Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Obertauern













I ran across a couple who were enjoying cycling the passes. I talked with them for an hour. They recommend wild camping which I like. They do wait till near dark to set camp and get an early start. They were in their eighties and had cycled a good bit of the world. I headed up the next big pass.  There was an old roman road marker and yes all the rivers run this thick with fish.  As to the chair the car is real.  I came across a road that looked like it would take me up to the pass but was a good bit longer. As the dirt road switched backed up the hill I did not remember any switch backs on the map. Also I was looking across to the other side which had the way back to the pass and could not see a road just cliffs. Getting to the top I stopped into the hut and had a Sherpa who had played on Everest serve me apple strudel. When asking about routes got told roads are for bikes and trails are for hiking by another guy working there. As I was on a lower pass leading into a parallel valley that would take me bake to where I started the day. Heading south to the upper pass I was told involve fixed ropes. I decided to stick with my original plan. The trail for a coupe hundred yard I could ride about half. Then it got rouge. There were a number of fence crossings which required pulling the gear from the bike to lift the bike over. I did need to watch out for the tough cow with a spiked nose ring. When I came to the cliffs which the placed a cable to help if you slipped another round of unpacking the bags. After several hours I came to a route with paved road which I took to the main road rather than continuing to push my bike up the trail. When I got to the main road I figure out my little side trip of 4 hours and help me avoid a mile and a half of traffic on the main road. Also at the main road ran into a Czech bike touring and we road the next two miles to the top of the pass. When I stopped in at a restaurant at the top I saw one of my back bike bags was gone. I headed back down the pass. I do remember turning on the tail light as I was going up the main road and the bag was there. Did not find the bag and it was the cloths bag. So I now have counting what I am wearing:
2 t-shirts
1 bike shorts
1 baggy shorts.
7 socks (not pairs)
1 light fleece long sleeve shirt.
All my rain gear.
There was a good bit of cash and my spare ATM card. I return to the restaurant as I am still very hungry. They have wireless internet so I call the bank. A waiter yodels into the headset while I am talking to the teller was fun. The restaurant staff were helpful and took me for another look and checked with the other business that were open. I head down a little ways out of town and off the pass to camp. I end up hauling the bike up another steep hill to camp. No fleece jacket = no pillow (dam).
8/18/10
34.8 mile 7:05 hr / max speed 25.5 / avg moving speed 4.9 / stopped time 5:53 / 4964 ft total ascent. (Rain then threat of rain, evening light rain)
Love & kisses
Steve

2 comments:

Cinderella Servranckx said...

Thank you for furfulling my request: some photo's of yourself! Who took the one from your back, you could not do that yourself?! I do make a lot of my own photo's as most others are not so good with camera and it's always funny to do yourself, but a bit mental ; ) So I hope you did not put your camera on a stone and drive to shoot your own picture and then pick up the camera, hihi...

Cinderella Servranckx said...

Steve, did you really go all the way around the mountain to avoid the normal route, where cars drive? This took you many hours and a lot of hassle and you LOST YOUR BAG?!?!? Shit man... very adventurous and I am sure I would do the same but only to avoid the 'highway'?! Uhm.... If you need I can send you a North Face man rainpant, a very good and new one. Hope you stock up with good gear now. I go this afternoon for a decent bicycle pant myself : )