​Day 13. As I was the only guest, the night was very quiet and I slept very well. The hut tenant Bruno (who is originally from Berlin as well, in the mountains since he was 20 and for 13 years he manages this hut) gave me some advice on a nicer alternative to the trail. It sounds indeed better but also means a few hundred metres of altitude in addition today and tomorrow. I feel rested and plan to do this alternative. 

From there it is now mainly downhill. First rather steep,  the getting easier. A few other hiking are hiking up to the hut. I reach the very touristy Emberger Alm (what I wanted to avoid with the other trail, but I don’t want to force myself too much).  

A cappuccino with view and off I run downhill through beautiful forest. The waitress tried to convince me that it is too far to go down by foot and wanted to organise a hitchhike for me. She cannot believe it when I tell her that I already managed to hike from Salzburg to here by foot and that 3h downhill wouldn’t be an issue for me. 

There are a lot of paragliders in the air, the thermic situation here is apparently perfect. I feel like I can fly again and much earlier than expected I arrive at Greifenburg. My guesthouse is 2km outside but is worth the detour. I have a small room but I can sit on the sunbed in the garden and refresh myself from time to time in the fountain. The owners, a family, couldn’t be nicer and I can relax for a few hours and call family and friends. Obviously there is once more a thunderstorm while I am in a town.

Day 14. A lovely breakfast awaits me and the owner wrote a note on my egg to wish me a good morning and a great hike. How nice! Today is supposedly easy, though rather far with 26km. Of course only if you don’t get lost after one hour in the forest, continue on a non-marked trail and end up climbing 200m of altitude steep uphill in thick forest! Completely soaked in sweat I finally find the trail again and swear to myself that next time I simply walk back to where I lost the trail! I should be hiking with someone more reasonable than me 😉 

The remaining trail is indeed easy and flat and my legs finally recognise that kind of hiking and time flies by as I hike mainly along a river via Weissbriach to Hermagor. It gets very hot though and in the end I even exchange my hiking boots with my sandals. 

1. In Hermagor I simply walk into the first hotel and take the room. I wash some clothes and myself and go for some yummy ice cream outside in the shadow. Today is “Kirchfest” in Hermagor, a village fête with the habitants being all nicely dressed up, dancing,…