Hiking Tour: “Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg 05 Stage 11: From Niederalpl to Hohe Veitsch”

The North-South-Long-Distance trail (Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg, also known as the “05”) starts in the north of Austria at Nebelstein and ends in the south of Austria at Eibiswald. The trail is ~500km long, ~18 000m in ascent and the same amount in descent. The trail was initiated by Carl Hermann and officially established on the 25th September 1970. The trail is separated into 3 parts: the northern part from Nebelstein to Plankenstein via the Mühl- & Waldviertel and the Wachau, the middle part from Plankenstein to Trofaiach via the Ötscher, Hochschwab and Eisenerzer Reichenstein, and the southern part from Trofaiach to Eibiswald via the Pack and Koralpe. It normally takes 3 weeks to complete the entire trail.

	Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg 05 – Checkpoints
	Niederalpl: Berggasthof Plodererhof / Almgasthaus Gamswirt (Passhöhe Niederalpl). Hohe Veitsch: Graf-Meran Haus.

Personal impressions:
Transportation:
I’ve planned to accomplish this stage as a single day-trip. During the week there is no bus service to and from Niederalpl, thus I had to use this time my car. I parked my car at the saddle in Niederalpl which is the start and end point of this extended tour.
 
The hike:
I’ve started the hike on a weekday morning (Thursday, 09:45). The main reason was that Robert and me planned to continue our Nordalpenweg 01 trip on the following weekend and the next stages of both long-distance trails would be shared ones (from Hohe Veitsch till Sonnschienalm). In order to stick to the rules, I had to first complete this stage up to Hohe Veitsch so that I can do the shared ones in correct sequence. In addition, I failed to acquire a stamp at Niederalpl (Checkpoint), so my second mission was to also get this stamp.
I started the tour at reasonable time. When I arrived at Niederalpl, I still found the only remaining restaurant (Gasthof Plodererhof) closed . I decided to let go on this one for the moment and give it a try in the afternoon when I come back.
The tour itself turned out to be very nice. Already on the first few meters right after the saddle, the tour gets scenic. I personally liked the part approaching the Sohlenalm alpine pasture. Having the luck of a nice, sunny day with fresh green grass and blooming flowers amplified the experience. The Sohlenalm turned out to have a self-service capability, it was too early for me and this time I used my car so I had unfortunately skip my beer there.
The tour became nicer and nicer. I have climbed up the Hohe Veitsch so many times (mostly over the exciting Wildkamm) but never on this route and it turned out to be one of the more scenic ones. The Hohe Veitsch is always worth a visit and this time especially due to the nice weather and only few peoples at the summit. That also traded off at the Graf-Meran Haus hut (Checkpoint), getting food and a beer quickly.
As I was still missing the stamp from Niederalpl and especially because I planned to be back two days later (Saturday) staying overnight when doing the next stage of Nordalpenweg, I deferred collecting the stamp for Saturday.
After a delicious meal, I did already the first steps on the shared 01/05 trail, hiking down to Rotsohlalm via the Teufelsteig. The Teufelsteig is scenic but also steep and requires a sure foot over sometimes slippery terrain. After mastering this demanding descent, I found the Rotsohlalm open and it was simply too hot to bypass without having another beer .
The way back to Niederalpl follows the 06A long-distance trail and also turned out to be beautiful.
I finally arrived at Niederalpl and saw people at the garden of Gasthof Plodererhof. After talking to them, turned out that they do not run the restaurant anymore but since they have guest staying overnight, the owner was willing to provide me with a stamp but more importantly, also with a cold beer .
 
Summary:
Again, a very pleasant and scenic stage. I really liked hiking through the Sohlenalm mountain pasture but also the ascent up to Hohe Veitsch turned out to be pleasant. Although it was a very hot day, there was constantly shadow but also a spring serving cold water which made the tour bearable. The view from the summit of Hohe Veitsch is stunning and as I will figure out two days later, staying overnight at the hut and enjoying the sunset from there is an experience that makes speechless.
The way back to Niederalpl from Rotsohlalm also excites with amazing views on the surrounding area.