Upper Austria: Hike to the Kleiner Sonnstein
Hiking up and back to the Sonnsteinhütte
Day 2, Hike #1: We arrived to the trailhead early Sunday morning to start our hike to the Kleiner Sonnstein near Traunkirchen. It was a truly beautiful hike up past lovely mountains homes into alpine forests and in the last section of the path a climb up and over a steep rock ridge to the top. At the summit is the requisite cross of course, yet this one was beautifully and unexpectedly flying rainbow colors. In addition, there was the rustic and very charming Sonnsteinhütte waiting to welcome us with warmth, friendliness, hot tea, and wine.
From the summit and the hütte, you have the possibility of wonderful views of the Traunsee and the surrounding peaks of the Salzkammergut. Unless you start your hike in the fog, hike up into more fog, and then return to your starting point and there is still fog. Truly, fog is magical as well and there is something mystical about looking over the side of a mountain at the summit into an abyss. That was our experience for this hike.
The Sonnsteinhütte was very special. Everyone there was local and knew each other and each other’s dogs. They were friendly and welcoming; it was a fun respite after the climb up. I was musing about how in the world anyone builds these places at such remote elevations. It turns out they did it all carrying the materials up by hand…can you imagine?
THE HÜTTE
“In the years 1966 to 1968, comrades from the FRG branch in Traunkirchen built an alpine refuge on the Kleiner Sonnstein (923m/3028ft). Volunteers and the members of the comradeship of the mountain rescue service transported around 60 tons of building material to the summit. Josef Vogl, who died in December 1978, built the hut almost on his own. He managed the refuge himself until 1973, before he could no longer climb his beloved mountain due to illness. From this point on, the management was taken over by comrades from the mountain rescue service and voluntary helpers on a voluntary basis. It is no longer possible to determine how many mountaineers have visited the hut since then. At this point, a “thank you” should be expressed to all men and women who have helped to manage the hut year after year.”
(http://www.sonnsteinhuette.at/) **(pictures below from their website)
THE WAY
From Traunkirchen local area Siegesbach: From the center of the village drive or walk about 1 km south to the village of Siegesbach - at the road bridge over the Siegesbach, the well-marked path leads uphill to the right over numerous steps - further along a scattered settlement on an old valley floor At the fork in the path at the “Dreifaltigkeit” shrine, left through the forest - crossing a ditch - at the fork in the last section of the path left over a steep rock ridge to the Sonnsteinhütte and the summit cross.
