Failing to Make the Climb

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Today is the day, we are going to climb the Zirbitzkogel mountain in an all day hiking trip. It is the day after my climb from St. Lambrecht to Zeustach. My legs and feet are still screaming at me from yesterday but I need to do this. We all had a fun laughter filled breakfast and then boarded our little bus for a scary climb up the mountain. It is a one lane road that zig zags up the mountain. We landed at this little hut/village/resort and offloaded. We then started the treck. The ladies I am traveling with practically sprinted up the mountain and out of my sight. I started chugging up the mountain...slowly. My body and legs were screaming all the way. I rounded a couple of corners and then the horrible happend. My legs gave out, they just wouldn't move anymore. They also had some pretty terrible cramping going on. I chugged water, cried with frustration and tried to get back up to keep on going. My legs refused to take me any further up the dang mountain. I tried resting for a few more minutes getting my breathing under control and flexing my legs trying to get the cramping under control but I simply couldn't do it. I swore a few obscene things at myself and turned around to climb down after my little tantrum. I was so mad at myself I couldn't believe my body was refusing to do what I wanted it to.

This was as high up as I could go...

hiking times for experienced hikers

I made my way back to the hut to sit at a picnic table to wait and while I was there a little friend came to meet me. What a sweet little kitty. While he was visiting she had a friend pop her head up to say hi but the kitty I was petting was the jealous type so a quick little bitchslap from her and the other friend left.

our new friend introduced herself to toothless

our other friend that was driven away...such pretty markings!

While I was sitting I met someone who had just made it up to the little resort spot to be a nanny of sorts for some boys. Lucky for me she spoke great English and we got to talking a lot, really made the time fly! We had lunch together and then she asked me if I wanted to meet the baby goats. OF COURSE I DO!!! Baby goats!!
She was able to get some day old bread from the kitchen to feed the goats and we hiked down to the goats pen, we spent a lot of time hanging with the sweet little goats.

cuddling a baby goat

feeding a goat

mama goat and baby

Every one started arriving back from the hike a full 2 hours early! They even stopped and at at the hut on the top! The guide called the bus to come get us off the mountain and then as a bonus for them not me being so fast he decided to reward us with a trip, on the way back to our hotel, to a 13th century castle ruin. I was in heaven!! The place reeked of history and tales untold.
We traveled all over the place just ooohing overthe raw architechture and snapping photo after photo. It may have been a crumbling ruin but it was pretty neat.

We climbed all the way to that flagpole

The photos don't do this place justice

amazing to think they built this with rocks and mud

our professor took photos of the group

We drove back to the hotel to fall into sleep and eat Schnitzel made for us by our awesome innkeeper.

Monday, May 28, 2012
Today is travel day, lots and lots of travel. We start off going in the bus from Zeustchach over to Neumarkt and then catching the train in Neumarkt, then we take the train from Neumarkt to Bruck an der Mur. Then we jump on another train going from Bruck to Graz. Then we took another train from Graz to Feldbach. Then we took another train from Feldbach to our own little town of Bad Gleichenberg. whew what an exhausting day!

Snapped this at one of the stations, the station master comes out and checks to be sure everyone can cross the tracks alright and then goes back in his office to wait for the next train.