After the traffic subsided, I got to understand why it takes so long to travel through Austria. The place is mountainous and the roads are windy. It is difficult to navigate with all the twists and turns. I needed to go to the bathroom and stopped at a rest stop. Shell was admiring the lake and on a whim she started hiking down to see it. I was hesitant, but since it was only us, I guess it would be fine.
The hike down was quick, only about 20 minutes, we knew going back up would be challenging since we were both out of shape. The lake was huge and with the mountains in the backdrop, it looked awe inspiring. Shell and I spent a good amount of time down there. It was empty for the most part. There were some hikers here and there and a cute dog who loved to swim in the water.
The air was a little chilly, I would say in the 50s. Hiking uphill increased our heart rate and gave me a slight sweat in the cold weather. The Austrian Forest is very picturesque and reminded me of a landscape shot in a Bond Movie. I can see why people backpack in Austria. It is a great place to hike.
Off to Innsbruck, rain was the forecast.