AUSTRIA: Hiking the Mountains

We love the mountains and think Austria is stunningly beautiful.

We haven't been getting the best of weather with low clouds obscuring the tops of the mountains a lot of the time, but when it hasn't been raining, and especially if the sun has been shining, we get out there!

We find that starting at a higher altitude we have to "work a lot harder" getting up the steeper inclines. 

That's our story and we're sticking to it.

We have decided that it has nothing to do with getting older and not being as active as we should be. 

But getting out there to enjoy the scenery is definitely a motivator to push ourselves. 

AUSTRIA: High on the Alps

The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is 48 kilometres (30 miles) long through the Austrian Alps.

It connects the city of Bruck, in the northern end, with Heiligenblut, in the southern end.

Over that distance, there are 36 twists and turns that snake through the steep slopes and rough terrain of the mountains.

Because of the unpredictable and dangerous nature of the weather in the mountains, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road opens in May and closes in November.

Even when it is open between May and November, the weather can change quickly to create dangerous conditions.