Connecting path Essen-Rostocker Hut - Clarahütte

Our path starts at the terrace of the Essen and Rostocker Hut under the material cable car. It is the Carl-Bremer path, which leads us through beautiful rocky terrain here. Passing lovely cotton grass, we come to a signpost where we leave the Carl-Bremer path and turn left toward the Schanilbach. Since we are in gentle terrain, we should often let our gaze wander. Although ibexes are very rare here, the bearded vulture—a truly impressive animal—might escape our attention. The markings lead us down into the broad, branching streambed, which we then cross without a path to the clearly visible footbridge. Meanwhile, we already look up at the steep Böse Wand falling before us (which continues westward into the Quirlwand and on some maps is only called Quirlwand), along which we will later hike above. Here, we enter the scree field, first crossing left around the Böse Wand spur and then, on a narrowing path, ascending diagonally right into the mountains. Soon we reach about 2350 m elevation, and the path demands our concentration in the steepening rocky section. We encounter a dangling rope that provides good assistance to inexperienced and, in bad weather, to all other hikers. We stow away the trekking poles and use our hands; it is only a few meters at the boundary between hiking and climbing terrain. After a few minutes, we step out onto a grassy slope, where we climb about 200 vertical meters in many switchbacks. At the top of the steep Böse Wand slope, we can take a last look back at the Essen-Rostocker Hut in the distance. We continue upward at a respectful distance from this steep wall and admire the famous edelweiss and fields of deep blue monkshood. At the end of the Böse Wand, the path goes into a gravel field and over coarse boulder scree up to the Hochkarscharte at 2903 m, the highest point of our hike. Now we descend left toward the Wiesbauerweg and stand at the ascent to Mullwitzkogel (Wiesbauerspitze), where a detour is worthwhile due to the wide view into the Virgental. Those who forgo the summit turn left directly onto the descent path into the Umbaltal, which with beautiful views goes quite steeply downhill for a long time. Only shortly before the Ochsner Hut do we meet path No. 911, where our knees can recover; from here we go gently uphill again toward the Clarahütte.