Six weeks ago I received a very surprising email from Prof. Carla Padrel de Oliveira; the Rector of Universidade Aberta (Portugal Open University). She invited Susan and me to come to Lisbon where I was to be awarded a Doctorat Honoris Causa.
Of course, the first thing I had to do was to ask Google what this degree was all about. I found it is the equivalent of the Honourary Doctorate awarded at most Canadian Universities. In Google’s words ”The Doctorat honoris causa (D.hc) is an award conferred by a University to individuals who have made outstanding achievements in fields like academics, culture, or humanitarian efforts, or have made significant contributions to the state, nation, or world.”
Once I recovered from the shock I recalled my 4 or 5 visits, over the years, to Universidade Aberta and the colleagues and friends I have met as a member of an International Advisory Committee for LE@D – the University’s Distance Education and eLearning Laboratory. I also played a very minor roles in a couple of EU research projects led by the University.
To be honest, like many academics, I had held a very secret ambition or maybe just a faint hope, that I would someday be awarded such an honour. It is perhaps the nicest way to finish any academic career. However, I never shared this aspiration with anyone and never stayed awake at night plotting to get such an award. One does not fill out an application for such a degree. But when and if and when it happens – well, what can you say but “ muito obrigado.” (MANY thanks in Portugese)
This all happened a few weeks just before Susan and I left for a three-week holiday and conference of the World Conference of the International Council for Distance Education in New Zealand. This was a great holiday but five days after we arrived home, we were due to leave for Portugal. A first order of business was to get my suit dry cleaned, shoes polished and to develop a Graduate Research seminar for the Masters and Doctoral students in e-learning research at the University. I understood that I didn’t have to do much in the actual award ceremony. However, after I arrived, I found that a response to the award was expected – but no more than 25 minutes! I am a professor, so I can usually profess about almost anything without too much trouble for less than 25 minutes. Beyond that, I didn’t know what to expect – but I thought I could at least tell a few stories and say a heart-felt thanks.
The Trip and Lisbon
The trip with Air Canada was thankfully unremarkable except that the passport machines at the airport in Lisbon refused to accept my passport. The same thing happened on the way home, necessitating long lines to talk to a human Customs Agents. Perhaps my passport is getting as tired of International travel as I am, though the passport gets to be reborn in 2027!
We arrived, on time, after eleven hours in the air, on a sunny Sunday morning in Lisbon. I managed to prebook an Uber ride to the hotel, which turned out be remarkably easy and the driver was very friendly. Sadly, I didn’t get the message that the University had a driver waiting to pick us up. I’m not used that type of service.
Casa de Sao Mamede
Our hotel was located in an 18th century mansion – the Casa de São Mamede on Rua da Escola Politécnica– not far from the University of Lisbon and next door to the Palace that houses the executive offices of Universidade Aberta. Our room had 12 foot ceilings, 14 inch stone walls and a number of small ‘reading rooms”. The only thing missing was an elevator, but the staircase was broad and richly carpeted. We have stayed in too many ‘modern hotels’ – so this one was a real treat.
Lisbon Christmas market
After a brief nap, we headed to the old town and a visit of a European Christmas Market. Of course, we had some hot mulled wine and managed to NOT buy any more Christmas ornaments, nor pay for a photo with Santa’s elves. We noticed and appreciated the 30 deg. C. increase in temperature from Edmonton – though Lisboners were complaining of the cold!
After unpacking, we realized that we had forgotten to pack my suit jacket, so the first item of business on Monday was to find a men’s clothing store and buy a new suit jacket. I have been trying to de-clutter my closet of sports coats (without a great deal of success) since I retired. Luckily, I managed to resist purchasing the 1,000 Euro jacket and escaped – down only 100 Euros. The closet now has a new sibling.
We ended the afternoon at the Lisbon Botanical Gardens.
Lisbon Botanical Gardens
It was the most ‘well labeled” botanical garden that we had ever visited and featured Europe’s largest collection of palm trees – over 70 species ranging from 5 foot bushes to 25 meter giants. That night we dined with our major host and the director of the LE@D centre, António Teixeira and his wife Maria do Carmo at a traditional Portuguese restaurant. I’ve learned to like eating squid!
The Award Ceremony
Tuesday was the big ceremony. We slept in and after a walk Susan helped me practice my speech. The Award Ceremony was held on Universidade Aberta Day- an annual celebration of the University’s founding – this year their 37th. As typically, the hundred or so gowned academics all lined up to proceed into the Hall – only here they file in not by faculty, but in order of rank at the University. The procession was led by the Rector and myself, followed by other members of the platform party. A great 8 piece choir welcomed us in.
Unlike most Canadian convocation award ceremonies, there were no students receiving graduation certificates. The Rector first gave a speech (thankfully with a paper English translation copy for me). This was followed with achievement awards to two Masters degree graduates and two PhD graduates and certificates were awarded to retiring staff members. Finally, the Portuguese Secretary of State for Higher Education brought greetings and congratulations to the University on its anniversary from the government.
The second half began with the singing of the University Anthem, in harmony, by the choir. My friend Antonio Teixeira then introduced me (in Portuguese), so I am not sure what he said, but no doubt it was somewhat over-exaggerated. Next, a faculty member from Porto, Isabel Huet e Silva, whom I had not met gave an equally long overview of my career and contributions to distance education and e-learning. She told me that she had spent a few hours going through my 35-page CV. When they had asked me for a copy of this CV, I didn’t think they really needed, or wanted, the “the full meal deal” – so I sent a two-page AI generated summary. But she wanted the whole thing.
Then it was my turn.
The Rector and her assistant “gowned me” and presented me with graduate certificate and a chain (representing the Doctor degree) to hang around my neck – then the podium was mine.
I confess to being a wee bit teary-eyed, but managed to get though the speech. I was a bit overwhelmed with the long, standing ovation and clapping from the 200 or so attendees that concluded the event. The ceremony ended with another choir selection and we marched out.
Luckily, outside the hall, I was handed a glass of port and survived the reception line – with many congratulatory comments and photos.
Screenshot
The day ended with drinks and a dinner hosted by the Rector with a number of the Vice Rectors, the platform party, and of course Susan and I.
What a day! I learned that the University had only awarded 8 of these degrees in its 35-year history. I joined Canadians Sir John Daniel and my friend Tony Bates with this honour, but I note that I am the first recipient of this award, from Universiade Aberta, who was not born in Europe.
Graduate Seminar
The next day, I gave a graduate student seminar. It was entitled “Encontro com o Professor Terry Anderson – Projecting the Futures of Research in Open, Distance and Digital Education.” Of course I talked too much, however, the 80 or so attendees (70 via zoom, including a couple of long-time Portuguese friends from elsewhere in the world) seemed to enjoy the talk. It was based partially on slides I had created with help from my friend Rory McGreal and AI). The talk focused on the impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) on educational research production and publication. I have posted the slides on Slideshare. There were lots of good questions.
One of the problems with getting old and now talking about AI in education, is that many of these students have read my earlier articles and books. And now, they want to know what impact AI will have on those ideas. Great questions, but ones I haven’t really thought about – I suppose (and hope) leaving them lots of papers to write!
Finally, Lina Morgado, a former Director of the LE@D centre who had first invited me to the University years ago, gave me a photo album, documenting my visits to the University over the years. – An invaluable memory gift!
Conclusion
On the way home, I was reminded of a graffiti message that I had read 38 years ago when I was working on my Master’s degree at the University of Oregon. It was inscribed on the grout (with other grouty quotes), between the tiles in a stall in the men’s bathroom in a pub near the university. It read:
“Some men strive for groutness, others have it thrust upon them”.
I hope I will always remain humble enough to count myself in the later group.
PS. The University invited a number of diplomats to this event (Lisbon is the capital of Portugal). The Canadian ambassador didn’t show, but Susan was seated beside the Turkish Ambassador. At the end of the ceremony he turned to her and said ‘I assume you are Terry’s wife?” “We have a saying in my country: ‘Behind every strong man, there is a strong woman’. This is true in Canada as well as Turkey and I am a very lucky guy!
Sue and I returned last week from a two week trip to Portugal. All and all it was a good trip and Portugal certainly is a great country- terrific scenery, lots of medieval to modern history and terrific scenery. However, a lesson learned is to not travel with a medical doctor. They tend to pack Covid test kits and what you thought was a cold, caught on the plane ,turned out to be covid! Which wasn’t all that bad but certainly slowed us down for the first week.
In this post I highlight four items of particular interest. The the impact of hyper tourism, the opportunity to witness the Freedom March, the ride on a nineteenth century funicular and visit to Bon Jesus Do Monte, and driving a rental car via GPS when the power goes out across the country.
Hyper Tourism.
I have been to Portugal 3 or 4 times previously in my role as a member of the International Advisory Committee for the online learning research group at the Universitat Aberta- Portuguese’s Open University. A big difference between these trips and now is the major tourist sites are over-run with tourists. Mostly grey haired boomers, and often in large groups – off the cruise boats, riverboats or buses. Many of us are in the “Go-Go” state of retirement, looking at Slow-Go in a few years and NO-GO there after. So we are off to Europe! Of course I realize that we are apart of the problem with excess tourists, bit this didn’t squash our enjoyment of this remarkable country.
We went on a walking tour of the old town (Alfama) in Lisbon. The guide related the chronology of invasions (with the year) that marked Portuguese history – from the Phoenicians, to the Romans, from the Spanish to the Visigoths, from Moors to the fascists. At a break I asked when the invasion of the tourists happened. He instantly replied – 2017.
We went on a great drive through the Douro River valley – mind boggling scenery with terrace vineyards, classic old port wineries and beautiful river scenes. We stopped at Pinhão a small town of (600 people) with the river side covered with tour boats of many sizes. During the one hour long boat trip we embarked upon, the guide said that this town had received 1.2 million tourists in the previous year. If you are planning a trip to Portugal, Spain or Italy in the near future DO NOT watch any of the Youtube videos on over tourism such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXv5D_FUhSg
To be fair, and as noted by colleagues from the Open University, the tourists bring much employment and wealth to the major tourist cities. The conversion of affordable housing to short term rentals does displace residents, but many of these buildings are in dire need to updating and refurbishing.
I shudder to think what the major European tourist destinations are like at peak season (June-Sept.) but it may be worth putting up with chills and rains in the winter to enjoy Europe sans an over-whelming number of tourists
April 25 Freedom March in Porto
From Lisbon, we headed North to Porto. Porto is a great city, smaller (though no less crowded) than Lisbon and in many ways more scenic due to the Douro River that runs through the City. By coincidence we happened to be there on April 25. On this day, Portugal celebrates the Carnation Revolution – ending 48 years of Dictatorship and loss of freedom from fascist dictatorship in 1974. The day is marked in major towns and cities by celebration marches.
This was the largest demonstration/march that we had ever witnessed. Groups of marchers, headed by large banners proclaiming their affiliation (teachers, hospital worker, social workers, engineers etc.). It really was a celebratory gathering with cheers from the bystanders.
The highlight for us was the Marching Batoquirs. This drum corp consisted o f nearly 50 drummers setting the beat that got everyone feeling very upbeat (so to speak). The drummers were of all ages, and led by a whistle blowing parade master, they ran through a variety of engaging and complex beat patterns.
I couldn’t help thinking how useful a marching drum band would be for any of the parades and demonstrations we see here at home – sort of a multi-generational addition to the Raging Grannies.
Two Nights of Fado Music
In Porto and later in Coimbra we bought tickets for hour long (with a shot of port) Fado concerts. Fado is a genre of music, original to Portugal, that consists of a band of 2 or more guitar players and a singer. Typically, but not always, the singers are female and the instruments always consist of at least one Portuguese guitar. These pear shaped guitars have 12 steel strings. The musician plays counter melodies and embellishments to the singer’s voice. Typically the songs are sad laments.
Now, one might ask why we would pay to listen to singers moan and groan about the misery in their lives?- and it wasn’t just for the tiny glass of port they serve. The music is haunting and very soothing. The virtuous playing of the Portuguese guitar players was the real star of the show. The two players we saw were both men in their 60’s who sounded like they had been master players for decades.
The next highlight of our trip was the two nights we stayed on Bon Jesus do Monte. This is a ‘sacred mountain” near Brava that was first begun in the fifteenth century as means to bring Catholics back to the true faith in the midst of the Protestant Reformation.
The complex has been enhanced and extended over the centuries to become a major tourist and local place for a family walk, hike in the hills or worship. The complex has three small, classic hotels (late 19th century). The highlight is a massive baroque staircase leading up to the Basilica.
The theme of the whole mountain park is the Passion of Jesus. From the bottom, and proceeding up the staircase and culminating in the Crucification highlighted in the Basilica at the top of the staircase. are a series of chapels that portray the last weeks of Jesus life, his death, his resurrection and ascension. The story is brought to life in a series of small, stand alone chapels. Through unglassed windows the pilgrims can look inside to see life sized statues of Jesus, disciples, Roman Soldiers and the other key figures in the passion story The statues are painted and amazingly life-like. The 3D multi-media of the 16th century.
One of the many chapels housing the ‘action’ statuesThe Arrest of JesusCrucification in the Basilica
Funicular at Bon Jesus do Mont
Of course not all of the faithful are able to climb to the Basilica -though many younger locals seemed to enjoying jogging up and down the staircase. So in 1881 a funicular was built. The cars which hold about twenty people look similar to other such devices I have seen elsewhere. But what makes this funicular unique is the way the cars are powered to ascend the hill. Typically a continuous cable connects the two cars and an electric motor (in addition to the counter weight of the descending car) propels the funicular. However, this funicular was installed before there was electricity available. And it didn’t use steam power, a wind mill or paddle wheel on a dam or swift stream.
As you can see in the picture above, water from a stream tapped further up the mountain, is fed into a large tank underneath the funicular car. When full of water, the operator closes a big wheel valve. Now the extra weight of the water in the upper car is more than enough to raise the lower car (with passengers). When the car gets to the lower station, it drive over a slanted block of wood openeng a valve and the water spills out of the lower car – lightening its weight enough to be hoisted up once the upper car has loaded its water tank. This ingenious system has been in place since 1881 and is the last remaining gravity-water powered funicular in Europe and perhaps in the world. Very cool use of sustainable energy.
No Power in Coimbra
Our last stop in Portugal was at the former capital and home of Portuguese’s oldest University – in Coimbra. We booked an AirB&B (I though I was booking a hotel) in the very old est part of town near the University. I saw from the hotel map that it was located in an area with very small and winding roads. Given that our rental car had ApplePlay for GPS and we have very good phone coverage with a virtual SIM card (no roaming fees). I was confident that we could find the place, though I was worried about parking our rental car.
What we had not counted on was a nation-wide power outage. This had anly minor effects on us until we made a wrong turn and the GPS stalled trying to find a new route for us. I knew the rental was at the top of a large hill (we were down at river level) yet I also saw that there were very few roads leading up the very steep hill. But we had a rough map and ventured forth ascending on roads that progressly got smaller and pavement gave way to cobble stone. Finally, a parking spot appeared and though we still didn’t know where our place was we thought we were reasonably close.
Clunking along the cobble stone we eventually found our apartment on a road that two loaded donkeys would have had trouble passing- much less a car.
Susan on street outside our apartment
What a relief – we had found our lodging. BUT the code to access the apartment was not working (no electricity). So we descended to a small pub at the end of our street, hoping to get Internet or phone access to contact our host. But alas, no lights, no electricity and no Internet – but they did still have beer, so we fortified ourselves with beer and potato chips and tried to think what to do. Sleeping tin the car didn’t sound very attractive and just driving with no GPS to find a hotel sounded pretty sketchy as well. So we were VERY relieved when an hour later the lights suddenly came back on. Everyone in the bar cheered, and then the publican, went over and switched the lights off – and managed to get a few groans from the patrons before turning it back on. Things fell in place after that. Eventually Internet, phone and even TV returned and we spent two great days touring the old University, National museum and other sights in Coimbra.
Finally, I couldn’t resist snapping a picture of this old Lambretta scooter. It was the same model that I had bought in Madrid in 1971 and with backpacks strapped to the rear carrier, travelled through Spain and Morocco and my first trip to Portugal. Fond memories, but grateful to return with much more money in my pocket, GPS and a wonderful wife and travelling companion
My last challenge was to retrieve our rented car and exit the winding cobble stones streets. The only parking spot we had found was a hill, on a very narrow street (we were afraid the car would be clipped by passing vehicles) but it seemed to have survived. Except, there was a car in front of us, it was raining, we were on a very steep hill, I was too close to the building on the passenger side to turn the wheel to reverse – much less to open the passenger door AND it was a standard transmission vehicle. The only thing better than getting out of that parking spot, was when we returned the rent a car at the end of our trip.
Conclusions
We hadn’t really intended to rent a car . But the first week we spent in Sintra and it was really too long a walk on avery hilly road to get to the train station. Rental cars do allow one to go places off the beaten track, but they are more expensive (tolls on the excellent Portuguese freeways are very expensive (60 Euros for us) and parking in the major cities was 22 euros a night. I think with better planning we would have had a more relaxing trip without worrying about driving a vehicle.
Obviously there isn’t much one can do about excess tourists except to not be part of the problem. I’m very grateful that through speaking tours in years past, we’ve had opportunity to visit most of the major sites and cities in Europe, and so our ‘bucket list” is pretty modest now. Portugal is blessed with incredible scenery, warm and friendly people and just enough misery to enjoy great fado songs, but not to get too upset about anything .
Every year in January, Susan and I take a short trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary- this year our 43rd! As often or not, we head for the Rocky Mountains and the nearest mountain town of Jasper. Alberta.
This year, we expected an unappreciated change in this “mountain jewel”. In August, a huge wildfire had swept through the Athabasca Valley, reaching and engulfing the area around the town. Sadly, the fire didn’t stop at the town’s edge and when it was finally extinguished about 30% of the town was reduced to smoldering ruins.
We couldn’t help but be disaster tourists as we slowly drove through the hardest hit western part of town. First we saw the ruins of the historic Anglican Church.
The building reminded me of the remains of European Church that time alone had reduced to stone corner and foundation. The churches walls, floor and arched ceiling trucked to the landfill and only these stones and a a pile of twisted metal from heating and fixtures remained
The adjacent suburb was mostly flattened ground with piles of rubble and two large excavators loading these piles into trucks. Remarkedly, the devastated area was marked by individual houses and one whole street that seemed untouched. Vehicles outside these surviving houses showing residents had returned – perhaps with a sense of survivor guilt. We later heard that firefighters had bulldozed certain houses (some already alit) to create fire breaks that allowed neighbors homes to be spared.
All that was left of the Esso service station and convenience store was the Esso sign and two iron ceiling beams. The Maligne Lodge and our favorite coffee shop now sadly a bulldozed, scarred empty lot.
Downtown Jasper, as expected of a major tourist destination, is full of restaurants, mountaineering stores, souvenirs and gift. stores and historic hotels. Sprinkled in of course are municipal buildings, banks, library and other services for a town of 5,000 residents.
The commercial buildings seemed intact and open for business, with two exceptions, In the middle of both main streets were blocks of 4-5 two story buildings that were now either empty or covered with scaffolding. This scaffolding was the only evidence we could see of active rebuilding in the whole town. It seems that, as in the suburbs, flying embers had set alight one of more buildings in the downtown core and firefighters had destroyed these to prevent spreading the wildfire spreading.
We then headed to the most famous hotel in Jasper, the luxurious Jasper Park Lodge. This hotel had been built to accommodate well healed visitors travelling on the newly constructed CN cross Canada Railroad. Unlike many of the other luxury railway hotels, the Jasper Park Lodge was not constructed like a medieval castle, but rather consists of a main lodges and 30-40 smaller cabins – that vary in size and cost from hotel studios to multi room log cabins.
We usually stayed at the Lodge for our anniversary but this year we just couldn’t see our selves paying $400 plus a night for the privilege of acting rich. However, we couldn’t resist a couple of visits to the main lodge to enjoy an expensive lunch or two.
In our hike around the lake that fronts the Lodge, we marveled at how close the fire had come. The lodge building were was completely surrounded (though with a buffer of 3-400 meters) by blackened stumps where once the fir forest had thrived. the next day we hiked up the Maligne canyon to really visual the forest destruction. In years past we usually put our ice cleats on and hiked through the frozen canyon marvelling athe ice encrusted rock walls. This year however the hike trough the canyon itself was closed as 3 of the wooden bridges and many guard rails that surrounded the canyon had been destroyed. Further down the river at the 6th bridge we walked through the forest, amazed at the blackened trunks, mostly still standing. WSe could see the work that had already done by Parks Canada staff to clear this trail of fallen trees and other debris. Very few of the trees had actually burned though – but all had lost their needles and many leaned on their denuded neighbours for support.
On most of the mountains surrounding the town, the fire had climbed up to the tree line. Blackening all the trees. Of course, fire in the forested mountains is partof the cycle of nature. The problem is this cycle revolves on time scales not set by humans. It will likely be far past my lifetime before Jasper’s mountain slopes return to their emerald majesty.
Despite the tragedy of this wildfire, the spirit of Jasper lives on. Fortunately the Marmot Basin ski hill was not burnt and though electrical and other utilities suffered, the Hill opened for skiers on time. The Town also is shaking off the tragedy. We attended the annual Street Party that finishes “January in Jasper” celebrations. The temperature – about -15C with wind was a wee bit chilly, but bonfires, propane heaters and our Riverdale friends from Major Love warmed the crowd with their music.
Despite the challenges that lay in front for residents, flora and fauna of Jasper National Park, irt remains a jewel in the Rockies and this will not be our last visit.
Last summer I was asked to join a “quality audit” team that had been created by the Commonwealth of Learning and contracted by the University of South Africa (UNISA) to do a Trail Audit. This process involved a trip to London and this month a trip to Petoria, SA. In this post I talk about UNISA, about my experiences (to which I am not accustomed) in business class and a brief encounter with the South African medial system.
The University of South Africa
The first thing you might notice from the picture below and when driving into Petoria from Johannesburg airport, is the imposing campus of the UNISA. This is the main campus in Petoria which is augmented by a network of regional offices and campuses spread throughout the country. Unisa boast over 340,000 students making it the largest university in the Southern hemisphere. All of the undergraduates work from home, businesses or regional offices. Thus, the campus houses faculty, a huge printing press, library and offices for graduate students – of which there are also thousands.
The University will be audited in 2020 by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) which is the accreditation and regularity agency of the Government of South Africa. In preparation for this Quality audit, the University contracted with COL to undertake a pre-trial quality audit.
UNISA Choir entertains
Unisa was the first university in South Africa from which all of the other universities spun off. Unisa was established by the Brits in 1873 after the University of London model in which no teaching is does, but they set curriculum and examine students who learn however they can. Nelson Mandela is their most famous grad. In 1947 the University started creating print packages, thus becoming the worlds’ first distance eduction institution. They have begun huge (34% of all postsecondary students in South Africa) and largest university in Africa. They are struggling to move from an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) university to an Open and Distance Electronic Learning (ODeL) university – with a zillion challenges. One of which is figuring out if they should abandon their printing presses (largest print shop in the southern hemisphere). The print shop has a warehouse sized “Vault” in which they guard the final exams, since they are terrified of ”leaks” , by which Mafia types obtain final exams and sell them a few days before the exams are written – all across the country on the same exam days. They have testing centres in Johannesburg that sit 2,000 students, at a time, 3 sessions a day. This places them – like most higher education institutions very vulnerable to academic fraud.
Our 6 person team was led by the President of COL and consisted of Professors from South Africa, Tanzania, India, Mauritius and Canada. and with interest in quality standards, technology, student support, African universities and African Open Universities. During the week of our visit we interviewed about 300 people – from President to many students, on main campus and 5 regional centres. The idea of hiring a group of outsiders to audit a whole Universities quality standards just doesn’t happen in Canada, so I really didn’t know what to expect. A really striking feature of the project was the posters, banners, meals, banquets and pomp and circumstances about this audit and our visit . Quite surprising to see notes on our arrival displayed all over the campuses we visited.
Gala Goodbye banquet with Jazz Quartet
The University (and the 5 particular programs that we selected for detailed review) undertook a self-evaluation (300 + pages of text) before our arrival. On the final afternoon we provided our initial findings to a cast of a few hundred. This presentation focused on areas lsuch as quality assurance measures, teaching and learning (my area), technology used, research capability etc. etc. Our report seemed to be well received – but how much credibility can you give to a self evaluation and 5 day visit by group of outsiders? Now we go home and pour through the notes from 2 scribes hired to record everything and then create (and have them verify) a final report. The report will have both commendations (what we impressed by) and recommendations (suggestions for improvement).
Adventures in Business Class.
Last March I had Speaking trip to South Africa as an invited keynote speaker at UNISA’s annual research week. Thus, I was well aware of the challenges of 23 hours in the air and another 10 so getting to, and switching airports. Thus, the offer to repeat the journey this month- but in business class was a real incentive. I got to savour the service on three different airlines (Westjet, KLM and Virgin Air). The trip from Edmonton in December involves travelling through two nights. Of course they treat business class passengers with a lot more choice and comfort than I’m used to in coach. I relaxed and actually fell asleep in 3 types of “sleeping pods”. The biggest surprise was opening the duffle bag at my seat on Virgin Air, thinking it would be the too small blanket that I would wrestle myself under. But no! It was a pair of flannel pyjamas – Like I am going to get into pyjamas and walk down the aisle – NOT!
The food was great – they even had a standup bar with snacks on the 747! But I didn’t do much but read, NOT drink too much, watch a couple of good movies and then sleep! I arrived at 11:00 PM Sunday and we had our first meeting at 7:30 AM the next day, so I didn’t have any time for jet lag. Getting a good sleep on the airplane seems to have almost eliminated jet lag – at least on this trip for me!
Now getting to the hard part – the carbon footprint. You may have read the data that the extra carbon cost of business class and I don’t doubt it is true. So I have little excuse, except to hope that our recommendations will impact the lives of 340,000 students at UNISA. And that that will make a difference.
My Encounter with South Africa and It’s Health Care System
South Africa is (at least by Canadian standards) a pretty scary place. Very visible poverty and unemployment are clearly visible. The protection industry is thriving guards (mostly unarmed), barbed wire, police cars and groups of people in the streets are everywhere. Alongside the poverty are miles of gated and fenced (and I mean big fences) communities. Thus there are many living in pretty severe poverty, while the evolving middle class (both whites and blacks) lives at least partially in a culture of fear. The scary irony is that the country (with its opportunities!) attracts thousands of economic refugees daily from other African countries.
I also had an adventure with the South African medical system. Two days after my arrival I started getting a pain in my lower leg, this continued into a purple rash that kept growing. I figured I better get it checked in case it was flesh eating disease or something worse! UNISA staff took me to the University Health clinic where the nurse suggested I should see a doctor. The clinic referred me to a hospital, but my hosts figured it would be too long of a wait so we travelled way into the burbs to a health clinic where I had an appointment with two doctors. It was weird entering the strip mall clinic (open 24 hours a day) and seeing signs in both Africans and English and staff of all races – expect the doctors that I saw were both white.
They pretty quickly diagnosed the rash as shingles, but they also did all kinds of pressing and pushing, blood test, heart stuff etc. I walked out with 3 prescriptions and a bill for about $100 Canadian total. Ironically, I had had a shingles c=vaccine four years ago, but I have come understand the chicken pox/shingles virus (they are the same critter) can erupt at any time from those who have chicken pox in their lifetime. I didn’t really understand the contagion issue with shingles at the time and so thought it best to cancel my one-day safari trip to see the lions. Fortunately it rained anyways, but we were told that when it rains when visitors come, it is a very good omen!
So South Africa seems to have a great health care system – IF you have money. This clinic was nearby the gated community where the black vice president who was hosting us lived, so we dropped him off at his home. He had a card to open the gate and let us drive into his house, but when we went to leave, the guards wouldn’t let me and the black driver out!! We had to drive back to the VP’s house and get him to verify that we hadn’t ransacked his house.
My flight home was uneventful- the best kind.
I hope you have enjoyed this brief chronicle of the trip.
This post was written by my older brother Dennis Anderson. He inspired my (much more modest) series of adventures my younger brothers Kent and Craig and himself. Dennis notes that getting old isn’t for the timid, but leaves openings and opportunities for some great outdoor adventures.
The Evolving Backpacker
Brothers Anderson: Kent, Dennis, Craig and Terry. Sept. 2018
The Evolving Backpacker by Dennis Anderson.
I am happy and blessed by the fact that my parents instilled in our family a love for the out of doors. For me as a young adult growing up in Southern Alberta and then moving to the interior of BC this meant that I had ample opportunities to spend time in a number of our wonderful National Parks – and in those days one didn’t need permits to just head off back packing or canoeing on over night treks.
For me this meant exploring various sections of the Great Divide Trail in Jasper, Banff, and Yoho National Parks; canoeing the Bow River from Lake Louise to Calgary; completing the Bowron Lake canoe circuit in the central interior; hiking the West Coast and Juan de Fuca Marine trails on Vancouver Island; and most recently exploring the Coastal Mountains off of Princess Louisa Inlet on the Sunshine Coast. All of these pursuits involved hauling a considerable amount of equipment – tent, stoves, food, sleeping bag and foamie, and of course clothing to handle weather fair and foul.
As I have gracefully aged (I say) I still maintain my passion for outdoor pursuits, however they no longer entail my 40 – 45 lb. back pack! A few years ago, I discovered the joys of Hut Hopping in the European Alps. For those of you who have yet to experience a European mountain hut, the term hut is a misnomer. These ‘huts’ are more like luxury lodges which often include private accommodations, terrific cuisine, and of course a place to down a celebratory cool or warm refreshing drink after an exhilarating walk. The real clincher is that for many overnight excursions involving these facilities you only have to pack clothing, snacks, and a sleeping sack – your own personal sheet, and this can all very easily be done with a pack that weighs under 20 lbs.
This approach has worked exceptionally well for me on a recent Tour de Mont Blanc (through France, Italy, and Switzerland) and in the Stubai Alps of Austria. More recently my wife and I have discovered the next ‘pack lightener approach’. This spring we did the Jesus Trail in Israel – a 65 KM walk from Nazareth to Capernaum. For this trip we used a tour company that pre booked our accommodation, provided us with a detailed trail guide, and moved our luggage for us each day. We only had to hoist a small day pack that contained water, our snacks, and clothing for unexpected weather conditions, and then walk to our next pre-booked lodging to find our luggage. This is definitely a very civilized way to go for folks who are still mobile and interested in ‘doable’ walking adventures.
Are there any caveats? Yes, in our experience, the guide book for the Jesus Trail we figure was written and walked (timed) by a 21-year-old who had just completed his or her mandatory Israeli military service and physical training. It was very difficult to meet the posted way marker times. The Tour de Mont Blanc, and the Stubai Rucksack Route we felt were timed by 20-year-old Germans who run mountain trails for fun. In both of our Alpine guides we found that we were adding another 1/2 of the posted time to get an adequate estimate of the length of the hikes in hours. In Israel we did the KM’s but it left little time for the ‘optional’ side trips that were recommended and often sounded interesting.
What have we learned? It is still great to get out-side and be in the great out of doors however we are no longer youngsters. Figure out how far you want to walk in a day and what is potentially on the route and then try to plan your own day. Remember, references to ‘allowed time for museums’ are done by folks who don’t like to read! Guide books are only for ‘guiding’. This may result in adding an extra day or two to the outing, however this little adaptation can make or break an experience, and at this stage of our lives, every little thing to make life easier and more enjoyable is worth considering.
Happy trekking or whatever you pursue to make life full and meaningful in your retirement!
After a brutal January and February in Edmonton, Sue and I were ready for a Winterbuster trip to Mexico. Our first destination was the Town of San Miguel d’Allenda, famous for its architecture and long term destination of artists and expats escaping northern winters. Of course we also wanted to see Mexico City as well for its renowned festivals and museums. We invited our friends Ted and Joanne Koopmans to come along and they added two other destinations.
Our first stop was to visit a friend of Ted and Joanne’s – Gerardo Debbink a former dairy farmer from Leduc Alberta. Gerardo left the farm to visit and learn about community development in Mexico in 1988 and he hasn’t left. In 1992, he spearheaded and accompanied two shipments of heifer dairy cows, donated by Alberta members of the Christian Farmers Federation. He tells an epic story of getting the cows through quarantines and customs with numerous adventures along the way. The cows were distributed and he worked with the farmers for a number of years focussing first on animal welfare and then later on other social and community issues. In the 1994 he moved to Mexico permanently with his family and bought a piece of land on a hill overlooking the city of Cuernavaca, about an hour south of Mexico City.
In 2001 Gerardo founded Quest Mexico a experiential learning centre with programs focussed on “social justice and peace, and may include matters of gender, race, class, sexuality, economics, and ecology”. His participants are usually college students or church groups who come from 2-6 weeks to learn and participate in Mexican life. Gerardo has built a number of buildings on the site and can house up to 25 participants. When we visited Quest, there were no other visitors that week, so we had Gerardo as tour guide and companion for three days. Gerardo shared some his lesson and slide content and we noticed the strong ‘liberation theology” theme that inspires the general community development program.
Main House at Quest Mexico
On our first day in Mexico we began with breakfast at the community centre/kindergarten that hosts a low cost breakfast program run by a rotating group of local mothers. The community centre is an important focus for residents of a mak do-slum that sprung up to house earth quake survivors on land formally used by the Railroad. When the railroad was first privatized (a NAFTA requirement) and then shut down, the land housing the main Cuernavaca Station and even some of the railroad cars were occupied and gradually a community formed. Makeshift electricity and water followed, but the residents are in constant worry that they may be evicted from their houses. We talked to one young mother who told us of her husband having to work evenings and Saturdays to supplement their income so they could send their three kids on a school trip to to a Safari Camp. This day adventure was to cost them more than a week’s income for both parents.
Breakfast at the volunteer run community Centre
After breakfast at the community centre, and a visit to a kindergarten class, Geraldo took us to visit a family who lived in one of the old rail cars. The extended family (3 generations) have added a fridge , TV and even a WIFI router to the rail car, built a bedroom in the backyard, and a few tables for a restaurant in the front. The family earns a living buying food in the Market and selling tortillas and other foods in a restaurant that runs every evening. They were hospitable and were willing to answer all our questions about life at the “station”. The matriarch of the family had been hit by a vehicle (which didn’t stop) and so was able to talk about the recent challenges of getting and paying for health services for an injured leg.
We next walked through the central market which was a huge set of buildings with hundreds of booths selling everything from produce, to shovels and underwear and everything in between. One of the exercises for the Quest students is to take the bus to the market and buy a days provisions on funds available to most low income Mexicans. Fortunately with Geraldo’s assistance we were able to buy a few groceries and other items and had a good time. We next walked through the central square, filled our cell phone sim cards and enjoyed a low cost lunch. By then it was two o’clock, so Gerardo headed us to an outdoor bar overlooking the square in time for two for one beers! We returned to Quest facilities for a jump in Gerardo’s simple but refreshing rooftop swimming pool and a chance for him to tell us about the Narcos that plagued Chernavaca but fortunately had had little direct impact on Quest and ourselves!
Cuernavaca Market
The next day We set off for a visit to Chontalcoatlan – a very small town 90 minutes west of Cervnevaca. Gerardo has been visiting and working in this community for many years and has made many friends. The town is isolated by a 15 mile road (now paved, but not in great shape) from a major highway. The 200 or so residents of the community seem to subsist on gardening and manufacture of handicrafts to be sold in the markets of Ceurnavaca. Our first stop was to visit a family in a very small house off the main road. The house had a bamboo frame, sheet metal roof and sides made up of bamboo sticks, leaving numerous gaps for insects. The yard hosted a tethered cow, a few chickens and more kids from the extended families who occupied this yard. The owners shared the house (and one family bed) with their three kids, and a pet rabbit. The house boasted a refrigerator and a TV and the lady of the house served us tortillas made on the smokey wood fire in the corner of the hut. We were able to ask lots of questions about life in the village. Much of the women’s and children’s lives focussed on trips to the village wells. There were three of these wells that were holes dug sideways in to the hill side, allowing women and kids to walk down steps carved onto the side. One could gauge the amount of water left in the well, by the number of steps that were exposed. It was dry season and so there was very little water left in the well we visited and worries that they would soon have to begin taking water from the last well that was maybe 500 yards UPHILL from the centre of town.
We had a second visit with a young mother, her partner off selling crafts in the City. We asked about school. Most of the younger kids went to elementary school. There was also a high school in the town, but it was unclear if it actually operated because the students didn’t go or the teacher didn’t arrive. In any case, when I asked if anyone from the town had become a teacher or a nurse and returned, the answer was that it hadn’t happened before and was likely too expensive to plan for. We also heard plans for the big wedding celebrations coming up in the village. 25 couples were to be married on the same day- both the priest and the local registrar had an annual sale on marriage services and licenses and the town was taking advantage of the deal!
Fiesta at the Church
As we exited our final visit, we hard the loud retort of fire crackers and were told that a fiesta had begun in the church yard. I thought it was a bit strange for a party to happen during the middle of Lent and in the churchyard – but so it goes. A band consisting of a couple of trumpets, drums and a tuba were making music for around 15 masked dancers who seemed to be able to dance for a very long time in full costume under the blazing sun. We never really understood what the fiesta was about, but enjoyed the scene. We then drove to the famous ‘silver city” of Taxco. The contrast between the village of Chontalcoatlan and this metropolis was immense. Taxco has been the site of silver and gild mines since colonial times, leaving wealth and a stunning cathedral the insides of which were decorated in silver and gold-leafed images. As we road a bus through town I couldn’t help but feel more comfortable seeing familiar banks and stores and shoppers rather than the dusty village we had just left. We enjoyed a tour of the Cathedral and the hundreds of silver jewelry shops that surround the central square and then enjoyed a fine lunch on a roof-top restaurant overlooking the square. At this quite fancy restaurant we paid practices that would not be unfamiliar in Canada- a contrast from the restaurants at which locals (and often ourselves) ate at which prices were less than half of comparable costs in Canada. After a final day lounging about checking out Gerardo’s educational resources, we prepared to move on, feeling inspired and grateful for the chance to stay for a few days at Quest, learning from Gerardo and his widespread community.
San Miguel d’Allende.
Image credit Jiguang Wang
We left the next morning on the bus – about 6 hours north to San Miguel d’Allende. The intercity buses that we rode on in Mexico were quite upscale – even compared to Canadian standards. They featured reserved seats, free snacks as you entered, TVs and huge reclining seats. We had a quick bus change in Mexico City and 4 hours later arrived in San Miguel. San Miguel has been a refuge for artists, expats and tourists since the 1950’s. It is a beautiful town made prosperous from the 17th century by both mines and fertile lands for farming. Also being higher in the hills, the weather and the views are stunning. Our AirBnB ($360 Can for 5 nights) was quite upscale featuring a large living room and deck with a view to the central basilica. We spent the first day walking through the town centre and checked out the community cultural centre, that is located in a large former convent. As we walked into the main courtyard, we saw (and heard) musicians warming up and realized we were just in time to grab chairs in the shade for a symphony concert by the San Miguel Youth orchestra. The performers were all 20-30 years old and we thought very entertaining as they romped through classics by Mozart, Bach and Hayden. As we exited the community at the end of the concert we bumped into the start of a parade of bad bands, blaring speakers and hundreds of costumed characters in all sorts of monster type costumes. They were heading to the Fair grounds near our AirB&B. After all this excitement we had to head for a pub and being St Patrick’s Day, it had to be Irish. Fortunately, Kelly’s Irish pub was only a few blocks away and Mr Google guided us there.
Parade in St Miguel
The second day we visited the Escondido hot springs about 8 K north of the town. This open air complex had about 8 swimming pools of various sizes and temperatures and numerous natural pools full of turtles and carp. We wandered through the grounds jumping into most of the pools and ended the day with a fine meal on the terrace overlooking the grounds. We had been using Uber (with good results) but decided to try the Taxi home – cost us 4 times what we had paid Uber man to get there. Live and learn to negotiate a price before hoping in a taxi.
Our final day in St Miguel we toured the main square and churches once again and ended the day on a roof-top restaurant enjoying the sunset and the central square. In line with the tourist nature of the town, we enjoyed a 15 piece Mariachi band in the square as we left.
To the Pyramids at Teotihuacan
For our 3rd stop we planned to head to the famous Teotihuacan ruins north of Mexico City. We took an Uber for the 4 hour drive on toll roads ($250 C.) which worked out nicely – after we rejected the 1st car as too small for 4 plus luggage. We booked a hotel that supposedly was right across the road from the pyramids and sure enough arrived around 2:00 PM. On checking in the clerk asked if we were here for the ceremonies, we relied what ceremonies? Then it dawned on us that it was March 20 and the equinox was to be celebrated the next day. We headed through town of St Martin –walking along the boarder fence to the ruins to arrive at the Gruta restaurant. The restaurant has been operating since 1906 in a deep cave, open in spots to daylight. Great Mexican food and usual Canadian style prices.
Gruta RestaurantView from the Pyramid of the Moon
The next morning we headed out to explore the complex at Teotihuacan. It took a 3 km walk to get to the entrance, but we arrived to be near the Pyramid of the Moon, and proceeded to climb up as far as permitted. From the Pyramid of the Moon one could look down the Avenue of Dead, flanked by lower buildings and small pyramids and see the massive Pyramid of the Sun, with hundreds of people climbing and descending from the sumit. As we strolled along the Avenue, avoiding the handicraft salesforce, we heard drumming coming from the plaza fronting the Pyramid of the Sun. We emerged into the plaza to find about 100 dancers, many with feathered headgear dancing to drum beats and smokey snugs. At one point the dancers worked into a spiral round dance, like many I’ve seen here in Alberta.
We then joined the long line up of mostly white clad, Mexican visitors to climb the Pyramid of the Sun. This is the 3rd largest pyramid in the world and the largest in the western hemisphere. Its origins are a bit obscure, Teotihuacin was named by the Aztecs meaning “place that the gods built”, since even in Aztec time, the site was very old and sacred – but abandoned. It took about 45 minutes to ascend to the top of the pyramid – owing mostly to the slow moving crowd. When we finally arrived at the summit, we noticed most people with upraised hands towards the sun. We then heard a conch sound from below, followed by cheering and clapping around us. We had a arrived at the top, at exactly 12:00 noon. Thus celebrating the equinox in style, despite our total lack of planning. The following day we toured the museum at the site and took another Uber ride to Mexico City.
Equinox Celebration from top of Pyramid of the Sun
Mexico City
Our final stop was 4 days in Mexico City. The City is huge metropolis (nearly 9 million) and we certainly didn’t do more than visit the major tourist sites. Our AirBnB was much more modest than our flat in St Miguel. However, it was adequate and walking distance to the Historic Centre. We did the usual visits to the Cathedral, main square, president’s palace, Diego Rivera’s murals and the National Anthropological Museum. We were also fortunate to arrive the night before an annual spring festival, at which 16 stages in the central area were scheduled for a wide variety (from jazz, to ‘beats’ to classical) of entertainment on the Saturday night. We also visited the Blue House (now museum) home of Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera. Frida’s story of overcoming a life of physical pain and her ability to portray a love of life through the pain is an inspiration.
The biggest disappointment of the whole trip occurred on the Mexico City subway, when my wallet was pick-pocketed. I checked the wallet, in a front pocket before entering the subway. On the 2nd train, we squeezed into the entrance, but the other passengers, refused to move down the aisle. I was afraid Susan might not get on the train, so pushed my way through these ‘gentlemen’ to vacant spaces away from the door. In the process of squeezing through, this professional gang lifted my wallet. I didn’t notice the loss until we were leaving the station. 20 minutes later, I had both credit cards cancelled (thank heavens for cell phone and Mexican SIM cards), but there had been multiple purchases and two attempts at cash withdrawals from both credit cards. I lost about $80 cash but received assurances that the purchases would be covered by the banks. But I still have to confront getting and registering new cards and purchasing (and using) a wallet with a security strap/chain. Live and learn.
Summary
We had a great trip, learned lots, enjoyed the company of our friends Ted and Joanne, made new friends, ate and drank good Mexican fare. Our total costs were around $1500/couple for two weeks, plus close to $1,000/couple for airfare. We figure we got our money’s worth.
Although I have been to South Africa before I had
never had the opportunity to visit the world’s oldest distance education
university! Unisa is HUGE – I heard
varying numbers ranging from 375,000 to 450,000 students. The variations relate
in part deciding if a student should be counted if they take a term off, can’t
afford tuition or are otherwise not currently enrolled in a course, though
still actively enrolled in a program of studies. In any case, courses with
15-20,000 concurrent students are not unknown.
Given my experience of distance education systems two whole order of
magnitudes smaller than those Unisa deals with made me wonder if I was the
right expert to be addressing these distance education colleagues.
Unisa has numerous student centres around the
country but the flagship reigns like a giant space ship on the hill as you
enter the capital city of Petoria. It is a huge building and begs the question
of who is actually there if the students are all at a distance. I came to understand that UNISA is also major
provider of Masters and especially PhD students, many (or most) of whom are
resident at Unisa. And in addition the number of staff to develop, support and
deliver courses on this scale, also requires huge number of office spaces.
Each year Unisa organizes a research week in which
they invite one or more keynote speakers to kick of the week and then each of
the faculties is expected to convene a series of presentations, roundtables,
keynotes and panel sessions focused on research related to the theme, from
their discipline perspective. This was
the first time that the research week had focused on Open and Distance Learning
(ODL) research itself. I find that this
lack of focus and energy on what makes distance education unique a bit
puzzling. However, I realize that Unisa like too many other distance education institutions
hires faculty and is judged, not by the research nor the quality of their ODL
programming, but by the research in traditional disciplines – similar to campus
based universities. Thus myself, my good friend and co-author Olaf
Zawacki-Ricter from Germany and a new friend Christine Ofulue from Nigeria Open
University were invited as keynotes.
They certainly put us to work. Besides the opening
keynote and panel discussion, Olaf and I did two half day workshops on research
theory and techniques, I did two other keynotes at the Business and Graduate Studies
Colleges and 3 more panel discussions. All and all it was a bit much, but on
the plus side, we were treated royally with many a fine restaurant meal and opportunity
to socialize with colleagues.
At the research Awards Gala with Colleagues
The university also arranged a half-day visit to
Johannesburg where we visited the infamous Fort Jail where both Nelson Mandala
and Mahatma Gandhi had been imprisoned. The prison tour graphically illustrated
the almost unbelievable cruelty inflicted by both white and black wardens on
the prisoners. But even more shocking was the differential treatment down to
food rationing, showering and actual square sleeping space given to the highly
segregated prison blocks. Black prisoners ate their extremely meager food from
unwashed plates, sitting on the bare concrete only feet away from open and
often overflowing latrines. Of course some of the prisoners were convicted of
theft and other crimes but many were being held (up to 180 days without charge
or trial) for political activities or even for being outside an area to which
you were constrained by their pass book.
This sobering tour was relieved by a quick tour of the South African Supreme Court, building – a building constructed from bricks of the old cell blocks on the same Jail site. The Court building is rich in symbolism, such as the building pillars resembling a tree under which the traditional chief would meet with citizens to dispense justice. The courtroom itself was slightly sunk into the ground and very narrow windows on the side that allowed judges to see only the legs from the knee down of pedestrians walking between buildings. This view encouraged judges, lawyers and visitors to acknowledge persons but not to be able to judge them based upon their gender, their nationality, their religion or their cultural or tribal background.
Windows at the Supreme Court, walls from bricks of old cell blocks
We then drove through Johannesburg – the only major
city in the world not established on a river, lake or sea-coast. The city was established
to serve the gold and later coal and diamond mines in the area. I knew the City
had a mining history, but I didn’t realize the city was actually on the mines,
with great piles of slag visible as we drove through the suburbs. Our tour
guide even talked of illegal mining still going on within the city and the near
calamity of a major natural gas line being disturbed by blasting from illegal
miners within the city limits.
Our tour ended with a visit to the Apartheid
Museum. Though of course I am old enough to remember reading newspaper accounts
of the Soweto uprisings, the Sharpville Massacre, the murder of Steve Biko, Nelsons Manadal’s
release from prison and other headlines, I never really understand the all encompassing
pervasiveness of the attempt to rule a country based on racial origins. I also came to understand the forces of
industrialization on under educated whites and the fear that drove them to try
to maintain their excusive privilege – much as the Trump supporters today struggle
to regain hegemony and long lost wealth and influence. On the plane home I read a book about a police
spy and his successful penetration of white anti-apartheid organizations both
internally and outside South Africa. I had no idea of the relentless war
conducted by the South African police to murder and imprison activists, both black and white, within and outside of
the country.
I also had time to consider the strategic efforts
of Unisa to ‘Africanize’ the curriculum. During one of the panel sessions, one young,
white, female academic asked the panel members if Africanization of the
curriculum meant that it had to be taught by black Africans. The response from the panelists was unclear.
However noting the complete absence of any but black Africans in executive
positions and a few private conversations makes me realize that the wounds of
colonialism and racism will take a very long time to heal.
It has been three years since I retired from active life as a university professor- though some grad student thesis projects dribble on…. One of the changes in my retired lifestyle was a marked reduction in my business related travel. I don’t really regret this as my carbon footprint was getting so large, I couldn’t even find snow shoes large enough to fit. I had a good run. I probably did more than 40 keynotes (actually lost track) and travelled to every continent more than once –except Antarctica (penguins can’t yet see the value in distance education). The most obvious irony of this (pointed out to me by MANY over the years) is travelling to preach the benefits of Not travelling and getting an education online.
My retirement plan was mostly a non plan, with my usual commitment to say yes to any opportunities that arose. Retirement is great! Throughout my life I have either had TIME or MONEY – but never both. I don’t have a lot of MONEY but more than most and certainly enough. I’ve been able to rejuvenate my garage woodworking shop, spend lots more time on music, joined a choir and managed to “huff and puff” regularly at the Y or on hikes. But with Susan still working any exytended travel – beyond our annual pilgrimage to her dad’s cottage in northern Ontario, hasn’t been extensive. But I’ve had the TIME to do things or just put them off till I feel like it.
After a two year hiatus, I was really surprised to receive two invitations on the same day to do key notes– one from South Africa and one from New York. To add to the coincidence, they were for the same couple of days in early March. I accepted the South African not because of the extended air travel, but because I think my ideas might be more useful there than in New York. I was more surprised to get a third invitation to do a keynote in Lisbon – on the way to South Africa.
This challenge and opportunity was a bit more challenging this time, as I really couldn’t pull out one of my now three year old stock speeches. So, I created a new talk on social media.
Here in Lisbon, I spent time with another keynote speaker who is also an old friend from the Open University UK. Like me, Alan Tait has been retired for a few years. He inspired this post, by telling me his wife had asked him “When are you going to quit pretending that you are expert?” Maybe this it is just a getting old enhancement to the imposter syndrome, but her comment made me think. I might have exaggerated the irony by focusing my talks on social media, though I am only a reluctant user of Facebook, and honestly have even seen an Instagram screen.
But the trip and the conversations here in Lisbon have restored my confidence. I even talked to faculty member here who are interested in working on a book in which they would translate (and have any added commentary) some of my “seminal works” and then follow each up with studies in Portugal and Brazil that had applied these idea to their own research. VERY flattering, and of course I agreed to participate, though I won’t even be able to read the book, without the aide of Google Translate.
In any case this trip and thinking about social media has made me realize the segmented life that I live. There are likely very few people who are “friends on Facebook”, subscribe to my blog, follow me on twitter and have seen the Youtube videos I have uploaded. To perhaps help integrate my social and professional life, I link here to the slideshow presentation I did in Lisbon with hopes that some of my circles of Riverdale, Edmonton, distance education, back-to-the-land hippy, sailing, music and Unitarian friends and family can see the type of things I talk about when I put my keynote hat on.
Reflecting on the diverse groups I have had the pleasure to work and celebrate with over the years, makes me realize that I have been extraordinarily lucky and blessed with diversity.
All the best to each of you! I hope are paths cross virtually or F2F in the years I have remaining (ouch!)
The pack is loaded, done with 3 weeks of walking the Edmonton River Valley daily, wondering what else I should be worried about and then the plane takes off and away you go. Thus, this 10 day hike in the Alps begins with my older brother and hike leader Dennis (71), and younger twin brothers Craig and Kent (66) and me (68). The usual fly-all-night to Europe trip, wondering when to take a sleeping pill, to arrive in a busy Munich airport. Rendezvous here with the brothers, then find a train and next we are emerging in the Tyrol Alps at Innsbruck. From there a bus or tram and you get your first glimpse (below) of the Stubai Valley.
View of the Stubai Valley from our first coffeebreakThe Stubai Valley winds upwards for 40 km from Innsbruck to end with multiple arms of the Stubai Glacier. Along the glacial stream in the middle of the valley and on terraces above, Austrians have been farming for centuries – now augmented by more small town and and tourist facilities. The Stubai Valley hosts 4 ski lifts which provide access for skiers in the winter and hikers in the summer. Austrians have a tremendous passion for mountain culture and especially hiking. All summer long day-hikers frequent the Alms- old farms now serving as rustic restaurants and Alpine Club Huts located high above the highway. These provide a destination and delicious, traditional Austrian soups, meals and strudel after a few hours hiking.
We’ve chosen this location as brother Dennis, bought a guide book in the early 1970’s titled Trekking in the Stubai Alps – Hut-to-Hut walks. Although Dennis had holidayed in the Stubai more than once, he had never tackled the complete RuckSack Trail – a circle route linking 8 Alpine Club of Austria Huts – our goal on this Trek. This was a continuation of our hike on the Tour de Mt Blanc, partially motivated by the injury that prevented brother Kent from joining us last year and partly to get this off of Dennis’s 1970 bucket list!
Our first night we spent a very nice hotel, overlooking the valley and a 5 course DELUXE meal – my first steak tartare for an appetizer. Next morning we use our free bus pass to head up the valley to the Elfer ski lift. Then up on the one free ski lift trip per day provided by the pass. Using a ski lift certainly makes alpine hiking different, but we were to find that there were MANY hills ahead -lacking these mechanical conveniences. The weather (as for almost the whole trip) was beautiful and we enjoyed the walk up and then down and then down to an Alm for soup and beer. As we enjoyed our late lunch we looked up and up at the 810 metre pass that awaited us for after lunch.
Our first glimpse (and not untypical) of the Rucksack Trail
We huffed and puffed our way up the switchbacks to a welcoming beer on the patio deck of Innsbrucker Hut.
Although owned by the Austrian Alpine Club, each Hut is managed and the nearby trails maintained, by different chapters of the German and Austrian Alpine Clubs. Thus the Innsbrucker Hut (built in 1884) is managed and the nearby trails maintained by volunteers from the Innsbruck Chapter of the Alpine Club.
The second day promised to be the longest. The official guide book notes the distance from Innsbrucker to Bremmer Hut is 9km! Now remember that I hd been in ‘training” walking at least 9 km, and many days more, in Edmonton for the past 3 weeks. But we worried about the time – the guide book says 6 hours (but some take longer). Our hike turned out ob close to 12!!! The issue is of course how you measure a kilometer – horizontally or vertically!!. We were reassured by a German hiker on the trail that we were leaving early (8:30 AM) in time to make it easily and to remember that there was three major passes. Unfortunately, once we had huffed and puffed up to the first major hill in the first hour, we weren’t sure (but hoped) that that had counted for number one. What followed was the strangest and perhaps most interesting day of the trip!
We were hiking horizontally above the tree line, and 3 hours later, were at the height of our destination and in site of our Bremner Hut. However, between us and the Hut were three great ravines that we had to go around, or more often go way down then way back up to summit the Col, or pass. On the highest of these we had to scramble up irregular blocks of glacial rock, ever thankful for the Red and White train markers painted on the ‘best route” and the strategically placed rocks, wires or foot braces drilled into the rock. I love volunteer trail maintainers!! When we finally reached the top of the Col- was it number 2, 3 or 4?? I thought it would be a nice view to enjoy our sandwiches purchased that morning at the Hut. Two problems, worst sandwich of days old rye bread and a thin slice of cheese and even thinner slice of ham. But even more insurmountable was our lunch time perch. We were on rather comfortably sitting on a stone a ridge perhaps 3 feet wide, with sheer death on one side and shere death on the other. I couldn’t get comfortable and it was time to move on. It was on this day that we first encountered the cables that are drilled and anchored into the rock, to afford a handhold – or a clip onto – IF you were equipped with a harness. It wasn’t really that bad, but did give us a for-taste of more to come on this trip
Kent descending, while Dennis waits his turn. Note the bolts holding the cable to the rock and the always welcomed red and white flash marking the trail.
After surmounting and scrambling up the last few meters we finally surmounted what we hoped was the final Col. Then part-way down the valley (or Eldewise as Craig kept referring to the Creeks) down to what the guide book referred to as ascent of a “chimney” up to Bremner Hut. Unfortunately it had started to rain and the light was already failing. I started up the chimney but soon realized that it was not safe for old men, with rubbery legs, heavy packs, cold cables, and wet and slippery rocks. We had been told that one could descend perhaps 300 meters and a couple of kilometers and then walk about a much easier route to the hut. Unfortunately, we somehow lost the trail (our only time to do that during the hike) and soon we were bush-wacking down a slope, crossing small streams but wondering (and hoping) that indeed, there was another way up to the Hut. As it began to get darker, I began tantalizing about plan B options- breaking into a shepherds hut we had seen in the distance or walking down to the town lights we could see waydown in the valley – maybe 8 kilometers away. We were RELIEVED to finally regain the trail (marked with the red and white flashes of Austria! It was then a 90 minute hike up to the hut and just as we were about to put on our flashlights, a big Alpine Ipex appeared out of the mist about 30 feet beside us. A great omen and sure enough the Hut also materialized in a few hundred meters.
Bremner Hut
We were welcomed in by the Hostess and explained that there were 2 more following us. Craig changed wet socks and went back out to carry Kent’s pack and make sure they got in. I relaxed with a big Austrian beer. Thirty minutes later the host comes over to tell me the other two have arrived, but not the third one. So off he went with a light and found Craig in 10 minutes or so. Needless to say we enjoyed the dumpling and schnitzel meal that was served later.
The next morning we were ready for hike number 3 from Bremner to Nuremburger Hut – only 5 Km. The walk started with a very steep ascent. As I neared the top, about 45 minutes ahead of Dennis and Kent, Craig told me to come up where he was and check out the trail we were about to ascend. We surveyed the next 100 yards – scrambling up very irregular rocks ‘aided’ by wire cables, which one could clip onto – IF you were equipped with a harness. Of course we didn’t have either that kind of equipment, nor skills, so we made an executive decision, that we really didn’t need this type of adventure, since a mis-step could be fatal. We also soon rationalized that we were old men, and had come for a hike – not for a mountain climb. So back to Bremer Hut and nice day relaxing on the sunny hut patio. The goal of making sure we enjoyed the hike and did if safely, overwhelmed our need to make it around the 8 Huts of the Rucksack trail.
The next morning we had a delightful 8 km hike down to the valley and a nice beer at an Alm where the road began. It turns out the family run Alm had a grandfather who would be pleased to drive us back to Stubia Valley for 80 Euros. It is nice being able to both rationalize and buy our way out of challenges!! Back in the Stubai, we took the bus up to the glacier and bought a ticket for the “midstation” ski lift that let us off at Dresdner Hut. This was the most modern of our huts, really a medium sized hotel, with again two bunk beds in our room but this time with a sink as well and FREE showers.
View from the top of the Stubai Glacier
Close up of the melting glacier
The next morning we took two more ski lifts up to the top of the Stubai Glacier. 2018 has been the warmest summer on record in the Alps and needless to say the heat was assaulting the glacier. The ski lift operators had surrounded each of the lift support towers with hundreds of feet of felt wrapping trying to insure the footings didn’t melt away with the glacier. The view from the top was stunning and we decided to walk down the glacier. This was surprisingly challenging as we were slipping and sliding down the melting slush that was the glacier top. Fortunately, the ski lift people had run one of their tracked packing machines up and down creating a bit of serrated path to follow. We stopped to have a drink from one of the many melt streams and took to wondering about many hundreds? thousands? of years this running water had lain frozen in this massive glacier complex.
Getting back to the ski centre half way down the hill, I realized that neither the Shoe Goop nor the duct tape, I had used to arrest the opening of my leather boot from its sole was keeping the weather out. Thus, with some typical Anderson reluctance, I pulled out the Visa card and bought a pair of nice hiking shoes (on sale, but still 160 Euros!!) Now to finish this hike with a brand new pair of unbroken in shoes. Luckily they worked out great!
We searched for the trails heading both directions from Dresner Hut and had a chat with the two women from Colorado who we had met earlier and who had just arrived. They suggest there was lots of dicey, cable climbing on our intended destination. So again, we consulted and like old men, decided to take the bus down two stops and then hike up to the Sulzenau Hut – rather than go up and over the Col.
This turned out to be one of the nicest days of our trip. We hiked up along side the beautiful Grawa Waterfall. This is the widest and one of the highest waterfalls in Austria. At the base is a sunning deck where Austrians love to sit and wonder at the falls while soaking up both sunshine and the plentiful negative ions produced by the Falls. It is said that an afternoon ingesting both the mist and the ions, especially if coupled with a 2 hour hike to the Alm at the top of the waterfall, is a sure promise of health and happiness. One thing for sure, it was a beautiful hike up, though some of the stairways from logs notched to accept 2 by 8 treads were a bit slippery.
In any case we arrived at the Alm for a beer and gawking at the gothic carvings that filled both the restaurant and the sun deck. Each chair and most of the tables was carved with some mythical Australian wood creature. From the Alm we could see our
Suzenau Hut , perched on the top – right of the waterfall
destination Suzenau Hut on the cliff above us. Craig and I actually made it in the 90 minutes promised by the way-sign. As Craig said you just get into a pace and don’t stop. We arrived around 2:00 PM at the hut and were welcomed with bowl of dumpling soup.
We really enjoyed this Hut – both for the atmosphere and the friendliness of the hosts. It was a Saturday night so there was several families in the Hut – full nearly to capacity with about 30 guests. The food however was great and we easily got our 48 Euros each worth (private room for 4 with bunk beds, supper and breakfast included). The next morning we hiked up to Blue Lake and again saw the retreating glaciers that once filled this plateau. Then back down the trial to the bus.
Obviously our trip was no longer going according to circular route of the RuckSack trail, so we opted to take another ski lift and then a 4 hour hike up to Starkenberger Hut. This was a great hike, again high above the tree line but with spectacular views of the Stubai Valley below. The trail was fairly easy as we walked over and around the huge avalanche fences that protected the towns below.
The Hut proved to be the least welcoming in our tour (not withstanding the rainbow that greeted arrival). We were forced to sleep in a very tiny room (2 bunkbeds and not even room to change your mind between the beds!). No showers and the food was as mediocre as the reaction by the Hut managers.
We had intended to do day hikes and spend a second night at this Hut, but changed our minds, based upon the atmosphere of the Hut and the raging snow and wind storm that hit during the night.
Our last morning hiking through a skiff of snow and fog
Fortunately, Dennis had plan B. After hiking back down to the Valley, we took the bus to a very cushy Spa/Hotel. Here we enjoyed the hot tub and other delights which we “had not been accustomed to thus far in the hike.” The next day we headed back to our original hotel, but first stopped at another ski lift to take the steel toboggan ride down. This was a bit bone shaking for me – clinging to this metal sled as it screeched around and down the mountain side.
You can’t go to Europe without visiting a Church – Here at the tomb of Maximilian in Innsbruck
Our hike was now pretty well done. We spent the next day as tourists in Innsbruck and also noting the bikes, competitors and tourists here for World Junior Bike race championships.
For our final day we decided to rent a car and drive 2 hours to Hitler’s summer home at the Eagle’s Nest. After a nice morning drive through the Austrian countryside and then into Germany we arrived at Berchtesgaden. Here we went through the Nazi museum that documented the arrival of Hitler and many of his top commanders to this rural retreat. The Nazi’s confiscated or bought many of the farms and built homes for themselves, with of course numerous barracks for SS guards. The museum was packed with tourists – almost all German speaking. The photos and film clips of people fawning over Hitler as he emerged from his home, were sickening and reminded me of the adulation by some of the current US president.
To get to the actual “Eagles Nest” one buys a bus ticket for the 7km one way road up to the mountain top. Turns out the building itself was used more
Original 1936 elevator leading to the Eagle’s Nest
for receptions and high powered meetings by the nazis than as Hitler’s residence. The original 1936 elevator takes visitors up for the final ascent to the Eagle’s Nest (silhouetted at top in photo to the left). The scenery no doubt served to impress visitors. However our visit was a bit strange in that you can’t actually go into the “Nest” it is now a large kitchen surrounded by patios filled with lunching and beer drinking Germans!
Eagle’s Nest surrounded by restaurant tables
Our trip back to Innsbruck was uneventful, but we avoided the Autobahn and drove through Austrian valleys. It is amazing how many ski lifts (all operating during the summer) there are in Austria. Makes we wonder no more, how they win so many Olympic downhill medals. The next day we were up early to catch the bus to Innsbruck, then Craig and Dennis split to do the BMW museum and enjoy a day of Octoberfest in Munich, while I headed home.
Thus ended the second and likely last Alpian hike by the Anderson brothers.
Footnote – Total cost, all in, was about $1,330, not counting airfare for this 12 day adventure.
Part B in which Elder brother and leader Dennis provides a detailed account of this trek.
The Stubai Adventure September 2018Day 1
September 17 was our meeting day in Munich Germany. We were all scheduled to arrive in the early to mid-morning and surprisingly, all of the flights were basically on time and one by one we managed to find each other, made our greetings, and found our way through the airport to the train station where we joined the throngs milling around the ticket machines and trying to figure out how to purchase our fare to Munich and on-going ticket to Innsbruck. We were not having any success and a ‘local’ woman who we couldn’t seem to get rid of persisted in trying to help us and then finally said, come with me, just follow me (was she a travel Angel in disguise?). The 4 Anderson sheep followed quickly in her foot steps and she lead us onto a train and to some empty seats where she proceeded to say that she had a group ticket and it was available to us for 20E (which was about 1/3 the cost of individual fares). At this point, we were pretty well committed, and so all 5 of us settled in for the hour long ride into Munich.
At the train terminal our ‘hostess’ pointed out the train ticket info office and we thanked her (with a tip) and she headed for another train! We pulled a number and eventually made it to the front of the line where we were sold another group fare for the 12:30 departure for Innsbruck (which we just made). This was the slow scenic train and we enjoyed (despite the fact that we missed grabbing some eats in Munich) every minute of the spectacular run into Austria and the Alps. At 3:00 we met Peter – our host from the Bergkranz Hotel, “in front of the buses”. This innocuous description can be interpreted at least 2 ways and after a quick phone call we determine which of the 2 was correct. The hotel was just like it was 2 years ago – snappy, and full.
We sat outside on our deck for an hour soaking in the sunshine and +27 degree weather (both Calgary and Edmonton had snow when the boys left) and listening to the cow bells in the distance as we waited for the Church bell to toll 6PM. We then moved to the hotel patio to enjoy a beer along with the stunning view over the valley. At 7:15 we moved inside for a spectacular 6 course meal – none of us could remember our last one (or if there even was one) but we were all sure that there wasn’t one in the Anderson boy’s home days, that was for sure! Four exhausted gents hit their respective beds at 9:00PM.
Day 2:Mieders to Innsbrucker Hutte
After some drug induced sleep we awoke refreshed and ready for the challenge of the day. A ragged start at breakfast – with half arriving at 7:30 and the other at 8:00 – but to a wonderful full European breakfast buffet which included just about anything one could possibly consider for breakfast, and all gorgeously presented, which nicely set the stage for the day.
We walked down the hill to catch the bus at 9:30 and had enough time for Dennis to get a knee support and the others some snacks at the local SPAR before we boarded the bus to the Elfer Lift and the first phase of our hiking adventure. A 1000M rise via the gondola and then a 30 minute switch back trail led us to the Elfer Hutte and the beginning of the Panoramaweg, a nice Interpretive trail that featured plaques on the flora and fauna of the area during the first part of the walk and then, at the halfway point where the broad trail deteriorated, on geology. This section wasn’t as interesting and the footing continued to deteriorate as we made our descent to the Karalm for our lunch stop
From the Alm we could see the top of the Col which was our PM objective. It featured a well-defined ascent trail and then finished off with some long switchbacks which traversed the face of the cliff just below the summit. After an hour’s walk and arriving at the first of the switchbacks, we could see a fluttering flag which was our target. When we arrived at the Col we saw the most spectacular site of the day – the Innsbrucker Hutte basking in the late afternoon sunshine at 2360m.
We arrived with enough time to share beers on the deck with 2 women from Colorado before the sun dropped below the peaks and we checked into Room 7 for the evening. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the small dining area which featured an enclosed portion of the original Hutte build in 1885. We did some route planning and then had showers before hitting the sack at a very respectable hour (we paid 1E for a .5M – the M standing for minute, of hot water!!!) This would not be the first incident of not being familiar with the German signs and terminology! Notes from the day:
Craig and Terry make up our A team (Kent and I call them the jack rabbits)
The B team is composed of a guy with a 75% pumper and another who is carrying the equivalent of a 50LB bag of cement – but no complaining; we made it!
We did notice that we missed just about all of the posted STB times on the way-points. The locals must run these trails!!! For the B Team our rule of thumb became: add an additional ½ of the posted time to get a total realistic time estimate.
At dinner we had a ‘Toast to Ethel’ as we celebrated the anniversary of her birthday.
Distance: 11.59KM; Hiking Time: 6hr 26min; Elevation Gain 1327m Loss 816
Day 3: The Creaky Bed and the Hike from Hell
The night was jet lag time for the overseas travelers and there was lots of unrest associated with not being able to get to sleep and hence the creaking noises coming from the wooden bunk beds. Breakfast was very basic and the sandwich which we opted to buy for lunch was probably one of the most uninspired efforts that I have ever bought. We didn’t eat most of them.
The day presented at least 3 of us with the greatest alpine challenges of our lives – three steep ascents aided by fixed supports – Via Ferrate (Italian for Metal Road!!!) of cables and steps. We left Innsbrucker under a full sun just after 8:00AM and hiked up and over 3 incredibly steep passes guarded by glacier boulder fields both up and down, and one Col across a narrow ridge with a steep drop-off on both sides – however the trail was incredibly well marked with new red and white flashes. We walked all day with only short stops and arrived at Dresdner Hutte 2308m at 8:30PM.
At the end of the day we faced light showers and then once we lost daylight a drizzle and bank of fog. For our final ascent we sent the A Team ahead to ask the Hutte folks to save us some dinner while the B Team plodded along – however we weren’t too far behind and our hostess provided a wonderful meal when we finally did arrive. Our American friends had told them that we were on our way, and we did have a reservation, however they were a little ticked off at our scattered arrival.
The last hour of our walk was done with the aid of lights following the ‘friendly’ flashes illuminated by our headlights. What a welcome site to see the spot light of the maintenance shop and then the inviting lights of the Hutte. Somehow we had managed to get off of the trail. There were three routes to the Hutte but only 2 described in our book. Terry had checked out the Chimney option that in the rain was not really an option and the alternate mentioned in the book was the high route which was a significant way back on the trail that we had climbed down. We had an idea of where to go for the third option – the Lake option – mentioned by a fellow hiker going the opposite way, and we saw this alternative route for most of the afternoon from across the valley. We used our bushwhacking skills to finally find the access we had spotted from across the valley on high. We still don’t know exactly where or how we missed the trail to the access route up from the lake to the Hutte and our detour did add considerable hours to our day – the longest and hardest day of our hiking lives for most if not all of us!
Distance: 16.5KM; Hiking Time: 12hr 30min; Elevation Gain 1997m Loss 1950m
Day 4: “This is a Hut not a Hotel!”
Last evening, when we apologized for the disruption of our late arrival, Anni, our hostess replied, “no problem, this is a hut”. In the morning when we were a tad late for breakfast and requested a bit more time, she said “this is not a hotel.”
We departed at 9:00 seeking our 4 hour traverse of the Col to the Nurnberger Hutte, and it was a push to the top – which our Jack Rabbits made. However, what they discovered was a very daunting looking Via Ferrate which they determined was probably more than we would like to handle – the B Team still had a few hundred meters of ascent to go before we got a look see, however it was not difficult to provide consent to the A Team recommendation that we abort the day. We returned to the Bremer Hutte and found out they had space for us for the night so we decided to stay and hatched a plan for the morrow – down to Gschnitz and then taxi or public transport back to the Stubai and, hopefully, in enough time to make it up to the Dresdner Hutte for a couple of nights.
For the afternoon we cleaned up ourselves and our clothes, caught up on emails, enjoyed a nap, and then the wonderful sunshine on the Hutte veranda and ‘gravel deck’ – which faced the mountains with their towering peaks. At 6:00 we went into the dining room with about 20 other folks for another substantial meal “the hikers menu” – that none of us could actually finish (a hearty soup; salad; and tonight mash potatoes and “spam-like” Schnitzel). Many folks add Strudel to what always seems the substantial “hikers menu” however, it was more than we could contemplate. Distance: 3.21KM; Hiking Time: 2hr and 37min; Elevation Gain 504m Loss 507m (For the B Team)
Day 5: Bremer Hutte To Dresdner Hutte
We are all sleeping more comfortably with each passing day – the snoring isn’t even keeping anyone awake! After a basic European breakfast we broke camp and were heading down the trail at just after 8:00 – we were getting into the idea and realizing the necessity of early starts. We said good bye to Anni – our travel Angel – who had made all of the telephone calls straightening out reservations on our behalf, and headed off down the hill for the Laponesalm at the end of a road and beginning of the foot path. We actually enjoyed the steep walk down and did the trip in the posted Austrian STD – that included a number of strategic stops to see if we could figure out our arrival path and other options for getting to the Bremer Hutte from Innsbrucker. We could see ‘specks’ traversing the high hills, bits of trail; and other clues but no definitive options that showed how we might have missed a turn – other than the sign post we followed before Terry hit the “chimney” and then bushwhacked our way down to the lake and up the far side – adding a couple of hours to our trip. Anyway, the walk down was steep in places but offered no technical challenges and eventually lead us into the trees and down to the valley floor where we celebrated with beers and Raddlers before our server assisted us with arranging a very reasonable taxi ride back to the Stubai – we had actually crossed into the Oschnitzal Valley and were right up at its very end.
Our trip in the taxi took about 40 minutes (back to Mieders); was a scenic marvel; and was one of the best 80E spent on the trip. The Alps were at their best with farms, villages amuck with houses and buildings beautifully overgrown with blooming flower boxes.
At Mieders we hit a bank machine and caught the bus up to Mutterberg and the Stubai Gletscher for a ride up the Gondola to the Dresdner Hutte. We arrived at about 2:30, checked-in; had showers; did laundry; and soaked up some sunshine on the veranda. At 6:00 we headed down to the restaurant with the other dozen or so quests for another first rate 4 course Austrian meal that featured a mixed meat skewer in a tasty sauce served with Frites, along with a wonderful salad (more veggies than lettuce); hearty soup; and spectacularly presented Kunken dessert. It was amazing that the place is more like a hotel than a Hutte – and that it is virtually empty (now). This was actually another German Alpine “Hutte” but definitely more like a mountain 4 star hotel!
After dinner we once again did some planning – taking into consideration the pending forecast and looking at our various options. We were now very flexible and had a good idea about our limitations and requirements for ‘hiking’ rather than ‘mountaineering’ in this part of the Alps!
Distance: 4.94km; Hiking Time: 2hr 47min; Elevation Gain 174m Loss 1001m
Day 6: “Out of Our Demographic”
We spent another very relaxing night – each of us becoming more familiar with our ‘situation’ – four snorers sharing a room. After a substantial breakfast – second best so far, we headed for the Stubaier Gletscher Gondola to Bergstation Eisgrat and the transfer up the Schaufeljoch to the Top of the Tyrol at 3210 meters that featured an outstanding 360 degree view of this section of the Eastern Alps. The deck was well posted and we enjoyed picking out the peaks under a bright blue sky. After 40 minutes on the top we returned to the station and did the Gletscherpfad – a wet and slushy (at this point in the season) marked route down the face of the glacier back to the Bergstation. This was one of the warmest years on record and the glacier has taken a beating. Interesting to see the measures they are taking to keep the bases for a number of the 47 lifts on the ice/rock secure and stable – covering them with thick pads of felt, and it seems to be working as the base mounds are at least 6 – 10 feet higher than the snow and rock that surrounds them. After our ‘slush walk’ we returned to the Mid Station and Dresdner Hutte to get rid of our cold weather gear and prepare for our “waterfall” walk from the Hutte. It was a great little walk and we scrapped the possible walk for tomorrow (after viewing it on the opposite side of the valley from our resting spots) and decided that “We Are Out Of Our Demographic” for the Hutte to Hutte Rucksack Route in the Stubai. Our demographic is doing day hikes from the tops of the lifts or from the valley floors to the Alms/Huttes. We are now comfortable with this reality and we planned accordingly.
When we arrived back at the Hutte we met the 2 women from Colorado, whom we hadn’t seen since day one at Innsbrucker, but they had just done our proposed route for the next day and confirmed for us the decision that we had made – it was more than we would ever have wanted to contemplate! We had a great hour on the deck with them and a father/son team from Holland, and the day concluded with another superb 4 course dinner!
Day 7: Dresdner Hutte to Sulzenauhutte Hutte
We had breakfast with the Colorado trekkers – Mary and JC and then made the short walk down to the Mittelstation Fernau and hopped the Gondola down to Muttenburg for the bus to the Sulzenau stop – which the driver roared right by, so we got off at the Grawa Alm stop. Not really a bad stop because it featured the second of the spectacular falls that make up ”Wilder Waserway”. We made the short side trip to the base of the falls with its “Ion spray”, and then began the trek to the hut on the falls trail that runs right up beside the thundering falls on some pretty amazing board works for about 45 minutes before it joins the lower grade trail from the Hutte bus stop. This part of the trail was heavily improved by various forms of planking and walkways so it provided us with another new walking experience! After about an hour and a half we broke the crest of the hill onto a valley that featured the Sulzenaualm – a flat area that is no longer farmed and where the original buildings had been turned into a rest stop that featured some very impressive Austrian wood carvings on the furniture, buildings, and signposts. The breakthrough also provided spectacular views of the Cirque shaped valley with extremely steep sides, the 200 meter upper falls – tallest in the Eastern Alps – and crowning the falls, a glimpse of the Sulzenauhutte (2196m) perched right at the top of the falls back-dropped by glimpses of the high peaks behind it.
After a brief stop we made our way up the steep, but wide and easy to maneuver in, switch backs to the top of the falls and the Hutte. The A Team managed to make the ascent in the STB Austrian posted time. The B Team hit the target of 1.5 times the posted number.
The Hutte was another example of German architecture and efficiency. We had dumpling soup for lunch (2 spinach and 2 bacon, which we shared) and were again most impressed with the Austrian dumplings – a tad different from what Ethel used to make out of Bisquick!
This was the final of our two days of overcast and we were only treated to the occasional sucker hole to show us glimpses of the towering peaks, valleys, and glaciers that surrounded us. It was definitely cooler and for the first time on the trip we had hiked for most of the day in our light outerwear – not bad for the final couple of weeks of the season in this area.
Before dinner we did a walk around to take in the trail signs, the Via Ferrate, Flying Fox, climbing wall, and of course safety lines to tie into for traversing steep rock faces. After some dice games we had the Hiker’s Special – wonderful soup and Lasagna served with a non-lettuce salad. Another feature of the day was the butchering of the ‘Hutte Hog’ who had probably done well on all of the left-over food scraps from the past 4 months but hit the end of the road with the season ending in the near future – too heavy to take down by cable car and too valuable to loose!
The end of another good day with great food; interesting talks with folks on the trail; terrific scenery; enough work to not kill our bodies; and ending up in a very nice Hutte with an amicable host and hostess – whose family has been running the place since 1926!
Distance: 5.85km; Hiking Time: 4.5hr; Elevation Gain 1022m Loss 327m
Day 8: Sulzenauhutte to Starkenburger Hutte
We arose early to a spectacular day with all of the substantial peaks in full view along with the tongues of the icefield that comprises the remains of the Stubai Icefield. We enjoyed a plain but sufficient breakfast – unlimited coffee – and then we packed up and went for a short walk to ‘Bleau’ Lake – a very nice glacier pond at the foot of a peak. We returned to the Hutte, hefted our packs and enjoyed our walk back down to the valley and the Sulzenau bus stop – which proved to be a more leisurely and moderate grade for the descent. Just about the entire trip from the Alm down to the valley was through the trees on a broad trail that was not overly difficult. We then caught the bus down the valley to Fulpmers and the Schlick 2000 lift. We grabbed a wonderful bowl of Goulash at a local hotel on our way through town to the lift, and were amazed at how hot it was in the valley. When we were in the valley we were shedding our clothing, however, when we got to the top of the lift it was considerably cooler and a much more comfortable temperature to walk in. Our goal was the 2 hour trek to the Starkenburger Hutte. The walk was a real treat and totally different from anything that we had experienced thus far. The trail was wide and had a nice grade for the first hour. The second hour was a traverse across a face with rocky spires that towered above us on one side and then a drop down of hundreds of feet just off of the path on the other side. Another interesting part of the walk was that the path was composed almost exclusively of “white stone” and about 3-4 feet wide. The photo-ops were stunning!
The walk finished with a run through the avalanche prevention structures that we had viewed from across the valley at the Elfer Hutte on our first day.
The Starkenburger Hutte 2237m, was the smallest structure we had come across and the room that we were assigned and shared reflected the size of the structure! We couldn’t talk our way into another or larger or second room, so we were crammed into a space that made either of our bedrooms at 1943 – 48 Ave seem palatial.
Distance: 11km; Hiking Time: 5hr 38min; Elevation Gain 1327m Loss 816m
Hut Cuisine
The ‘Hikers Plate’ is usually 3 courses and generally the least expensive item on the menu. Its 3 courses are usually a soup, salad, and main course. The meal is always filling and in fact about half have been more than at least one of us could handle in a setting. The soups are unique and the dumplings ones are very special. The salads are at the most 25% lettuce and often less, and include carrots, cold slaw, potatoes, and cucs, spread around abundantly.
Hut Culture
Each Hutte is unique and they have their own personalities and culture largely determined by the hostess and host. All of them are over 100 years old but are totally modern facilities. Some have Wi-Fi and some don’t; some have hot water and some don’t; some have showers (from free to incredibly expensive); large public areas outside to soak up the sunshine, enjoy a drink or have a meal; and large to no public areas inside – aside from the dining areas.
Our least pleasant experience – Starkenburger Hutte. Our hostess had limited English, the place was rule bound and there didn’t seem to be any flexibility – however it was one of the least expensive of our stays. Dresdner was our most opulent – own sink in the room, lots of space in a large room; internet; great food – actually more hotel than Hutte. The Bremer Hutte staff were most accommodating. The Innsbrucker our most anticipated and welcomed (first one and after a long day). The Starkenburger for the most spectacular approach walk. Best overall: Sulzenauhutte for hostess, food, scenery, accommodation and showers. Least inspiring breakfast Innsbrucker; best non-Hutte Hutte, Dresdner.
Interesting Fact: Each of the huts has maintenance and trail work done by volunteers from different Alpine Clubs – hence the names of the Huttes. By and large the trails are exceptionally well marked and in superb condition. There are over 1,100,000 members of the German Alpine Club! Most of the Huttes that we stayed in were GAC facilities and hence their German names.
Craig noted a picture of a Hutte taken on the same day in 1900 and again in 1920. At the pre WW1 event there were hundreds in the photo in the 1920 shot there were only about 20. The post WW1 effect on mountaineering in Austria?
Day 9: Starkenburger Hutte to Hotel Almhof
In the middle of the night (in our very cramped room) the window blew open as a result of a ferocious gust of wind. The window was secured but the howling wind continued until daylight when we discovered a totally socked in day with a light dusting of snow covering the Hutte and everything above it. After a basic breakfast with great coffee, we donned our warm clothing options, and headed out the door. We were fortunate to have the wind at our backs and we made excellent time back to the Schlick 2000. We realized how fortunate we were to have had the spectacular weather and visibility of yesterday. As the day progressed the clouds did give way to a dappled sky with periodic sunny periods but it was definitely glove and toque weather and just over 1 degree Celsius. We made the ascent/descent in posted STD time and were only too happy 2.5 hrs later to be sitting in a small bake shop enjoying coffee and strudel in Fulpmers.
Plan B (as opposed to a tentative plan of heading across the valley and to the Elfer Lift and the Elferhutte – which we had already been too) – was hatched. A call to the Hotel Almhof secured us 2 half board rooms in their 4 Star hotel section (we deserved a treat!). We were warmly welcomed and had no difficulty what-so-ever in settling in for the afternoon. This was followed by a brief walk down to the local SPAR for chocolate and peanuts, and a spectacular 5 course dinner. After dinner we headed for ‘Spa Time’ consisting of a coolish, ‘warm tub’ followed by a steam bath; another plunge; and then a sauna. The day couldn’t really have unfolded much better than it had!
Distance: 7.88km; Hiking Time: 2 hr 32 min;
Day 10: Hotel Almhop to Hotel Bergkranz
After another substantial breakfast we bid adieu to the Almhof and walked down the hill for the bus back to the Hotel Bergkranz where we deposited our packs and headed into downtown Innsbruck to book train tickets and look around. We then headed for the main square – now taken over by the 2018 European Youth Cycling Competition. We passed by the blocked finish line to the Court Church and Monumental tomb of the Hapsburg Emperor Maximillian, with its 28 larger than life bronze statues of the Emperor’s relatives and ancestors – including King Arthur. Quite a building and interesting 45 minutes.
We then waited for the Fulpmes Tram – which was rerouted and never came because of the races, and finally took the bus back to the Stubai Valley and the Serles Lift where we rode the gondola to the top and then on the rail bob sled, came shooting back down. It was a hoot and because we had Stubai passes for the day from both hotels, we did it again to improve our technique!
Descent: 620m at 15.34km/hr; in 4.42 minutes
The day finally came to an end with a glass of wine on our deck overlooking the valley following another interesting and more than adequate evening meal that we stretched out to well over 90 minutes.
Interesting little thing about the train tickets we had purchased for our departure: Kent was out early in the morning – the three of us were on a later and slower more scenic train. His ticket cost just a little less than the ‘group’ ticket for the 3 of us. Group tickets (for 2) are cheaper than 2 individual tickets!
Day 11: The Eagles Nest
Today we explored a wee bit of Bavaria. We had an early breakfast before our 9:00AM appointment to pick-up a rental car for a trip east towards Strasburg and to the Eagles Nest – Hitler’s retreat centre in the Alps. Right off the bat we got caught in the Euro Road Race changes and detours but managed to get a taxi to our rental car agency. They provided us with a little Ford Focus that even with the four of us, we managed to keep up to traffic on the freeways and secondary highways to the Nest.
The drive was interesting – from the rugged mountains down to tree covered hills through the foothills and then back into the Alps in Germany. After 2 hours we made the Eagles Nest parking area and Documentation Centre which provide an interesting overview of the Third Reich: The Fuhrer; National Community; Terror Apparatus; Racial Policy; and the transformation (making over by force) of the rural Obersalzberg area – including the construction of the military complex and its 3 miles of tunnels inside the mountain, and its eventual destruction by the Allied bombers – for the Nest.
After spending 90 minutes in the Centre we rode the bus and then took the elevator to the top of ‘The Nest’ – at an elevation of considerably less than what we had physically climbed above on more than one occasion over the last 10 days! The view however, was spectacular.
This is Germany’s only Alpine National Park and the views were stunning. The whole area is crisscrossed with marked hiking trails and plentiful ski lifts and runs. It is an amazing and physically very appealing area!
We didn’t need to linger at the top as it wasn’t any more spectacular that what we had been experiencing in the Stubai so we returned to Innsbruck via a nice drive on an alternative route outlined by the GPS. We made good time and found the tram to Fulpmes – but this time waited on it for 45 minutes only to arrive at the Banhof after the last convenient bus had left for down the valley and our hotel. We found a cab and made the quick ride right to the door of the hotel in time for a final and another wonderful dinner.
After Terry did our financial tally for the trip ($1330 each for the days we were together) we headed to our respective rooms to pack and get ready for our early departures on the 11th day of our Stubai adventure!
The Trip Stats:Total KM walked: 60.97 Ascent in M 6731 Descent in M 5817 Moving Time 36 Hours
Our long time friends Ted and Joanne Koopmans invited us to come along and house-sit a house that a friend of theirs had made available for 4 weeks in February. The prospect (and reality) of -30 weather in Edmonton in February, was but one reason we accepted their invitation. We also hoped we would learn and perhaps contribute a bit to our NGO host.
Ted and Joanne were Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) volunteers in Indonesia in the late 1980’s and still maintained contacts with MCC. Our host, Mark Richard had lived for many years in Guatemala and had started a wheelchair factory in association with the Christian, US based NGO Hope Haven International who has distributed over 130,000 wheel chairs globally . (Check out their impressive Google Earth graphic). He was in the United States for a few weeks in February and invited Ted to house sit.
We arrived in Guatemala City and were met by the regional manager from MCC who drove us to an MCC guest house for the evening. The next morning we had a great visit with MCC staff member and a walk to the MCC offices. There we were introduced to the 15 or so projects they were involved with here and in El Salvadore. Each project was managed by a partner organization and was typically related to agricultural production, education, or handicraft coops. They also showed us slides of the challenges and opportunities in Guatemala which is plagued with near obscene levels of wealth disparity, very high unemployment, corruption and narco gangs . We learned that the biggest source of foreign income for the country was remittances from those who have been migrated to Canada or the US. These hard economic facts underscore the challenges of Trumps proposed immigration policies and the need to develop local economic opportunities.
We then were picked up by a young driver from Mark’s organization and headed to Xenacoj and our home for the next 10 days. Mark lives alone but has a large house in a walled compound that also houses a guest house and dormitory for his many visitors. The house came with 3 large dogs (one tail in the picture at left!)
Later that afternoon we headed to the wheelchair factory. We were quite blown away by the scale of the factory- this was no mom and pop shop outfit. The factory manufactures two lines of wheel chairs – both designed to be fully adjustable so as to grow with the occupant and to be repaired with local materials. They also refurbish wheelchairs donated from North America.
The Factory
Hand Cranked Model
Standing Board
Current unmet need for wheelchairs
Workers at the Factory
Ted on a Bumblebee
The following day, we took it easy -enjoying the house. Ted, Susan and I went for a hike to the nearest town of Xenacoj. The town was only about 4 K away – but up and down the equivalent of a 23 story building (according to Google Health). I’ve come to appreciate the challenges of transportation in Guatemala as everywhere we have been thus far has been trough deeply cut ravines, up and down hills. There is lots of agriculture, most of which is one the sides of hills and sometimes gullies.
We enjoyed a pop overlooking the main square market and church and then bought some vegetables and chicken from women at the stalls dressed in bright traditional clothing. I bought an (expensive) bottle of wine to celebrate our arrival, but alas Susan slipped and fell on the way home and into a now wine-red ditch beside the road. Rather than attempt
Chicken Buses
the ups and downs of the hike home we jumped on a ‘chicken bus’ and for some reason the drivers helper asked for .20 fare from all of the others in the crowded bus- but not from us. Likely the three who could most afford it rode for free! The chicken buses are used school buses imported from the US – some still bearing the name of the school division on the side. Soon after their arrival though most are re decorated with metres of chrome- running on all sides, as well as flashing lights and various insignia and religious statues – quote colorful, bu always crowded and zooming up and down the hills
We spend the evening watching the Olympics via CBC streaming video and Marks hi dev screen. We had assumed we’d be without such creature comforts, but we were able to cheer the Canadians on to a few medals.
The next day our young driver Josue, arrived early for an overnight trip north. We were
Religious Procession
heading for ChiChiCastenango, a town about 60 kms north. ChiChi holds one the largest markets in Central America. The streets in the centre of the town were closed and the locals set up temporary stalls. These sold everything from vegetables and treats, to shovels, pails and of course at least 20 varieties of corn which became tortillas- the staple food of Guatemala. It was also Sunday so we watched a couple of processions with relics and statues paraded around to the accompaniment of a drum, oboe like flute and fire crackers. We only bought a few things – but not for lack of invitations to purchase from the vendors.
At six o’clock the roads finally opened and we were able to get to our 2 star hotel. On a final walk around town, I found a smart phone on the street and with Josue’s help we were able to text the owners friends and 30 minutes later a very grateful owner appeared to reclaim the phone.
The next day we were up early to head to Lake Atitlan. one of the most picturesque and popular tourist sites in Guatemala. The road down to the coastal town of Panachel was unbelievably steep and twisty – we were very glad to not be driving. Heading for the lake front we took a wrong turn and ended up on a very narrow street with barely room for one vehicle and of course we met a car coming the opposite way- necessitating a nerve-racking reversal of 500 metres or so!
Lake Atitlan
The lake is surrounded by about 7 small villages- a few of which are only accessible by boat. With a fair bit of bargaining, we hired one of the 20 passenger, fibreglass water taxis and were soon heading across the lake to Santiago Atitlan. The wind had come up and the boat ride was a bit nerve racking as we rode up and over whitecaps and came crashing down on the far side. If we had of known that the return trip would be even rougher, we might have enjoyed the ride there a bit more. It is quite amazing that the fibreglass boats can stand the abuse.
Saiago, is a beautiful town on the lakeside with a host of tourist related craft booths lining the main street. The aggressive sales were a bit much. We stumbled upon a house
Maximon pauses for a smoke
with a preChristian cult (Maximon) in which a 400 year old (supposedly) idol could intercede with various gods for any request. Fortunately Maximon speaks EVERY language and for $4.00 allows his picture to be taken.
Next we hopped aboard a couple of Tuktuks (3 wheeled taxis) for a short trip to the Peace Park. This small park was a memorial to the 14 people killed when the Army open fire on a crowd of between over 1,000 civilians, who were protesting the Armies drunken abuse of San Diago citizens. This event was a turning point in both national and international resistance to the Army abuses of civilians during the guerilla wars. As results the Army is prohibited from entering the region, except to guard specific visiting public figures.
Next to the park we visited ANADESA the New Dawn Association of Santiago Atitlan. This
Ted Translating at ANADESA
Cool building at COOP
cooperative was formed after the MCC had been involved in relief work following a devastating mud slide that killed over 1,000 people following Hurricane Stan in 2005. MCC stayed on the support a Cooperative that focused on supporting women, providing education for children and youth and providing a centre for handicraft production. The members of the coop gave us an impromptu talk (with Ted translating). We bought a few handicrafts. It occurred to me that a visit from a volunteer artist type might be very useful in inspiring the manufacture of different handicrafts than those sold throughout the town.
We returned that night to our ‘home’ grateful to have seen a lot, survived the traffic. However, without Ted’s Spanish (acquired mostly through 4 years of study – much with Duolingo App on his iPad) this trip would have been MUCH more challenging. Maybe time for me to get a bit multi-lingual! We have a few more days here. Time to visit the museums in the capital and to put in a day or so of volunteer work at the wheelchair factory.
I confess to being a wee bit teary-eyed, but managed to get though the speech. I was a bit overwhelmed with the long, standing ovation and clapping from the 200 or so attendees that concluded the event. The ceremony ended with another choir selection and we marched out.
This was the largest demonstration/march that we had ever witnessed. Groups of marchers, headed by large banners proclaiming their affiliation (teachers, hospital worker, social workers, engineers etc.). It really was a celebratory gathering with cheers from the bystanders. 
All that was left of the Esso service station and convenience store was the Esso sign and two iron ceiling beams. The Maligne Lodge and our favorite coffee shop now sadly a bulldozed, scarred empty lot.
On most of the mountains surrounding the town, the fire had climbed up to the tree line. Blackening all the trees. Of course, fire in the forested mountains is partof the cycle of nature. The problem is this cycle revolves on time scales not set by humans. It will likely be far past my lifetime before Jasper’s mountain slopes return to their emerald majesty.
We were hiking horizontally above the tree line, and 3 hours later, were at the height of our destination and in site of our Bremner Hut. However, between us and the Hut were three great ravines that we had to go around, or more often go way down then way back up to summit the Col, or pass. On the highest of these we had to scramble up irregular blocks of glacial rock, ever thankful for the Red and White train markers painted on the ‘best route” and the strategically placed rocks, wires or foot braces drilled into the rock. I love volunteer trail maintainers!! When we finally reached the top of the Col- was it number 2, 3 or 4?? I thought it would be a nice view to enjoy our sandwiches purchased that morning at the Hut. Two problems, worst sandwich of days old rye bread and a thin slice of cheese and even thinner slice of ham. But even more insurmountable was our lunch time perch. We were on rather comfortably sitting on a stone a ridge perhaps 3 feet wide, with sheer death on one side and shere death on the other. I couldn’t get comfortable and it was time to move on. It was on this day that we first encountered the cables that are drilled and anchored into the rock, to afford a handhold – or a clip onto – IF you were equipped with a harness. It wasn’t really that bad, but did give us a for-taste of more to come on this trip
After surmounting and scrambling up the last few meters we finally surmounted what we hoped was the final Col. Then part-way down the valley (or Eldewise as Craig kept referring to the Creeks) down to what the guide book referred to as ascent of a “chimney” up to Bremner Hut. Unfortunately it had started to rain and the light was already failing. I started up the chimney but soon realized that it was not safe for old men, with rubbery legs, heavy packs, cold cables, and wet and slippery rocks. We had been told that one could descend perhaps 300 meters and a couple of kilometers and then walk about a much easier route to the hut. Unfortunately, we somehow lost the trail (our only time to do that during the hike) and soon we were bush-wacking down a slope, crossing small streams but wondering (and hoping) that indeed, there was another way up to the Hut. As it began to get darker, I began tantalizing about plan B options- breaking into a shepherds hut we had seen in the distance or walking down to the town lights we could see waydown in the valley – maybe 8 kilometers away. We were RELIEVED to finally regain the trail (marked with the red and white flashes of Austria! It was then a 90 minute hike up to the hut and just as we were about to put on our flashlights, a big Alpine Ipex appeared out of the mist about 30 feet beside us. A great omen and sure enough the Hut also materialized in a few hundred meters.
uros!!) Now to finish this hike with a brand new pair of unbroken in shoes. Luckily they worked out great!
We searched for the trails heading both directions from Dresner Hut and had a chat with the two women from Colorado who we had met earlier and who had just arrived. They suggest there was lots of dicey, cable climbing on our intended destination. So again, we consulted and like old men, decided to take the bus down two stops and then hike up to the Sulzenau Hut – rather than go up and over the Col.
This turned out to be one of the nicest days of our trip. We hiked up along side the beautiful Grawa Waterfall. This is the widest and one of the highest waterfalls in Austria. At the base is a sunning deck where Austrians love to sit and wonder at the falls while soaking up both sunshine and the plentiful negative ions produced by the Falls. It is said that an afternoon ingesting both the mist and the ions, especially if coupled with a 2 hour hike to the Alm 
at the top of the waterfall, is a sure promise of health and happiness. One thing for sure, it was a beautiful hike up, though some of the stairways from logs notched to accept 2 by 8 treads were a bit slippery.
In any case we arrived at the Alm for a beer and gawking at the gothic carvings that filled both the restaurant and the sun deck. Each chair and most of the tables was carved with some mythical Australian wood creature. From the Alm we could see our
We really enjoyed this Hut – both for the atmosphere and the friendliness of the hosts. It was a Saturday night so there was several families in the Hut – full nearly to capacity with about 30 guests. The food however was great and we easily got our 48 Euros each worth (private room for 4 with bunk beds, supper and breakfast included). The next morning we hiked up to Blue Lake and again saw the retreating glaciers that once filled this plateau. Then back down the trial to the bus.
Obviously our trip was no longer going according to circular route of the RuckSack trail, so we opted to take another ski lift and then a 4 hour hike up to Starkenberger Hut. This was a great hike, again high above the tree line but with spectacular views of the Stubai Valley below. The trail was fairly easy as we walked over and around the huge avalanche fences that protected the towns below.
The Hut proved to be the least welcoming in our tour (not withstanding the rainbow that greeted arrival). We were forced to sleep in a very tiny room (2 bunkbeds and
not even room to change your mind between the beds!). No showers and the food was as mediocre as the reaction by the Hut managers.
We had intended to do day hikes and spend a second night at this Hut, but changed our minds, based upon the atmosphere of the Hut and the raging snow and wind storm that hit during the night.
nd our home for the next 10 days. Mark lives alone but has a large house in a walled compound that also houses a guest house and dormitory for his many visitors. The house came with 3 large dogs (one tail in the picture at left!)
