Stage 09 From Glacier to Wine North Route Alpine Variant Admont - Gesäuse Mödlingerhütte

A few meters after the start in Admont (Tourist Information Tel. +43 3613 2116010) in front of the monastery of the same name Admont, we keep at the main road before the railroad crossing briefly left and immediately right again to reach the eastern edge of the Oberhofsiedlung in the wooded Kematengraben. Crossing a path and several forest roads, we reach the spring of the Steinernen Wirtes at the foot of the Hahnsteinkante. Here the path becomes increasingly panoramic, leads through mountain pine fields and finally ends in the meadows of the picturesquely situated Scheiblegger Hochalm at 1,660 m above sea level. From this alpine pasture the further tour leads us to the Kreuzkogel, whereby increasingly steeper alpine pastures, which merge into a gully at the top, accompany us to the summit. From here, during a well-deserved rest, we have a fantastic view of the Admont basin with Weng, Hall and Admont, where we started, and the Haller walls on the opposite side.

From the summit of the Kreuzkogel, the trail continues over the striking Riffel ridge to the summit of the Riffel. The crossing is largely no problem for surefooted people, only shortly before the summit the terrain becomes rocky and steep, but a steel rope serves as support here. After a very short descent into Speikboden, the Kalbling-Sparafeldweg is reached. From Speikboden, a marked path leads to the summit of Sparafeld with its 2,247m. If you have time and are fit enough, you should take this detour, because the panorama offered at the summit is unforgettable.

The rest of the trail leads steeply downhill to the Kalblinggatterl, a prominent hiking trail junction east of the Klinke Hut (Tel. +43 3613 2601). Above, at the foot of the rock walls, you will find a beautifully situated bench, which once again offers a wonderful view and retrospective of the tour.

Here at the Kalblinggatterl we meet the main route of the stage from Admont to the Mödlinger Hütte (Tel. +43 680 2057139), our today's stage destination of the hiking route "From Glacier to Wine", which leads from the glacier of the Dachstein to the wine country in the south of Styria. By the way, the double peak of the Admonter Reichenstein, located north of the Mödlinger Hütte, is one of the most popular photo motifs in Styria and should be enjoyed in the evening atmosphere of the Gesäuse mountains. The next morning our tour takes us to the next hut, the Heßhütte in the middle of the Gesäuseberge.