Dazzling
The trail head
A Weekend in Tirol, Chapter 9
Monday, 28 September 2009, 5 till 7 pm
Having eaten my roll and checking the time on my mobile I lead a short but hefty discussion, if I should take the dirt track downwards or if I risked missing the bus at 7 pm not knowing how long it would take me to get down to Obergurgl via the hiking trail. If I missed that bus I would have to wait till late in the night for the last bus going downhill to Umhausen. And I had to pack and be up at 4 am the following morning. Well, you might have guessed it already, the enticing look of red blueberry bushes on the oposite side of the road won the unequal match.
Crossing over and stepping onto the trail was like going through an invisible gate and entering an enchanted world. What lay ahead of me had nothing in common with the landscape of the past 8.5 hours. I was sure fairies were dwelling there. The place was spellbound.
Obergurgl is a village of 420 inhabitants and about 100.000 tourists per anno are staying here. Unbelievable but this tiny ski-resort boasts a university center. It's part of the university of Innsbruck courses, seminaries and congresses concerning the subject sport. On second glance it does not seem so strange anymore as Austria is a skiing nation and this place is perfectly situated for this.
The dirt track to Obergurgl
First impression of the Rotmoos falls - Rotmooswasserfall
Blueberry - Blaubeere / Heidelbeere - Vaccinium myrtillus
Crowberry - Krähenbeere - Empetrum nigrum
Lingonberry - Preiselbeere - Vaccinium vitis inaea
Trail marking: the Austrian flag
Hohemut cable-car section II - Hohemut Bahn Sektion II
Blueberries in autumn are my favourite bushes for their fire red colour and their delicious fruits. I simply had to spend a bit of time on the ground and delve into them.
Below the natural monument "Swiss Stone Pine Forest of Obergurgl" - Unten das Naturdenkmal Obergurgler Zirbenwald
Rotmoos Wasserfall - Red Moss Falls
The second vista of the Rotmoos Falls held a surprise. Nothing along the path had prepared me for this sight of water falling free in two steps deep into a canyon. To get this view I had to stand close to the edge of the canyon without any rail between me and a drop of 80 to 100 metres. It was a bit scary standing there, but the view was simply breathtaking. The sound of thundering water echoed against the canyon walls.
The canyon of the Rotmoos Ache
Rotmoos Ache - Red Moss Stream
It intrigues me! How can pines grow so tall, survive every storm for decades on a naked downsloping piece of rock?
My camara had a bit of a tick when photographing this evening scene. Either the well lit foreground went black while the mountains had their proper colour and the sky was blue or the foreground was ok but the mountain range disapeared completely from the screen. Therefore you must now blend in your mind the forground from the photo above with the sky and mountain range below to have idea, what the landscape truly looked like.
Entering the natural monument "Swiss Stone Pine Forest of Obergurgl"
Same problem here. In reality the sky was perfectly blue and the mountain range in the background clearly visible immersed by the golden light of the evening sun. If somebody knows how to solve that problem, I would be grateful for a hint. The camera is a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28.
After having taken my time at the falls, in the blueberry bushes and in the forest I rushed down a final ski-slope and ended up on somebody's pasture. It was like in England: somewhere there was a ladder to climb over the fence. I went along the road for the last part, passed the university and finally reached the bus station after 10 hours walking. I had 30 minutes left before the bus would leave. Why did I sprint.
Last photo before climbing onto the bus. Goodnight lovely last day!
COMMENTS
Tishfish said at 1:43 nachm. on Feb 10, 2010:
Spectacular is more like it ! ! ! ! ! !
Lageho said at 2:04 nachm. on Feb 10, 2010:
Underbara "bergsbilder".
Merja-zerga said at 2:37 nachm. on Feb 10, 2010:
Ces montagnes nous font monter vers l'art photographique!
Merci Anke.
ThierryKarine
Jesusgoz said at 2:57 nachm. on Feb 10, 2010:
Bien hecho.
Eduardo.affonso said at 3:18 nachm. on Feb 10, 2010:
Wow! Magnificent images, all of them with a beautiful texture and light. I don't dare to pick one, or two, or ten favorites: the whole set is great.
Neusinha.Gedoz said at 4:03 nachm. on Feb 10, 2010:
Anke, when you handle your camera, you are blessed. Your pictures are painted with brush. Congratulations. Beautiful, beautiful.
Chilla said at 5:27 nachm. on Feb 10, 2010:
Anke, I think the scenery in this Tabblo is my favourite! The tapestry of colour on these hillsides is simply wonderful! What an amzing trip and although I said it before, an intrepid traveller. Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful pictures!
Liliana said at 8:25 nachm. on Feb 10, 2010:
This is Wonderland!!! I loved all: the trees, the falls, the bushes (all those "berries"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), the colours, the sky... Thanks for sharing this trip!
FoguinhoFoto said at 8:28 nachm. on Feb 10, 2010:
Beautiful
Moorlerche said at 11:20 nachm. on Feb 10, 2010:
Just a quick thanks before I slip out of the door for work! I very much appreciate your comments. One would think to be dead tired after 10 hours of walking. But the day was so rich of breathtaking images that tiredness never came to my mind. It was just one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done.
Andre. said at 12:36 vorm. on Feb 11, 2010:
Truly beautiful scenery. I enjoyed watching and reading. Thank you.
OscarDaniel said at 5:25 vorm. on Feb 11, 2010:
wonderful scenary!
Mariel69 said at 7:41 vorm. on Feb 11, 2010:
as much as you have seen, like it...
Pachito said at 8:22 vorm. on Feb 11, 2010:
Warst du in dieser wunderprächtigen Landschaft etwa alleine unterwegs? Wo sind denn die ganzen Wanderer und Bergsteiger und Hirten? Ein paar Tage in so einer Umgebung würden mir auch mal wieder gut tun. Klare reine Luft atmen ist schon sehr wertvoll.
Waltinho_2011 said at 10:25 vorm. on Feb 11, 2010:
Photos magnificent and beautiful macro! Lush tropical landscape, a lovely ride.
HtD said at 11:27 vorm. on Feb 11, 2010:
Ein wunderschönes Gebiet Anke. Ich war nie in Österreich aber oft in der Zweiss.
Ich lieve die Berge. Sehr schöne Foto's.
D.Clover said at 11:49 vorm. on Feb 11, 2010:
fantastiskt landskap och fantastiska bilder! Verkligen en passande tidpunkt att ge ut dem till oss stackars skandinaver vars tillvaro är mer eller mindre svartvitt just nu! jag har tyvärr inte hunnit följa Er reseskildring eftersom jag är hemkommen från en vistelse i Sverige bland vänner men jag skall ta itu med Er övriga tabbloer i ämnet så fort som tiden tillåter.
Chaitiamma said at 12:31 nachm. on Feb 11, 2010:
A super great series of tours !!! Well done !!!
Ira said at 1:09 nachm. on Feb 11, 2010:
Very beautiful nature. Wonderful photos. Tender colors. Perfect landscapes. And I like your blueberry very much:)
Moabjeeper said at 9:06 nachm. on Feb 11, 2010:
Beautiful scenery and commentary.
Moorlerche said at 12:10 vorm. on Feb 12, 2010:
Thank you Oskar, Andre, Waltinho, David, Ira and Bob.
Tack så också mycket till Er Marie och Clover. Jag är nyficken vad Du tycker om hela berättelsen D.
Danke auch Euch Henk und Patrick.
Ja, Patrick, es war unglaublich. Aber ich habe auf den Wanderweg vielleicht 4 oder 6 Leute gesehen. Zwei unterwegs und die anderen am See. Bisher hatte ich mir die Alpen immer gespart, weil ich dachte, daß sie so touristisiert sind und bin lieber nach Norden gezogen. Aber das Wochenende war echt von vorne bis hinten perfekt.
WEIMAR said at 2:51 vorm. on Feb 12, 2010:
Es ist absolut nachvollziehbar welch ein WE du genießen durftest...gut für die Seele wunderbare natürliche Farben...für mich wieder ein paar Fotos zu viel...bei weniger Fotos nehme ich einfach mehr wahr.
Nestorinacio said at 1:41 nachm. on Feb 12, 2010:
Very good mountains and travelling.
JoanW said at 7:08 nachm. on Feb 12, 2010:
What fantastic photos! They are truly beautiful, the mountains and colours of the hillsides with the bushes and plants is spectacular. I loved the close-ups of the fiery red bushes and flowers. The colours asof the mountains as the time of day changes makes each photo different in texture and colour. You have a great collection of photos on this trip. Thanks for thw hike, I couldn't make it myself so enjoyed it through your eyes.
Moorlerche said at 5:44 nachm. on Feb 14, 2010:
Thank you Heid, Néstor and Joan!
Heidi, ja es ist immer schwer sich von etwas zu trennen, und ich sage lieber nicht wie viele Bilder nicht im Tabblo sind. An jedem einzelnen von den verbliebenen hängt mein Herz.
Joan, I hope you are better by now! I just read the other day about your trouble on the cruise. Take good care of yourself!
Painterlaura said at 8:24 nachm. on Mär 9, 2010:
Just catching up on all your wonderful Tabblos. Love the two pictures of mountain sky and meadow. The combination of the solid mountains and the soft colorful wild flowers is great. Another winner.
