Hiking at Ebensee

We spent our first weekend in Austria doing what Austrians do: hiking. Now, I have gone on hikes before and would consider myself a “sportiv” person, but hiking in Austria is NOT the same thing as any hiking I’ve ever done before! In this land where Austrians are born with hiking boots on their feet, I think I was biting off a bit more than I could chew when I agreed to the hiking tour.

We arrived in Ebensee Saturday afternoon and spent the evening playing Frisbee and grilling brats. Ebensee is a small town on Lake Traunsee and is pretty much as picturesque as it gets. A friend of Matthias’ organized the trip. It’s an annual thing they do every fall. There were about 15 of us up for the challenge. As I sat by the grill Saturday night, once again observing, the whole experience seemed oddly familiar. Here I was surrounded by a group of young people, grilling the same kind of food we’d grill in the US and making the same jokes my friends would make in the US. It was comforting and a great welcome to Austria.

At 7:30 on Sunday morning, the rooster crowed (literally). We brushed our teeth, had some breakfast and headed out for the 8-hour hiking adventure. The weather was perfect – not a cloud in the sky. We marched single-file up, up and up! Never once was there flat ground.

It took us almost 3 hours to reach the top of the Greek Goddess trail. At times, I was climbing with hands and feet. I tried not to be offended when grandmas and grandpas passed me; rather, I was humbled. Regardless of who made it to the top first, it was an accomplishment. We ascended 3,750 feet!

We were rewarded with breathtaking views of Traunsee and the mountains surrounding us. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the top before descending for another two hours. Michael and I were completely wiped out. Three days later, my legs are still sore.