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- Wegführung: Pühringer Hütte (8.10) - Emils Tränenhügel (1655m, 8.27) - Vorderer Lahngangsee (1493m, 9.14) - Grundlsee (12.00)
- Länge: 9,5 km
- Höhenmeter (Aufstieg): ca. 60 hm
- Reine Gehzeit: ca. 3,5 Stunden
CO2 measurements with Aranet4 during public transport and while sleeping.
During the pandemic, I became increasingly aware of the importance of clean air and how CO2 levels can serve as a reliable proxy for indoor air quality. As a rule of thumb, values below 1000 ppm are generally fine. When levels rise to around 2000 ppm, it means that approximately 4% of the air we breathe has already been exhaled by others. Elevated CO2 levels are linked to reduced concentration, increased fatigue, and a general sense of discomfort. At levels significantly above 2000 ppm, symptoms like yawning, headaches, and sleep disturbances can occur.
Out of curiousity I carried a small CO2 monitor (Aranet4) with me, especially for the shared sleeping room. On our trip to the Almtal, air quality was mostly acceptable, with only short spikes above the comfort threshold. The sleeping room at the Welser Hütte was also quite decent - we had kept a window slightly open overnight, which helped maintain fresh air. You can actually see the occasional sharp drops in CO2 levels in the data; these corresponded to moments when someone went to the toilet and left the door open, improving ventilation.
However, in the Pühringer Hütte, some guy closed the window in the dormitory (Matratzenlager) before going to bed. I noticed it but was too tired to get up and reopen it. What followed was the highest CO2 reading I've ever recorded: a staggering 8283 ppm. At that level, roughly 15% of the air I was breathing had already been exhaled by others. After about three hours of deep sleep, I woke up with a headache and a noticeable sense of stale, sticky air. A few people were snoring heavily. I finally forced myself to get up and crack the window open again. Immediately, I felt a cool and refreshing breeze. The CO2 values began to drop sharply, and interestingly, the snoring diminished as well. I managed to fall back asleep and slept well until 6:45 a.m.
The return journey to Vienna, unfortunately, was marked by poorer air quality - both trains were crowded, and the CO2 levels reflected that.
A learning from my measurements: Always open a window in a dormitory (Matratzenlager, Zimmerlager). If you're cold, you can use the provided blankets or dress yourself with your alternate trekking pants. I prefer a cooler room with fresh air instead a stuffy room with poor air quality and heavily snoring room mates.
Bild 1: I stood up too late to capture the lake fog at its peak.
One of our companions showed us a picture from a few minutes earlier when the fog covered the entire lake and crept to the hut. The fog had formed as a result of strong nighttime cooling in the hollow while the lake stayed comparatively warm. The cooling resulted in reaching the dewpoint, i.e. 100% relative humidity.
Bild 2 and 3 : Alpen-Rebe (Clematis alpina) nearby the hut.
Breakfast has been well organized, with prepared plates with bread and cheese and extra jam to take. Coffee has been good again. Bottleneck has been as always the men toilet but we finally managed to overcome this obstacle.
Bild 4: Great place to spend some time.
Bild 5: Looking backward to the Pühringer Hütte and Rotgschirr behind.
Bild 6: A small terrace waited for us after the lake.
I would assume a rockslide between Hinterer Lahngangsee and Elmsee causing it.
Bild 7: Bizarre limestone rills.
Bild 8: Probably rockslide terrain.
Bild 9: Emil's hill of tears.
Conflicting stories exist around the origin of this denotation. Some sources say it referred to the ÖAV patron KR. Emil Pühringer who didn't manage to see the construction site of the Pühringer Hütte. As he saw the hut at this hill for the first time, he allegedly shed tears. Wikipedia claims however this story is wrong as the name Pühringer Hütte refers to the pharmacian Ferdinand Pühringer and Sepp Huber was patron of ÖAV section Wels during that time.
Bild 10: Salzofen (2070m) walls to the left, Hochkogel (2091m) to the right and Abblasbühel (1850m), a gap, in between.
The marked trail diverges from "Elmgrube", a doline, and leads to Albert-Appelt hut in a few hours. I went part of the trail in August 2014 when we looked for an unmarked trail into Widerkar and crossing a crack between Lange Wand and Stiegenkogel into Himmelkare. The entire terrain looks promising just from the look at the topographic maps (e.g. Dreibrüdersee, Wildgößl).
Bild 11: Abblasbühel.
Bild 12: Huts in the Elmgrube.
Bild 13: Traverse with Neustein (1870m) vis-á-vis.
An unmarked trail leads via Bärensteig from Elmgrube to Neustein.
Bild 14: Picturesque Hinterer Lahngangsee (1498m), with rockslide mass on the northern side of Neustein.
Bild 15: Northern wall of Neustein.
Bild 16: Mücken-Händelwurz
Bild 17: Vorderer Lahngangsee (1493m).
The lake is populated by lake trouts and samlet (Seeforellen und Saibling).
Bild 18: Crystal clear water.
Like many lakes in Austria, the lake suffers from drought. Snow accumulation continues to drop for a few years now and the water line goes down as well.
Bild 19: Beautiful colors.
Bild 20: Looking back to Rotgschirr, the ridge to Elm and Neustein.
Bild 21: Smartphone panorama.
Bild 22: Another orchis plant, probably Fuchs-Knabenkraut.
Bild 23: Great view to the mountains south of Totes Gebirge.
Lawinenstein (1965m) in the center, Großer Knallstein (2599m,38km) and a few other Schladminger Tauern summits far to the right behind.
Bild 24: Vordernbachalm below, with Beerenkogel (1194m) and Hornkogel (1325m) bordering to Toplitzsee.
The summits in the center far behind: Weiße Wand (2198m), Plankermira (2188m) and Hochweiß (2158m).
Bild 25: Pantherspanner (Pseudopanthera macularia)
Bild 26: Spring meadow
Bild 27: First glance at the Grundlsee, with Grasberg (1626m), Weißenbachkogel (1580m) and Türkenkogel (1756m) behind.
The lower mountain to the right is called Ressen (1303m) which I visited in autumn 2017. I remember it quite vividly as I have still a photo wallpaper of this tour in my living room.
Bild 28: Nice place to live when I'm retired in a few hundred years.
Bild 29: So-called Gößler Wand bordering the Toplitzsee.
Bild 30: We finally reached our destination at Grundlsee.
Ressen, Zinken (1854m), Klammkogel (1794m).
Bild 31: So-called "In der Nanigrubn".
There is an unmarked trail coming from Trisselwand (1755m) and crossing the avalanche barriers, then going sharply down the slope. I did it in autumn 2017 the day before Ressen.
Bild 32: Zinken (1854m), another summit in autumn 2017.
I strongly recommend the tour in mid October when the larchs change their color to golden yellow.
We finished our tour at "Gasthaus Rostiger Anker".
Gesamtfazit: Beeindruckende Landschaften, insbesondere der Wechsel von der orchideenreichen Hetzau (die beiden Ödseen sind ein eigener Besuch wert) zur Welser Hütte, die genau am Rand zur kargen Karstlandschaft liegt. Oben eine riesige Mondlandschaft, aber alles andere als tot. Kalk bietet Pflanzenreichtum selbst in diesen Höhen. Richtung Rotkogelsattel wurde das Gras häufiger und ab Pühringer Hütte waren wir zurück in der grünen Landschaft, teilweise fast urwaldähnlich Richtung Lahngangseen. Da gibt es noch einige, auch unmarkierte Wege für mich zu entdecken.
Lg, Felix