Trekking in Austria's Hohe Tauern. Allan Hartley

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      The sign on the bridge says ‘single file only’ but boys will be boys!

INTRODUCTION AND TOPOGRAPHY

      This little-known, compact group of mountains is tucked away at the western extremity of the Hohe Tauern National Park merging with the mountains of the Zillertal and the western edge of the Venediger.

      Two main valleys split the group: firstly the Zillergrund, which runs above the resort town of Mayrhofen and contains the villages of In der Au and Barenbad; and secondly, on the northern side of the group, running from the small town of Krimml, is the Krimmler Achental valley famed for its three-tiered waterfall, the highest in Europe.

      To the north of the group is the main Inn valley, while to the south is the border with Italy and South Tyrol which was annexed to Italy after the First World War.

      The group takes its name from its principal mountain, the Reichen Spitze (3303m), which is something of a mini Matterhorn, when viewed from the south. There are another dozen other peaks over 3000m, the most popular being the Wildergerlos Spitze (3280m) and the Richter Spitze (3054m). The group is easily accessible from Mayrhofen and this provides a good starting point for tours leading into the Venediger.

      THE REICHEN DWARVES AND THEIR HOARDS

      The Reichen Spitze is also said to contain hoards of gold, silver and precious stones treasure which at one time were guarded by the Reichen Dwarves. Rumour has it that the mythical giant the ‘Venedigermanndl’ from the Venediger raided the mountain and found the treasure. Overcome by greed and weighed down with his booty he fell into a crevasse and was never to be seen again, though the dwarfs continue their search to recover the treasure.

      Hut-to-Hut Routes

      As with most groups of mountains in Austria the Reichen Group has its own hut-to-hut Rucksack Route which is ideal for groups of mixed ability.