We’d arrived under the cover of darkness, so pushing the button hidden amongst the rather complicated lighting controls the following morning provided the big reveal.
We were looking out across the side of a beautifully green mountain, with a few chalets scattered along the lower slopes, replaced further up by fir trees that looked as though they were racing each other to the peak.
We hadn’t seen Rachel and Keith all year, so there was plenty to catch up on as we made our way through the pretty town of St Anton, stopping for coffee before taking a cable car and then a chairlift as far up the mountain as we could go during the summer.
Gosh, I’d forgotten how beautiful the mountains are at this time of year. I’m normally a winter visitor, when everything is covered in snow, so seeing the same landscape dressed in green was quite a contrast.
We spent the entire day wandering through the mountains, stopping only to appreciate the views and for a lazy lunch. It was one of those days where you feel as though you’re simply floating through it. When we weren’t chatting, the quiet moments were almost completely empty, other than the sound of crickets and bees going about their business.
We had dinner booked for early evening, so reluctantly we made our way back down the mountain.
After a day of wandering through the grassy slopes, I couldn’t really call it hiking as that would imply hard work, when it couldn’t have felt further from it.
The following day we decided to rent some e-bikes and head in the opposite direction, setting off from St Anton and climbing onto the gravel tracks that wound their way into the mountains. We had originally planned to head towards a lake that Rach wanted to jump into, but instead we just kept climbing.
Every time we rounded another corner, Keith and I assured the Rachels that we had finally reached the plateau. Eventually that trust began to wear a little thin and we all agreed it was probably time to turn around.
What followed was a pretty exciting descent back down the mountain, eventually bringing us to a small icy lake where Rachel, Keith and I were brave enough to get in before climbing back onto the bikes.
We covered about forty kilometres that day, which even with e-bikes was quite tough.
Feeling a little saddle sore the following morning, we opted for something gentler and spent much of the day in Feldkirch, a lovely old medieval town with Gothic buildings and an interesting castle. Inside was a collection of medieval weaponry, all housed within the beautifully restored building.
The rest of our stay followed a similarly relaxed rhythm. There were walks across the mountains and lazy lunches while we marvelled at the incredible summer views, followed by evenings eating great food, laughing together and sharing the day’s mishaps, stories and observations.
I’ve always loved the mountains in winter, but I think I’ve rediscovered that I like them just as much without the snow.
Dream Chasers 