Feistritzsattel - Großer Pfaff (harder path)

Access to starting point:
Highway A2 Graz - Vienna / Wien we leave at the exit for Gleisdorf West, and then we follow the signs for Hartberg and Weiz, and later only Weiz. At the beginning of Weiz, we go from the roundabout in the direction of the exit for the settlement Birkfeld and then we follow the road all the way to the mentioned settlement, from where we follow the signs for Rettenegg. The mentioned settlement we bypass on the right side, and then we ascend to the mountain pass Feistritzsattel, where we park.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we head on the path toward the mountain pass Pfaffensattel and initially walk along an asphalt road that begins descending toward the settlement Otterthal. We soon leave the asphalt road and continue slightly left in the direction of a marked path that starts ascending on a macadam road. The macadam road splits after a few minutes of ascent, and we continue slightly left (slightly right Alpkogel) and keep ascending. When we reach a clearing with a junction of multiple cart tracks, we choose the left marked cart track, along which the blazes continue. The cart track ends higher up, and we continue on a steeper mountain path that eventually leads us out of the forest. Upon leaving the forest, the path flattens, then with a moderate ascent, we reach the secondary peak of Harterkogel, where a cross is situated.
The marked path bypasses the cross slightly to the left, and we follow the path, which offers increasingly beautiful views, to the indistinct peak of Harterkogel, where we notice a smaller cross with the peak's inscription.
The marked path bypasses the cross on the right side, and we begin gently to moderately descending, during which we see the peak Großer Pfaff ahead and, to its right, the highest peak of the Mountains east of the Mur, Stuhleck. A little further, the path briefly flattens or ascends for a few steps, then leads us near a pond, which we bypass on the left side. From here, a light and short ascent follows, then we begin descending through a spruce forest and blueberry bushes toward the saddle east of the peak Großer Pfaff. At the mentioned saddle, we reach an older clearing, where we leave the marked path that continues toward the saddle Pfaffensattel and proceed slightly left, noticing a faint footpath that soon starts ascending steeply through an increasingly sparse forest. A fairly steep ascent follows, where we cross a short exposed slope, and higher up, a few more steep sections require additional caution. Further on, the slope flattens, and through a band of dwarf pines, we reach the panoramic peak, where a cross with an inscription box is situated.
Starting point - Harterkogel 0:50, Harterkogel - Großer Pfaff 0:40.
Description and pictures refer to conditions in September 2023.

On the way: Harterkogel (1523m)