Austria

August 7 to 29, 2010

gampenkogel and shelbyville

Gampenkogel

The hike up to Gampenkogel was pretty fast, especially since we could just let our minds wander instead of having to concentrate on the kids the whole time. At the top we met up with the local sheep and found the new cross (the old one had been hit by lightning and last time we were here they were just dismantling it to take it down). A new little bench had been made from the wood of the old cross so we signed our names in the log book and had a little Schnecke snack while enjoying the non-existent view.

On the way back down it was pretty slippery so we took it slow. We also stopped to pick some blueberries and managed to fill a small ice cream container full to bring back down with us.

The kids are ready to head out to Uri's house.

A quick stop at the tourist info.

A local "Schnecke"... and the products the locals like to use on them!

Samantha doesn't need us to bring her to Uri's... she confidently marches on without us.

Alpine flowers.

Keep your dogs on the leash... sheep in the area!

it's a wet day... at least this salamander is enjoying it!

With all this fog, it's advisable to stay on the trails. (Note, this is not a trail leading between these rocks!)

Living (hiking) on the edge!

I think we found the sheep... according to Uri, this is an award winning herd.

This guy is certainly dressed for the cold temperatures today.

Rubby heading through the clouds and sheep.

There's always one black sheep of the family!

And suddenly, we see the cross in front of us!

Rubby posing with the awesome view at the top of the mountain.

It seems to be our tradition now to do this hike without the kids on the worst weather days of our vacation.

The new cross at Gampenkogel. (1957m elevation)

We only saw this one bird but we heard several calling through the fog.

While exploring the area around the peak, Rubby found a plaque
in memory of a woman who had died on the mountain, remnants of the old cross,
as well as some barrels and candles and stuff that we assumed was for the mountain lighting festivals.