Mountain Hike
Johannishütte - Defreggerhaus - Schartl

This hike begins at the Johannishütte (2,121 metres), a hut which can be reached from the settlement of Hinterbichl in the Virgental Valley (1,340 metres) by walking through the Dorfertal Valley (two-hour walk) or by takingt he "Venedigertaxi" shuttle service from the start of the valley all the way to the hut. Hikers wishing to complete the entire route on foot will need very good fitness – the whole thing takes around 10 hours from start to finish. Walk past the hut on the right-hand side and take the small wooden walkway over the Zettalunitzbach stream. Continue for a short while to the signposts. There, turn right and follow the very well-signposted trail heading in a north-easterly direction. The hike then continues through open pastureland to the Dorferalm hut before entering the Hohe Tauern National Park with its more rocky and rugged terrain at the foot of the Großvenediger mountain. The closer you get to the Defreggerhaus hut, the more glacial the landscape becomes. There may be patches of snow here well into late spring and summer. Walk past a waterpool and a small shelter (you will reach these two things after around 1 ¾ hours of walking). From there, the trail winds its way up steeply in switchback corners heading into the National Park. Below a rocky outcrop the route heads across to the Defreggerhaus (2,964 metres). There has been plenty of uphill already, but you will need to dig deep in your energy reserves for the final push (15 minutes, 80 vertical metres) up to the Schartl ridge (3,042 metres) with its fantastic views of the glaciers around the Großvenediger. The ridge is the highest point of the hike, but you don't need to be an expert and no special equipment is required. Return the way you came back down to the Defreggerhaus and take a break there, for example by sitting down on one of the benches in the sun. This hut is owned and run by the Austrian Tourist Club and is one of the oldest and highest mountain refuges in the Eastern Alps. The hut is named after the famous Austrian painter Franz von Defregger.

Return along the way you came back to the starting point.