Bike & Hike in Maishofen

It's autumn in and around Maishofen, as beautifully and tastily as autumn could ever be. Even the inn "Gasthof zur Post" had served seasonal specialties the evening before: such as fried goat cheese with pear, bacon, and plums; tender venison ragout with red cabbage and bread dumplings; or lukewarm walnut brownies with homemade pumpkin ice cream on plum ragout.
Early in the morning, such frosty temperatures and mystically swirling fog that we had to pause several times for our brief visit to Lake Zell including the castle and branch church Prielau. And now we stroll in the mild light of the warming midday sun over the red-colored slopes of the Sausteigen - above us a flawless blue sky, around us the most kitschy mountain panorama, beneath us sinfully good blueberries.

I have never eaten such large, delicious blueberries so late in the year. And rarely before was I so glad to not have a bike with me. For how else could I have picked the dark blue, sweet spheres undisturbed?
Instead: Step left, step right; just squat down a little, and comfortably pick the next handful from the knee-high heather carpet. Continue leisurely, popping berry after berry into the mouth. And when the supply is exhausted, simply bend down briefly again and harvest the next fruits, until the stomach thankfully gives up.

Usually, I'm not really into "hiking". Too little action, too small a radius, too much muscle soreness after the boring descent. But here and today it seems fitting to explore this gently curved mountain ridge on foot. Especially since we didn't leave the bikes at home completely.
Starting from Maishofen, the mountain bikes were indeed saddled first. E-mountain bikes, to be precise. A smart move, as it would turn out not only during the brisk descent over the forest road in view of the threateningly darkening clouds. After all, this way, the 740 meters of altitude to the Gstallneralm could be accomplished remarkably quickly and above all, without expending too much energy.

Gstallneralm? Does that ring a bell? Indeed. In late summer 2021, we had already been on this prime spot of the Mitterpinzgau. Somewhat impressed and sustainably delighted, we reported back then about the 16 turns to happiness, which the rustic Ă–rgenbauernalm embodied. And about the almost unbelievable panorama that was offered to us a little later at the said, completely still lying alpine pasture.

And indeed: Six kilometers, 500 vertical meters, and a few amused presses of the turbo buttons later, we saw the SUV again – parked behind the "most beautiful hut of the Gstallneralm," as neighbor Erwin will claim later during drinks with justifiable owner's pride.
What a greeting, amidst the impressive backdrop of the Steinernes Meer, Hochkönig, Zeller See, and Hohe Tauern!
Almost our day's plan was about to waver due to the hobby alpine farmer's emphatic invitation to "come over". Equipped with Erwin's detailed descriptions of which ascent routes to the Sausteigen were the most beautiful, flattest, longest, or best, we agreed to first climb the summit before we would stop by his place. We left our e-bikes with him as a sort of pledge.

And now, therefore: step left, step right, briefly bend down, pick. In this way, even someone who dislikes hiking like me can be sweetened to the task.
Apart from that, this mountain, this area truly make it difficult not to indulge in radiant revelry and appropriate enjoyment.

From the start, the climb up to Sausteigen appealed with attributes suitable for a wide range of bikers: nice, simple gravel path with a pleasant incline, fantastic views, and a manageable amount of about 400 vertical meters.
We found no traces of the prehistoric copper ore mining that had taken place here long before the birth of Christ. But how would one spot remnants of presumed smelting sites on the ground when one always has their nose in the wind and eyes on all the stony splendor that rises all around?

Following the tip of the hut owner, we choose the eastern, steeper variant for the descent over the Sausteigen southern slope, thereby practically tumbling right into his front garden.
Table and bench on Erwin's sunlit terrace with a sensational view of the mountain, lake, and other huts are already occupied: An alpine neighbor, whom we had previously seen doing some logging with a tractor and trailer, is visiting after finishing his work.

We do as we are kindly and firmly instructed, and join them. The sociable chatting on the bench outside the house is so common in the Salzburg region that it has its own name: "hoagaschtn". In small biotopes like this one up here, these gatherings form the perfect social glue: the guests bring news and variety, the neighboring hut owner often brings food, "because he is a chef", and Erwin contributes the drinks and shows interested inquiry.
Since the chef is not there at the moment, our hunger eventually drives us after one or two spritzers to our originally intended rest stop, the Ă–rgenbauernalm. Or is it primarily curiosity? For unlike our last visit in 2021, today is Saturday, and on Saturdays, this roughly 200-year-old hut has "Bladl-Day".

The subsequent research clarifies: What native Burgenlanders and Upper Austrians understand by Hasenöhrl can vary significantly from the Salzburg or Styrian interpretation, as various types of flour (usually wheat, but also rye) and dough types (shortcrust, puff, choux, quark, or even noodle dough) are common in both regions.
Fixed and firmly established are also certain ways of consumption. When we tell Pinzgau local Sarah about the tradition on the Viehbergalm of rolling up the Krapfen around the cabbage (and there also Styrian cheese) filling, she decisively states: "No, we don't roll anything here!"

However, we know exactly how to tackle the further ordered delicacies from cheese dumpling soup to Brettljause, apple bread, and plum cake, from years of Almsommer experience: enjoyably, but quickly, before our stomachs realize that our heads are hopelessly overindulging again.

More than full and pleasantly lulled by the quaintly simple, yet very detail-oriented and tranquil atmosphere of the Ă–rgenbauernalm, we finally leave its viewing terrace heading downhill.
Over Gerling and Schloss Kammer, with its attached chapel a popular wedding location, it's a brisk descent through the 16 bends, then flat along the Saalach back to Maishofen.

The church spire of this small holiday resort juts out sharply from the lush green meadows below. However, the sky above has since darkened considerably, and the gentle breeze from the morning has turned into a stormy wind. Such is autumn.
But with the Gasthof zur Post, the birthplace of the renowned painter Anton Faistauer, our saving shelter is near. And our next, sumptuous meal as well...