Offensee, Rinnerhütte and Wildensee - the perfect trio for a summer weekend

Today you'll discover a gem, one of my favorite places. It has everything you need to survive hot days. There's one lake at the bottom, one up top, and a charming, small hut between them. What more could you want?   

   Our destination lies on the western edge of the Totes Gebirge range at the border of Upper Austria and Styria. This region is characterized by an abundance of beautiful lakes and a modest presence of mass tourism. I love that! Just moments after leaving the highway, it becomes magical - we're greeted by the guardian of Salzkammergut - Traunstein with Austria's deepest lake at its feet, Traunsee. To reach our hidden treasure, we must drive along the entire lake on road no. 145, all the way to the town of Ebensee and there turn towards Offensee. After leaving your car at the end of the road and gathering your gear, you can head towards adventure! If you have spare time and desire for a swim (and most importantly, the weather), plunging into the beautiful, clean and warm Offensee will be a great idea.

However, it's not worth lingering too long at the bottom - another beautiful lake awaits you up top and some sweat left on the trail. Let's get to work! After about 10 minutes of hiking along the lake, we turn left at the sign and head towards Rinnerhütte. Don't be fooled by the gently ascending wide road. After a moment, a much narrower path branches off to the right. And here the real fun begins - ahead of us we have about 800 meters of steep ascent, 2 hours of intense sweating. Technically there are no difficulties - there are a few places secured with cables and metal stairs, but without any precipices or major exposure. Generally, I've seen more interesting trails leading to mountain huts, with better views, etc. However, this one compensates a thousandfold for what awaits you up top, namely...   

Rinnerhütte, a small hut with a capital "S"

   Rinnerhütte is quite an unusual place, because its owner is a small, local mountain association from the town of Ebensee. It's located in a small valley between the peaks of Weißhorn (1755 m above sea level) and Rinnerkogel (the hut's home mountain - 2012 m above sea level). It's a small, cozy hut run by a super laid-back crew. Looking at the guests, mainly local residents come here, although a few tourists have also passed through (e.g., a couple from Australia traveling through Europe in a camper). The food is delicious, fresh with local ingredients. The menu isn't very extensive, but what can you expect in a place where the staff has to carry ingredients on their own feet (only drinks are transported by helicopter). We started the day by devouring eggs with fresh porcini mushrooms baked under mountain cheese. With delicious, whole-grain sourdough bread. You can't get much more natural than that :P It's worth noting that accommodation (of course in a shared room) is cheap - 10 euros per person. This is quite a popular place, so it's worth booking accommodation in advance (we didn't succeed the first time). We won't see the luxury of a shower, but who needs it when a 20-minute easy walk separates us from...   

Wildensee, a frosty gem in the heart of Totes Gebirge   

   I love lakes like this one! Frosty, deep, surrounded by mountains and off the beaten path. The only sound you'll find here is the rustle of wind and the bells of alpine cows. On one side there's a meadow, very often used for sleeping under the open sky or in a tent. The lake is located at an altitude of 1535 m above sea level and reaches a depth of up to 44 meters. The water in it is of course drinkable, and even more suitable for swimming! The swim really refreshes and awakens you to life :) This is what a person needs after an intense hike. If you have more strength and time, you can head to the local two-thousander, namely...   

Rinnerkogel, my first sunrise on a summit

At 2012 meters high, Rinnerkogel is an interesting destination for anyone visiting the hut and Wildensee. If you have the strength and desire, of course, because another 500 meters of elevation gain awaits you. Time-wise, you need to count about 3 hours for the whole adventure. The trail is technically simple, nicely laid out. You can really feel the karst atmosphere of Totes Gebirge. I love the local rocks, looking like frozen mass. I decided to go for sunrise, facing an extreme wake-up at 4:30. Surprisingly, I managed to get up and climb. I landed on the summit before 6 o'clock and despite numerous clouds, the sun greeted me. The view was beautiful, you could see Traunsee below. It's a shame that numerous clouds obscured the view from the other side - in nice weather you can clearly see Dachstein with its glaciers. Of course, half an hour after descending from the summit, the sky became perfectly clear and thoughts of returning to the top came to me, which I abandoned, driven by rumbling in my stomach and the vision of breakfast :)

Or something for connoisseurs? If it's not enough for you and you have the strength and time, I recommend considering doing a beautiful, 3-day loop around Totes Gebirge. This area offers many hiking possibilities, you won't want to descend! A nice option is to ascend from Offensee to Rinnerhütte and further to Albert-Appel-Haus (about 4.5 hours total) - overnight here. On the second day, crossing to Pühringerhütte (about 4 hours) with another overnight stay. The last day is descending from Pühringerhütte to the beautiful Almsee and returning to Offensee (about 7 hours total). That's my goal for next year :)   

And as a reward, pure relaxation :) 

Due to time constraints, we chose a more relaxing option. Right after breakfast, we quickly descended to the bottom (the descent took just 1.5 hours), left our gear in the car and headed to Offensee to take advantage of its beach and swimming potential. Alternatively, you can go down to Traunsee, which has rich infrastructure and more opportunities for active time by the water. However, I prefer wilder places, so the beautiful Offensee hits my taste perfectly and I chose it for beach relaxation after mountain activity. I love this area - everyone will find something for themselves and no one will complain about boredom! And so today's adventure came to an end. You have nothing left but to plan, book, pack and relax :) See you on the trail!   If you liked my post, share it with your friends. Thank you!