The Tuesday began with us splitting into two groups, with one part taking the cable-car up, with the still recovering and bored Polly, and the rest of us heading steeply up underneath the winter-time cable-car route directly from the valley bottom near Pichl-Preunegg. At first the naked trail was a nice and easy zig-zag, using what appeared to be a toboggan run, until we reached a couple of isolated farmhouses. At this point, wanting to avoid the entire group trampling across an uncut hay field, I broke my own rule of remaining dressed on tarmac, and we continued up the steep road a short way and past a couple of houses, before regaining the forest track. Continuing up the steep zig-zag along the rough track, we dressed to cross the cable-car base station to the forest at the other side of the clearing.
A police car arrived just behind us, which may, or may not, have been co-incidental. Discretion being the better part of valour, I moved the group into the protective cover of the forest above and we maintained a steady pace through the trees and on to the steep hill beyond, and although Ralph thought he saw an unmarked police-car with a blue light, drive up the forest track across from us at one point, we did not see them again. We tramped steadily uphill, entering and leaving ski-piste and hay clearings as we went. The clouds gathered thickly around us on the hill side, and the rain descended over us, keeping us cool on the hot ascent. This took us a good couple of hours to make the climb up through the trees until we exited at the cable-car station of the Hochwurzen, where we met up with the rest of the group who were waiting for us. We took the opportunity to have some welcome hot chocolate and a bite of lunch on the terrace before leaving again, playing dodgems through the go-carts which were setting off from the cable-car station.
At the summit opposite we stopped and Bernard G. and a few others got undressed for an impromptu APNEL photo-shoot before continuing on the pleasant zig-zag through the underbrush to the main trails on the ridge below. There were more people here, because of the nearness of the cable-car, and we negotiated our way between them and friendly greetings as we wound our way down the hill towards the forestry track below where we found ourselves alone once more. The motley group of half-dressed and half-naked people, accompanied by the sorry-looking Polly with her doggy-shoes, now trailed down the long forestry road, countouring as we went, until we reached the cable-car station once more. Here we split into our two groups once more before the final descent and returning to the hut.
