Wonderful! The Saalach has so many colours. These different shades of green. You can’t get enough of it. There are benches to sit and enjoy and at some parts you can get on the banks close to the water. Grate!

So you are astonished? Three alps on one day. But not by hiking. Don’t panic! To the Kallbrunn Alp (Kallbrunnalm) you can go by Almtaxi or walk from the parking lot Pürzlbach along the road up to the alp. We had with Birgit from the natural preserve a stunning chauffeur. The Kallbrunn Alp is a commons from altogether 30 farmers from Bavaria and Salzburg. The small houses are called Kaser which is supposed to come from Latin ‚casa‘ – house and has nothing to do with cheese. Those Kasers are plain pictorial and scattered over the hills with their larch shingles and some have even larch shingles on their outer walls. Here on top time seems to stand still and you can spend hours here. Strolling from Kaser to Kaser, walk into an alpine snack bar or just sit somewhere and enjoy the view or listen to the sound of the

So we tried hiking again. Like going upwards with a back pack and so on… Our target was the Hochalm at Heu valley (Heutal). Our very nice landlady did not only have tipps for our tour but also a parking ticket for the parking lot so that we did not have to pay. There are two possibilities to get to the Hochalm. a) from parking lot 1 comfortable along the forest road or b) through the forest on a small path from parking lot 2. We took b. So we drove in the direction of Heutal and passed parking lot 1. But where is parking lot 2? The signs are not really helpful. So we drove on. Parking lot 2 will appear, will it? Oh a sign! Parking lot 2 to the right! Halleluja! It is not only parking lot 2 but also a huge climbing wall and there is

We already have some experience with miniature golf and golf courses. But hiking golf was new to us. First you get the equipment at the tourism information in Lofer, which is a wooden club and at least one wooden ball. Why at least one? You will see on your way… You also get a map, which is also the score sheet. We took one club for both of us. The club fitted perfectly into Achim’s photo backpack right beside the tripod. I carried the wooden balls in my jacket. Perfect split of work. Off we went. Huge wooden signs mark the way and the first hole is not far away from tourist info. The holes have funny names and are not easy to play. Everything is made out of old farmers equipment and lots of wood. So nothing is really straight. The challenge is to have the right amount of

We have been at the pilgrimage church Maria Kirchental near St. Martin at the Salzburger Saalachtal. In St. Martin brown culture signs show the way to the church. If you like you can park your car in the centre. The parking lot near the tollgate is with costs. From there you can either walk up. There are some possibilities. You follow the street with cloister or you choose the hiking trail which goes up in nice curves through beautiful nature and across a brook. We choose the car. Toll for the private road for a car is 3,90 Euros. On top there is nearly a small village with a handful of buildings. The huge old vicarage which today is the house of reflection and the old sacristan’s house. Of course there is a souvenir shop and the obligatory church inn which here is called Kirchental Wirt. The church itself lies