Today was our last day in Zell am See. It was a repeat of yesterday with thick fog in the valley and blue skies up top. The kids took off together for their last ski day. We had plans for winter hiking, although weren’t sure where we would hike. We called into the tourist office to get a few ideas, then set off on a short hike that went along the lake then returned to Zell along a higher path.
We were surrounded by frozen fog, which made the walk rather different. Visibility was pretty limited and it was a bit chilly on the face, but it was like a winter wonderland. Down by the lake it was funny to see all the summer attractions buried in snow. The walk back to Zell was the best part as it was along a hiking trail away from any roads. It was really beautiful and we only saw one other person so it felt like our own frozen world.
The fog was fun for a while, but we were reluctant to spend the whole day in it. Knowing that there were blue skies just above, we caught the City Express lift up to a mid-mountain restaurant. Not long after leaving the village we popped out into perfect sunshine. It was lovely and warm and we were able to enjoy a lazy lunch out on the sun deck.
There was a hiking trail nearby the restaurant, so we went for an explore. It was away from the skiers and lovely and peaceful. It went through the trees and then around a reservoir. We tried to climb up to the reservoir on some ski tracks, but the snow was still so soft we just got buried. Eventually we found a groomed path up to the reservoir and walked around. We were keen for a rest but the only place you could sit without sinking into powder was on the groomed trail. Then we spotted a swinging seat almost buried in snow. We managed to crawl through the powder and finally found a solid place to rest. It had the added bonus of million dollar views to the Kitzsteinhorn where we were yesterday.
Back down in the village we returned to frozen fog. It mostly cleared later on as the wind got up, and I had a beautiful walk down the lake while Andy had another local sauna. The kids returned exhausted but happy. It had stayed bluebird up the mountain all day and they had done a lot more mileage knowing it was their last day. We finished the day with a last visit to Crazy Daisies for dinner.
