Hike to scenic Brunnenkogelhaus

For us the tour starts right in beautiful Windachtal. We pay for the hut taxi, buckle up our backpacks and start walking - past Fiegl’s Gasthaus which is not yet open at the beginning of July.

Windache mountain brook is roaring next to us through the valley and brings the water masses of the snowmelt in turquoise color towards the valley floor. The Alpine pastures are in full bloom - at the beginning of July everything up here is lush green and adorned with purple, yellow and white flowers.

 

If a climb from here is too strenuous for you, you can take a leisurely stroll along Windachtal side valley - lined with 3000 meter high peaks to the left and right. From around the second week of July, you can also stop off at Fiegl’s Gasthaus and enjoy this incredibly beautiful valley.

But we want to make it up to picturesque Brunnenkogelhaus and spend the night there. The last hut taxi of the day dropped us off at 2.45 pm and according to the signposts we should make it from Windachalm to the top in about 2.75 hours! With breaks, we expect to get to the hut at around 6.00 pm. Let’s get one thing out of the way: it was a little later!

First we pass two cow gates before we cross Windache brooklet to the right over a bridge. Brunnenkogelhaus is well signposted everywhere - so we can easily find our way even without a hiking map.

The ascent starts directly behind Windache mountain brook. Without any prior warning, the rising trail runs quite steeply through a beautiful forest area.

 

Spruce pine needles cover the forest floor and give off a wonderfully sweet and woody scent as they slowly dry in the sun. The day before it had rained and we have to cross a couple of smaller and larger rivulets and brooklets as we wind our way up along several serpentines. Approximately the first 400 meters we are in the forest, well protected from sun and wind.

Followed by a stage of equally steep ascents above the tree line, we suddenly get to a fairly open Alpine landscape covered with meadows. We take a deep breath and are very happy about a little less steep climb. Here we meet a couple of sheep for the first time and we hear the cowbells from afar. After a short rest on a stone, we continue uphill.

 

Now it is slowly becoming clear to us why this area is described as “Sölden’s silent part”. It has already been over 2 hours and we have not met a soul. In nice weather, the entire hiking trail is ours alone! And behind every bend a quite promising view – the unrivaled view of Brunnenkogelhaus, which seems an eternity away.

As we leave the lush green Alpine meadows behind us, a short disillusionment follows - it's a long way downhill. Here we will lose the exhausting altitude meters again! But that's part of the hike, our weaker self tells us. The last part of the ascent lies ahead of us – an enormous stone field, rough and wild, but still beautiful to look at. So we scramble down over the stones, in some places steel chains help us to climb over narrow passages.

 

Then we finally made it - the last steep ascent, the last stage leading up to the hut at 2738 m. What time is it? It's already after 7.00 pm! But now we must be quick, the kitchen closes and we absolutely want to enjoy the 3-course menu as part of the half-board food arrangement. We have worked hard for it.

As soon as we arrive at Brunnenkogelhaus, the hut tenants and their cute dog are already waiting for us. The best moment of the day: taking off our hiking boots and gliding into the slippers that are available at the hut. We move into our room on the upper floor: a four-bed room with 2 bunk beds that belongs to us all by ourselves for the night. Plus the panorama directly in front of the window that lets us immediately forget the effort.

 

The 360 -degree panoramic view from Brunnenkogelhaus is really gigantic. After the (even extra vegetarian) dinner menu, we are drawn out onto the terrace and we can hardly stop admiring the Alpine scenery. After relaxing on the wooden hammock, we fall into bed dead tired but not without setting the alarm clock early in the morning. We want to observe the Milky Way and then enjoy the sunrise. Because nothing beats the morning hour on the mountain!

HERE you will find a detailed tour description of the hike to Brunnenkogelhaus.

Marion does almost everything for a great photo opportunity - even set the alarm clock to 4.00 am in the morning to climb a mountain before sunrise. Although she actually falls into the category of city dwellers.

The Viennese works as a photographer and travel blogger and travels all over the world, but also likes to visit her home country Austria on a regular basis!

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