Austria

August 7 to 29, 2010

brechhorn, floch & bergleuchten

This morning the plan was to go either Filzalmsee or Brechhorn. It was cloudy, but it appeared that the clouds were just in the valley and in the breaks we could see blue sky up above. So Opa and Rubby decided it might be a good day for Brechhorn. And it was.

It was a picture perfect day (we ended up taking almost a 1000 photos today!). The kids were amazing and Samantha hiked the whole way on her own without complaints. In fact it was Samantha's enthusiasm that finally clinched the deal to forge ahead and not just tackle Brechhorn (which in itself is considered a challenging hike even amongst locals) but also Floch.

And if a long day of hiking was not enough, we also ended up taking the lift back up the mountain at night to witness the annual "Bergleuchten". It is described by the tourism bureau as follows: "More than 40,000 torches create impressive pictures on the mountainsides of the Brixental. Every year the "Bergleuchten" charms both locals and guests, as the associations of Kirchberg, Brixen im Thale and Westendorf display their symbols, arms and initials on the freshly mown, natural canvas of the fields."

Note: The hike itself (not including going between the hotel, Uri's and the lift or the little walk for the Bergleuchten) was 16.6 km.