From
Innsbruck to Brixen and through the Dolomites to San Martino di Castrozza
Stage 4 - Gries
am Brenner to Enzianhütte
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From
Innsbruck to Brixen and through the Dolomites to San Martino di Castrozza |
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Stage 4 - Gries
am Brenner to Enzianhütte |
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| An easy 6 hour walk, a 15 min section along the road is required to cross under the Brenner highway and traintracks; no sidewalk, so its a bit tricky with the cars whizzing by. | |||
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| Finding our way to the correct path in Gries am Brenner was a challenge, we asked several people and eventually located the sign...lying on the ground with a broken post. Turning right uphill after the sawmill and before the medical office, we followed a nice trail through the forest. |
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Near the top of the hill, we ran into a couple
older italian ladies who were picking mushrooms. They did not want to be
in the picture, but let me hold their prize mushroom. It must have weighed
2 pounds! By the time we had reached the Sattelalm, the clouds had closed in and it looked like rain. The hut keeper suggested we skip the Sattelberg and take an alternate route to Brenner. |
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| We crossed the border to Italy along a not so well marked path, ignoring ''private property - do not trespass' signs as we had been instructed. Apparently the farmer here does not care for tourists and even though the paths are public property, he has posted the signs. Near Sattelmöser we met 2 bicyclists who had taken a wrong turn, with the help of our map and altimeter we soon send them in the correct direction. | |||
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We did not escape the rain, just after passing
under the Brenner highway, the drizzle started. At Guesthouse 'Wolf' (looked
permanently closed), we took shelter at a farmers barn for the worst of
the downpour. The farmer had suggested following the sign 'Wolfendorn' at
a roadgate into the forest rather then continuing on the dirt road.. Through
the wet grass, sometimes kneehigh, we walked on an overgrown trail and eventually
emerged at the Lügeralm buildings. The path turned right and seemed
to go down a dirt road. But over to the left, a handpainted wooden sign
directed us toward the Enzianhütte.
We would see several more of these makeshift signs before reaching todays
destination.. Newly remodeled, the hut has beautiful rooms with sinks, plenty of hot water for showers, and great food. Here we met Hans and Sebastian, who are crossing the alps on bicycles. |
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