10 miles 0′ ascent 1000′ descent
The rain was still present as we prepared for the day and gave the countryside a fresh, clean appeal. We began a long, gentle downhill walk, occasionally sharing the track with some cattle.
The trail wound alongside several streams which grew louder and larger as we descended.
Upon reaching the bottom of the grade we were treated to the lush Riedenberger Wiesen meadow which was nestled between the neighboring mountains.
Shortly beyond the meadow the track ran alongside the Ellbach River which joins the much larger Brandenberg Ache River. This junction is the beginning of the beautiful Kaiserklamm Gorge which was used by the logging industry from the 1500’s until 1966. Logs were floated down the river through the gorge and the walkway along the gorge was the loggers’ access to the river.
We took a detour to investigate a portion of the gorge. It is a beautiful walk crossing several bridges and requires one to duck under overhanging rock.
Returning to the Adlerweg, we were just moments away from the 500 year-old Kaiserhaus named for Kaiser Franz Joseph who visited here while on hunting trips in the 1800’s.
Our visit was the perfect time for another trailside pastry!
We carried on for about two miles of road walking toward Pinegg where our friend, Ben, picked us up to visit him and his family in Münster just a few miles away from our trail. This afforded us the opportunity to do a little sightseeing in Rattenberg, the smallest town in Austria and which is situated between Rattenberg Castle and the Inn River.
The castle is in ruins now, but is a lovely spot to take in the view and to ponder what history must have taken place here. One particularly interesting view provided the location of our following night’s stay at Bayreutherhütte quite near to the top of a nearby, cloud-covered mountain’s left peak (see the picture below).
After an enjoyable walk around this attractive medieval town we decided to stop in for dinner at the Brauhaus. One of their specialties is a delicious Flammkuchen which is like a thin crust pizza. Say no more, Flammkuchen it was!
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