In this post, I’ll share my memories of the second half of my hiking vacation. Which, compared to the first part, was a bit more relaxed.

The order of the hikes was adjusted for the weather, which looked better in the first half, so the harder hikes were done first. Thus, what was left for the fourth and fifth day was lighter. And I admit I appreciated that.

Similar to the third day, the fourth day started by taking the bus to a resort higher in the hills, though this time, the trail we took at first went downhill, looping around to a valley before starting our ascension. After the long bus trip, which I spent in all sorts of uncomfortable positions, I began feeling fatigue in my right knee, especially in downhill passages. So this wasn’t as easy a start as it seemed. But there were still nice sights between the trees.

The trail for that day wasn’t even leading up to the hills, and instead was meant to be in a highland valley, with the jagged peaks rising above us, forming steep walls with sparse paths to narrow passes.

We took a break in a chalet with a good view of those mountains, then continued down the trail that skirted below them, with views of the peaks above as well as some more distant peaks in the opposite direction.

In some places, the exposed rock would make a geology nerd happy.

Eventually, around noon, we reached a crossing where we had to decide – continue skirting below the main peaks, ascend uphill to one of the peaks, or start our descent. The third option was ruled out as it was too soon for that, and it seemed that we were a bit too tight to comfortably take the uphill trail after three days, so we went with the middle route. This, eventually, led us to an area with fields and scattered trees, similar to the second day.

There was a chalet at the foot of the hill, but we still had enough time, so we decided to try and ascend to the upper chalet, which went surprisingly well. The valley opened up before us, gracing us with a nice view.

As well as the sight of the peaks we briefly considered.

Eager for more views, we decided to ascend a bit above the chalet, to a pass and, eventually, one more peak to reach during this trip. The pass itself had nice views in a different direction from the rest of the day.

The clouds gathering around added some diversity to the views, but also urged us to not tarry at the peak, where a light wind at 2400m ASL was quite noticeable.

But we still enjoyed some nice views and weather during our descent.

Nearing the parking lot, I was looking forward to grabbing an ice cream, but instead, a light rain shower arrived, so I grabbed my last snack and my rainproof jacket instead.

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The fifth day ended up being a relaxing treat rather than a full hike. Which was just as well, the forecast was decent for the morning, but a high chance of rain showers in the afternoon would be tricky for a major hike. The plan was to visit a short but narrow gorge not that far from where we were staying, then have some time for seeing Brixen itself.

The beginning of the trail was relatively gentle, and some “glass always half empty” people were wondering if it was worth the entry fee.

Which makes me glad I’m easy to please and I could enjoy even this early part. Because I knew this was just a taste.

As the walls of the valley tightened up, so the landscape around started to become much more exciting.

Soon, the gaps between the rocks were tight enough in some places that the trail had to go right above the stream which roared beneath our feet.

And made some impressive marks in the rock, such as this “bowl”.

I admit I was a bit apprehensive about taking photos while extending my arm past the banisters, fearing that I might drop my phone, but I managed to capture at least some of the place’s beauty.

Though, as usual, waterfalls aren’t that great for landscape orientation, and portrait-oriented photos are a pain to post.

After passing through this tight valley, we looped around on the slopes above, which allowed us some views of the surrounding mountains. By now, it was getting cloudy, so the views weren’t that great.

On the descent, we passed the ruins of a castle that’s been abadoned for a long time and, thus, only the remains of a tower and a short sections of masonry remained.

A moment later, a rain shower came, so we made our way back to the town to the parking lot. The rain lasted an hour or so, after which, the skies cleared up a bit before we departed.

We then returned to Brixen, where we were given free roam of the town, but with more rain showers, I didn’t last in the town for long. As you probably know well by now, I do enjoy nature more than old towns, though I definitely respect the architecture and landmarks, so after an hour or so, I took a local public transport towards where we were staying. Unlike the roads we took with our own bus, the local bus drove through some narrow streets that made it quite an interesting experience with those tight turns as it ascended towards the orchards above the town.

I also made a few short clips of the waterfalls, available here: https://imgur.com/gallery/gilfenklamm-waterfalls-italy-uNH5Xq9

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The sixth day was originally scheduled to have a short, half-day hike available. Unfortunately, our luck has ran out, and it rained from the morning. Thus, we only walked a short loop near where we went the first day, during which we didn’t see much past the clouds all around. Even the war fortification was barely visible.

So, a bit sooner than expected, we started our long journey home – during which I did enjoy the scenery for a good part, until it got dark. For a vacation opportunity that came out of nowhere, I definitely enjoyed it, but I know I’ve barely scratched the surface of the area, and I’d like to return there one day to see different parts of those beautiful mountains.

But for now, it’s time to rest a bit, and get ready for my next adventures, though those will be much closer to home. But that’s something for another day.