Waters of Salzburger Sportwelt

Essential oils with unforeseen effect on us humans, high-proof spirits, distilled with a lot of passion and great knowledge with the backdrop of the majestic Dachstein mountain and a whiskey, whose taste can mature for years in the eternal ice. Welcome to the Mandlberggut in the mountains above Radstadt. This is my goal for today´s hike.

Everybody in Austria knows the Enns. Longest inland river, large tributary of the Danube and one of the most beautiful waters of the country. However, it is a little known fact that the Enns originates at Flachauwinkl in SalzburgerLand as a small brook from a spring in the mountains and supplies the whole place with excellent water, before flowing through 3 provinces towards the larger Danube river.

Two lakes of unbelievable charm, separated by a steep cliff wall and highly differing altitudes yet still looking like it had been cast out of a single mould. A hike from lake Jägersee to lake Tappenkarsee is one of the most beautiful experiences one can enjoy during the summer in Pongau.

"If thou wouldst fathom me, I will devour thee," it sounded from the dark rock when two herdsmen had asked long ago how deep the gap was from whence the waters of the Meräuglquelle spring sprouted. Even then, the special power of this water was well known in the region, and many of them swore that they had received recovery from their ailments.

Water that plunges into the depths without hesitation, rock formations that descend steeply and a ravine formed by the devil himself. This ravine is 300 metres deep, making it one of the deepest and longest in the Alps. The "Liechtensteinklamm" in St. Johann im Pongau does not skimp on superlatives, but one thing it provides above all: utterly impressive beauty.