Week 94: Climbing the Traunstein
Strenuous, steep, and stunning.
Three words to describe our latest hike up the Traunstein, the highest mountain on the Traunsee peaking at 5,548 ft and directly across the lake from our home in Gmunden.
Every day for the past 663 days we have looked out from our living room window anxiously awaiting the day to make it to the top. We are now able to say we conquered this iconic mountain.
A photo I took of the Traunstein during a February sunset from the Gmundnerberg
Saturday
We parked at the Seebahnhof car park in Gmunden, took a shuttle bus to the start of the trail and walked about 20 minutes to the “Naturfreundesteig” entrance.
The Naturfreundesteig is a Klettersteig route that can be done with or without climbing equipment, depending on experience and confidence levels. We wore our helmets and gloves but did not need to use the harness.
Eric climbing up the wall
At 10 AM, we began the ascent. By 2 PM, we reached the summit.
A lot of people were out on the trail with us and many of them passed us along the way. Every jagged path we overcame brought better views and bigger challenges.
Taking a break
About 45 minutes left of the hike
One of my favorite sections was near the top. Not because we were almost done, but because the via ferrata rope leads you through a natural archway and the views of the Traunsee far below were epic.
Climbing through the natural arch
Once we made it to the top, we checked into the Traunsteinhaus, one of two huts atop the mountain.
View from our table at the Traunsteinhaus
Could be the best bathroom view in the world?
This hut experience turned out to be a little different than our previous one to Karlsbaderhutte because we had to share a room with 14 other guests and there were no showers.
Pack mama tip: Bring earplugs/AirPods to drown out all the unpleasant noises that come with having to sleep near strangers.
Our room at the Traunsteinhaus was the “Feurkogel” room
Our table for lunch the Traunsteinhaus
The best Spinatknödel. Here is a recipe I found that looks similar if you want to try making it.
We ate some of the best food ever on this mountain and watched one of the best sunsets from a bench in front of the hut.
“The best view comes after the hardest climb.”
– Unknown
Sunset from the Traunsteinhaus
Sunset from the Traunsteinhaus
Eric at sunset at the Traunsteinhaus
The moonlight shined through our window and onto our bunk, waking me up a few times throughout the night.
Traunsee lit up at night and the town of Ebensee at the far end.
Sunday
I woke up at 5:45 AM and walked out to catch the sunrise. Eric chose to catch a few more 💤.
Most people faced the direction where the sun would soon peak over the distant mountains. I decided to capture the sun’s reflection by pointing the camera in the opposite direction. The sunrise turns the mountains a soft pink and I think it is prettier than watching the actual sun come up. As people noticed what I was doing, they started to join me on the other side.
Sunrise at the Traunsteinhaus
Sunrise at the Traunsteinhaus
The Traunstein’s shadow reflecting across the Traunsee over the green pastures.
Sunrise at the Traunsteinhaus
Sunrise at the Traunsteinhaus
At 8:00 AM, we ate breakfast, which was a little sparse, then hiked over to the summit cross.
The summit cross and other mountain hut are about 30 minutes from the Traunsteinhaus
The 32-foot cross was erected after 520 men and 80 women transported approximately 4000 individual parts to the summit in just two days back in the 1950s. The cross is dedicated to the fallen soldiers of both world wars.
The summit cross on the Traunstein
Eric and the summit cross
One last look from the highest point in Gmunden
At 10:00 AM it was time to head back down. We descended via the “Mairalm” route. I think going up is mentally challenging while going down is physically more challenging. Our knees were aching pretty badly after 3 hours of navigating the steep slope full of loose rocks and tree roots.
Eric descending the mountain
There was no better feeling than taking our final step from the trail onto the forest road. We stopped at the Mairalm for lunch. We hiked to this hut in Week 6 and in the recap video from week 6 you can see Eric climbing up the first few feet of the Naturfreundesteig.
From Mairalm, we admired the mountain and reminisced on the intense path we are proud to have completed.
The highest point is where the cross stands and where we just stood.
Fun fact: There is a table at Mairalm called Kaisertisch. The Austrian Emperor Franz Josef used to take a break here during chamois hunts.
Some mountains leave lasting impressions. The Traunstein is one of these mountains. It can be seen from miles around and now when we look at it from our home it will mean even more than it did before.
