CUCC Expeditions to Austria: 1976 - 2020

Sun 15 Aug 2010

Everyone safely underground. Gave up waiting for Frank so headed past Tunnocks into hooley-hooley land. Quite intimidating when a final climb got me within easy distance of the grassy slopes of the Gries. Continued on 60deg grass and up to the and the eyehole, which was a wind tunnel. Ate flapjack, then decided to follow ridge to the top. There's a gap between there and the top, and a locked wooden hut in the gap. Found and signed in the book (1st entry 1990) that shows peak time to be Jan -March. First English person to bother. Way back was risky of a guard-down going home injury and bad karma from killing a mouse in the morning by tossing a rock onto it. Oh, hadn't bothered with backpack - took water and stuff in pockets of cag tied by its arms around my waist, guaranteed to tear stuff every time I leapt forward with it caught on a rock. Settled down for a very twitchy night reliving parts of the walk. Headed down in fog in morning.

Stinking post-dinner hangover, but Chris was keen so we slogged up the hill and I tottered underground for a mellow trip to finish off So Vein. Left at junction quickly to a pitch, through the dig that Chris pushed last trip soon looked familiar and we tied it into Flying High. Then off to QMB on main massage on R just beyond where Flying high enters. This headed up steeply to a drafting mud dig which Chris Smith launched into and dug his was through in no time but i'd had enough so we packed up and headed home.