The Karnischer Hohenweg. John Hayes

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      Looking from the Luggauer Sattel to the intimidating cliffs of Torkarspitze (Stage 3)

Plants and wildlife

      For most of its journey, the Karnischer Höhenweg stays high and travels through a landscape that for much of the year is covered in snow. Natural vegetation needs an ability to cope with low temperatures and make the best of a short growing season.

      The edelweiss (symbol of both the German and Austrian Alpine Clubs), with its creamy felt-like petals in a star formation, may be the most famous flower, but it is only one of over 1500 species that can survive such alpine conditions. Easier to spot than edelweiss are blue trumpet gentians or harebells. Perhaps a little gaudy and much larger is the orange lily. You may also see, growing heroically on inhospitable limestone scree, the golden yellow Rhaetian poppy, the larger flowered ox-eye, or the globeflower. Common in damp valleys, and familiar to English walkers from the Pennines, are the tufty flowers of cotton grass. Attractive even to those with the most casual interest in flowers are orchids, the most spectacular of which is probably the lady’s slipper orchid with its maroon and yellow petals. Also featured are the alpenrose, of which there are at least two common varieties: the red-flowered auburn alpenrose, and the hairy alpenrose, which has pinker flowers. The mauve-flowered Wulfenia, a member of the plantain family, is unique to the Nassfeld area. In the wooded areas, conifers such as fir, larch and pine dominate, but particularly at the eastern end there are large forests of beech.

      Like the flowers, animals have to be capable of surviving extreme conditions, living on slim pickings. Previous visitors to the Alps will be familiar with the whistling warnings issued by a marmot leader who, spotting or smelling an interloper, tells his colony of fat meerkat-like creatures to get back into their rocky burrows. Less common and generally seen only in the distance are the chamois and ibex. Both in the past have been hunted to near extinction and both are happily in recovery. Much rarer, and warning signs suggest they should be avoided, are the brown bears whose meagre numbers are also on the increase.

      The Alps are not a particularly rich habitat for birds. Most common is the alpine chough, a small hyperactive crow specifically adapted for high altitude. If you see a raptor it is likely to be a common buzzard, although there are also honey buzzards around. There are about 350 pairs of golden eagles in the Austrian Alps so if you’re lucky you might see one of them.

      In addition to coping with the alpine conditions, plants and animals must also compete with agriculture and the annual cycle of transhumance, the summer grazing of sheep and cattle in the mountains. Particularly on the Austrian side of the border, but in Italy as well, the lifestyle associated with transhumance remains central to the cultural identity of people living in the mountains, and the return down the valley of sheep and cattle, which takes place in mid September, is a major event for locals and tourists alike.

      Edelweiss, with its star-like petals, is the symbol of the German and Austrian Alpine Clubs

How hard is the walk?

      The Karnischer Höhenweg is a well-defined alpine hike. The Alps, ‘the playground of Europe’, are where adventure travel began, and there is nowhere in the world that gets close to matching their ‘walking infrastructure’. This includes the accommodation, the paths themselves, the waymarking, and the ropes, cables and ladders placed to enable obstacles and exposed stretches to be navigated with a high level of confidence.

      The amount of accommodation available means that a range of day lengths can be catered for. To complete the walk in 2 weeks, however, including some of the optional highlights, expect to be walking for 6–8 hours per day, carrying a pack of 6–7kg and climbing around 1000m a day.

      There are some stretches of walking where a head for heights is needed and where you might find cables and even ladders to help with progress and provide additional reassurance. This means that a wide range of walkers can manage what would otherwise be challenging walking. The stretches requiring a head for heights can be avoided but it would mean missing some of the best parts of the walk. It should be stressed that unless you intend to attempt some via ferrata options (not included in this guide: see below), no specialist equipment is required. Providing you have the necessary head for heights and a sense of adventure, the Karnischer Höhenweg is a good introduction to alpine walking.

      This guide suggests variants to the main route, which usually involve climbing a local summit. None of these climbs require technical experience but, again, some of them involve steel cables and ladders. Each variant is accompanied by a brief description, including an indication of the degree of challenge associated with it.

      Via ferrata options are not included in this guide, although there are lots of opportunities in the Carnic Alps for those with the expertise and equipment. This is where the sport of via ferrata was first developed, as climbers began to exploit the cables and routeways that were originally used for supplying troops on the top of the mountains.

      The difference between walking in good and bad weather is enormous. On the Karnischer Höhenweg, it is generally easy to get down from the mountains, but cold weather, snow and poor visibility feature even in the middle of summer. Being a ridge walk, the Höhenweg is not a good place to be in an electrical storm. Weather forecasts should be carefully heeded and will be supplied to guests on request in the huts and hotels.

Selecting an itinerary

      Walking through trenchworks along the granite ridge approaching Reiterkarspitz (Stage 3)

      Halfway along the Karnischer Höhenweg the route divides into two, with alternative Austrian and Italian routes around Monte Coglians. The route is described in 8 stages for the Austrian route and 10 for the Italian route; 8 days is the minimum amount of time needed to complete the whole route. Each stage is approximately a day’s walking, but this should be regarded as a loose framework around which to plan your visit to the Carnic Alps rather than a strict menu. There is a lot to see and each stage has variants. The descriptions and information provided are designed to enable walkers to produce an itinerary that matches the amount of time they have available, their interest in World War I, and their willingness to climb some additional summits along the route.

      The first decision is whether to take the Austrian or Italian route round Monte Coglians. The Italian route is recommended but it does involve a sustained stretch of cable-assisted walking. It is spectacular and the reward is a stay at the fabulous Rifugio Marinelli. If you wish to climb Monte Coglians, you will have to choose the Italian route.

      The second decision is whether to walk through the World War I Open-air Museum. It is a fascinating journey, described as part of the Italian route, but it does in effect add 2 days to the itinerary. It is possible to take the Austrian route round Monte Coglians (the easier route) and walk through the museum but this again takes 10 days.

      The third decision relates to the balance of time spent on the first two-thirds of the walk and the final third. If the first part of the walk holds more interest for you, consider dropping the final couple of days and heading down to the valley by ski lift at Nassfeld. This would allow you to take the Italian route round Monte Coglians, visit the World War I Open-air Museum and complete all the best walking in 8 days.

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