№33 — Erlakogel
The weather report was good, the motivation was high and the backpack was ready — perfect pre-conditions for hiking in the mountains. This weekend we decided to try the Erlakogel, also known as Sleeping Greek Warrioress, on the shore of the Traunsee.
After struggling slightly with the parking meter at the bottom and paying two Euros for nothing, we managed to get started and attacked the mountain. After an exhausting hour of walking and climbing we thought we made it. Only to realize we are about a third of the way there.
We found a small well next to a road, which we used to refill our bottles before attempting the rest of the way. We passed a beautiful cabin situated in a glade, when suddenly a lot of people appeared. We were virtually alone the first hour of the trip but then, all of a sudden, we encountered a lot of people from both directions.
This continued for another one hour until we reached the next highlight of the tour — snow. Even though it was unimaginable given the 25°C or more and experiencing the heat of the last weeks, there were some snow fields left. I did what every loving boyfriend would do — hit Silia with a snowball.
After crossing a few more snowfields and getting a lot of snow into my shoe — karma, probably — we finally reached the summit in roughly two hours and twenty minutes. Given the traffic before, I should not have been surprised but still, there was hardly any space left for us to sit on the summit. Every good spot was taken.
The way down took an eternity but we finally made it all the way down there. Still, I was very exhausted and subsequently forgot to turn off my sports watch. According to the recording, I hiked with 70 kph along a busy road for three kilometers — quite the achievement!
The Erlakogel is definitely a nice hike if you are not that comfortable with heights. Since there are no places to buy food or drink and only the single well described above, bring all the water and food you need. Please also note that half of the way is without any shadow, so wear proper clothing and a lot of sunscreen — don’t be as stupid as I was.
