Summer has passed by in a blur, it’s now September and already it feels like Autumn has its firm hand upon my shoulder. But before it completely disappeared I did manage to have a beautiful night enjoying the magic of the outdoors.
The new and hip term for it these days among men who have groomed beards, spend their weeks in suits and weekends in expensive outdoor gear is ‘Micro Adventure’ I believe. I just call it a night in the hills…
Spending the night in the mountains is quite daunting for some and I can understand this as I recall my first ever evening in the wild. A very young man, alone on a Welsh hillside, lying awake all night listening to every single noise and wondering when I was going to be hacked to death by some lunatic ice axe wielding mountaineer or worse still savaged by an out of control rabid Welsh Sheep.
The truth though is that its one of the most rewarding and fantastic ‘free’ experiences that you can have. You don’t have to do it alone, go with a friend or in a group. If you pick your location wisely and are confident with the weather then you don’t need too much expensive gear or expert knowledge, just make sure that you think it through and then enjoy it for what it is.
Late one hot afternoon I drove with the car to the Eisenkappler Hutte, which sits on the south slope of the Hochobir, enjoyed an ice cold Beer, and then made my way along the testing path for around 90 minutes to the summit at 2142m.
The Hochobir is a really beautiful mountain with views all through southern Carinthia. The weather was immaculate with 25 degrees for the late afternoon hike and after passing everyone making their way down the mountain, I found myself alone on the summit.
Setting up camp didn’t take long as I just had a tarp, thermal mat and sleeping bag to lay on the ground and then I could sit back and enjoy the majestic summers evening and the solitude of the mountain.
As the sun and the temperature slowly faded, I dived into my sleeping bag and watched the sky change through a myriad of colours before the Milky Way finally made its appearance. The night sky was just so unbelievably amazing that I found myself trying to stay awake all through the night to gaze at the colours across the horizon line and the incredible clarity of the stars from this high altitude vantage point.
The night went by way too fast but soon I had the excitement of waiting for the sunrise… For this the silence and solitude on the mountain was broken by some early hikers making their way to the summit who had made the effort to experience it from this viewpoint.
Packing up my gear after the sun was already blazing its way through the sky, I made my way back down in time for the first coffee at the hut and I was able to sit in the early morning sun and think about this amazing night under the stars. Sitting there I realised something that has been nagging me all year. Stop looking for excuses. Just go out and do it.
Happy adventures. Ryan
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