Up a mountain in Carinthia

Continuing my account of my long weekend in the vicinity of Villach...

Both my hosts and I were a little under the weather (I had simply ignored this fact the day before because: well, did you see the photos?) and while consuming large amounts of sage tea (good for the throat dontcha know) we all admitted that a full on mountain attempt was probably beyond us. But none of us wanted to give up the chance of an alpine peak, so we settled on a compromise - drive up the handy alpine road to 1400m and walk the rest!

This turned out to be a great decision, giving us a nice relaxed walk and maximum time in the autumn sunshine surrounded by amazing views. Our chosen mountain was the 'Hausberg' ('home mountain', basically the mountain climbing equivalent of 'local pub') of Villach: the big limestone chunk that is the Dobratsch. Its name is a testament to the mixed-language history of the area, something that is obvious considering the fact that modern day Slovenia is very easily visible from its peak.

We made our way up the nicely graded path, winding between steep grassy hillsides with remnant patches of early snow. The dramatic rise of the Dobratsch above its surroundings (thanks to the erosion resistance of trusty old limestone!) affords great views in most directions. On the way up, the most impressive view was to the east over the valley containing Villach and eventually Klagenfurt. As with the previous morning, a thick low blanket of fog and cloud was tenaciously hanging on, only slowly breaking up to offer glimpses of smaller hills and some of Carinthia's many lakes. A really magical view, with an added hint of schadenfreude knowing that the people who didn't get up early are stuck in the grey mist while you are enjoying the sun!

Up at the top are a very modern Gasthaus, a huge antenna tower, and two chapels, one of which is not ruined. The actual peak lies just above a steep steep drop towards the valley below. The views from this point were really fantastic (I'm saying that a lot in this entry), with the broad and steep-sided valley receding into the distance in a perfect demonstration of perspective, surronded by craggy snow capped peaks. All the more enjoyable for me of course was the way that this valley was so obviously a product of geological forces. The knife straight transition between flat valley floor and mountainous terrain on its southern edge is a textbook example of a fault, and in the valley proper you could see the knobbly deposits of earlier ice ages cut through by the modern floodplain of the river... By this time there was no mist at all and you could see all the way across to the Hohe Tauern some 80km away!

We made our way down on the other edge of the plateau, this time looking out to the south and east at the high ramparts of the Slovenian alps and the dramatic wisps of cirrus cloud above them. A short hike, but rich in amazing views and far better than hiding in the valleys!

Enjoy the photo set at the magic hyperlink!

Bis bald,

Der Tom