Sometimes I like to be challenged on a mountain hike. I seek out my personal limits and try to push them a little. On other days, I’m simply out there for the nature. Those hikes can be more relaxed. I want to enjoy the route, not exhaust myself completely, and still be able to lift my eyes and take in the views. The climb to the Schwalbenwand is one of those hikes that’s perfect for unwinding and feeling good, without doing away with the effort altogether.
The first steps are the hardest
Does this sound familiar? Those first steps are hard. Your body hasn’t warmed up yet and you’re out of breath after just a few minutes. It’s always like that for me at the start of a hike. Even after a break along the way, I need to get my body moving again.
On the way to the Schwalbenwand, that’s relatively easy. We parked at Berggasthof Mitterberg, and from there the first stretch climbs gently along a forest road. By the time it gets properly steep, my muscles and circulation have already adjusted to the movement.
Cows guard the path
At the Schützingalm, the trail gets steeper. And livelier. But I don’t mean that lots of other mountain sports enthusiasts have suddenly decided to head for the Schwalbenwand. Instead, I find myself surrounded by four-legged friends.
The cows have endless room on the lush meadows all around. Yet they’re all gathered right beside the path, or even on it. I carefully keep my distance, sometimes making wide detours, and wonder whether they’ll add a significant number of kilometers to my hike by the end of the day.
I make my way through the herds, dodge countless cowpats and zigzag ever higher through summer flower meadows toward the first summit. The cross on the Maishofener Schwalbenwand summit stands on a boulder at an elevation of 1.895 m. Beyond it, the mountain drops away steeply. I lean over the railing and look down. For a moment, I have to swallow hard. It’s a seriously long way down.
Along the ridge
The second summit of the Schwalbenwand is a little higher. From here, I still have to climb about 100 vertical meters to reach the summit cross at 2.011 meters. The signpost says it takes 25 minutes. I probably took longer. A few photo stops can quickly turn 25 minutes into an hour. But those stops were a must.
The trail follows the steep edge of the mountain all the way. To my left, I look down into the Glemmtal. To my right, I have a constant view of the Kitzsteinhorn and Zell am See-Kaprun. Over there, the landscape becomes truly high alpine. The mountains in that direction are still covered in snow, and I can even see the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern. Amazing. I hardly know where to look first.
Why it pays to start early
It’s only on the way down that I realize just how popular this hike is. We pass lots of people coming up: hiking groups chatting happily, relaxed couples and families holding their children’s hands. While we had the trails almost to ourselves—apart from the cows—they’re crowded now. Getting an early start was definitely worth it.
So while our fellow hikers spread out along the trails, we stop at Berggasthof Mitterberg, where we started our hike, and take a seat on the terrace overlooking the lake. I order an iced coffee. It comes with a golden palm tree.
So here I sit, in a T-shirt, sipping my iced coffee and gazing out over the pale blue lake. Almost like being on the Mediterranean. As the saying goes: ‘When I see the lake, I don’t need the sea.’ But the thought of a beach vacation vanishes as quickly as it came. If I lift my head a little, I’m looking straight at the glacier. And now I know for sure: with a view like this, I really don’t need the sea!