Summary: slip-sliding away… rain forecast leads to truncated hike.
Remarkably, both Andreas and I felt in good shape despite our long hike the day before, and Russell's chafe had also subsided, so in theory we were all set to go for today's hike. In practice, with rain in the forecast from mid-morning on, we looked for, and found, a way to shorten the day. Lidia drove us down the valley to the village of Katerinaberg, where we had planned to join the Meraner Höhenweg trail, saving us about 3 hours of less interesting walking, and we set off around 9AM.
The Meraner Höhenweg goes all the way around the Texlergruppe massif just north of Meran. Along the south side of the massif, which we hiked, it oscillates between around 1400m and 1850m, about mid-way between the valley and the peaks, at times passing through forests, at times crossing the steeply sloped fields of the Almbauern (mountain meadow farmers), at times diving into (or crossing on suspension bridges) the deep-cut ravines in the sides of the mountains. It is quite simply spectacular… and even if it meant hiking in the rain, I didn't want to miss it.
A word about the Almbauer. Some of the farms are noted in documents dating back to the 13thC and earlier, long before the advent of lifts and roads, and it is pretty amazing that they managed to eke out a living a thousand meters and more above the valley. Frankly, even now some of what they do is still amazing — especially mowing 60 degree plus slopes for hay. I'd be afraid of merely walking across some of their fields — one slip and you are finished — and they mow them. Some have diversified into tourism (the creation of the Höhenweg has no doubt been a godsend), but the steep meadows all still seem to be under cultivation. Impressive.
And as for the Höhenweg itself — it lived up to its reputation. Continually varied, with spectacular and ever-changing views across and along the wide valley of the Vinschgau, with its vast apple orchards and stunning alluvial fans, back up towards Switzerland and south and east to the Dolomites. Every 30 minutes or so you pass an Alm, many of which offer drinks and food, or, if needed, a safe refuge from the elements… which, had we not had good clothing, we might have needed once the forecasted rain arrived around 11AM in the form of a thunderstorm. But we had good rain-gear, so after a brief stop to change under an eave (with several other less well-equipped hikers), we pushed on. A lightning strike a couple of hundred yards away left us a little unsettled, but the nature of the Höhenweg means that you are hardly ever exposed as you would be on a ridge walk or a peak, and several other hikers passed us in the other direction while it rained, so we weren't alone in our estimation that the risk was low.
We arrived at the Pirchhof shortly after noon… to find that Lidia had preceded us by a few minutes. She had driven the car to a gondola about an hour from the Pirchhof, taken it up, and then hiked from there. Unfortunately her rain-gear and preparation was not as good as ours and both she and most of the contents of her pack were soaked. She had a dry change of clothing, however, and the rest dried out overnight.
The Pirchhof is one of these ancient alms… and our rooms for the night were in the original farmhouse, which, if it did not date all the way back to the 12thC, both looked and felt as if it might. Our room had a balcony, but after a quick look at the state of the wood floor, I opted not to use it :-). The newer buildings are also charming, with great views, and everywhere there were flowers… delightful!
