NATURAL SPECTACLE Fascination Dachstein in Summer

What makes the fascination of this impressive high mountain landscape? We will explore this question together with Betty & Martha during this NATURE SPECTACLE and discover the karst plateau: karst fields in various forms, fossils, caves and sinkholes, small mountain lakes, sharp-edged rocks, smooth stone slabs – and in the midst of it all, a sea of colors from delicate flowers. Rising above are the distinctive peaks of the Dachstein massif and its glaciers, bringing the overwhelming grandeur of the high mountains right before our eyes.

The Dachstein plateau is a fascinating high mountain landscape and, due to its uniqueness, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The forces of nature have shaped the karst plateau over millions of years, and numerous fossils and karst formations bear witness to this. Even today, the precipitation continues to exert its erosive effect on the water-soluble limestone.

We will thoroughly investigate the typical karst forms that arise during this NATURE SPECTACLE. Since the water drains almost entirely through countless cracks and fissures in the rock, the dry surface has given rise to a highly specialized plant world that blooms particularly intensely and colorfully during the short growing season. This stands in stark contrast to the rocky desert, as do the many Dachstein alpine pastures that once existed here. They are no longer grazed, shrub encroachment is progressing, the huts have fallen into disrepair, or only the foundations of the huts are visible; nevertheless, traces of a once-thriving alpine economy can still be recognized, which for millennia supplied the prehistoric Hallstatt with alpine products alongside its salt mining.

The numerous sensory perceptions of this barren high mountain landscape inspire and unleash strength and creativity. Many representatives from art and science surrender to the magic and allow themselves to be inspired, whether by the immense generosity of the landscape or the forms of the mountains, which appear immovable and timeless, as if they embody eternity, or by the movement of the clouds, which blend with the feeling of infinite freedom and an eternal longing for the distant and the unknown.

Afterwards, you will have free time to visit the "World Heritage Spiral" at Krippenstein or the "5Fingers" with its breathtaking view of Hallstatt and Lake Hallstatt, as well as the exhibition "The Dachstein in Climate Change" at the Schönberg Museum.

Important details: Equipment:
Backpack, drink, snack, hiking shoes, hiking clothing, hat, gloves, sunglasses, and sunscreen.

Special note:
A complete set of equipment and sure-footedness are necessary for the hike, as we will be in high alpine terrain. The total duration includes the ascents and descents with the cable cars.

Characteristics:
Easy to moderately difficult tour, appropriate fitness required.

Duration:
Pure walking time is about 3 hours, total duration of the tour is about 5 hours, followed by free time.

Registration:
Betty Jehle, 4824 Gosau, Alte Gschüttstraße 15, Tel. +43 650 63 66 177, betty@betty-jehle.at