Feistritzsattel - Hochwechsel
Starting point: Feistritzsattel (1298 m)
Starting point Lat/Lon: 47.56759°N 15.86505°E 
Time of walking: 2 h 30 min
Difficulty: easy marked way
Difficulty of skiing: no data
Altitude difference: 445 m
Altitude difference (by path): 485 m
Map:
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 follow the path that continues from the east side of the mountain pass towards the north, marked with signs for the settlement Mönichkirchen, the cottage Wetterkoglerhaus, and the peak Hochwechsel. The path initially follows a grassy cart track with a gentle ascent; after crossing a macadam road, we climb slightly steeper on a cart track that enters the forest. A little further, we cross another macadam road, then at several consecutive junctions, we follow the signs for the cottage Kranichberger Schwaig or the peak Hochwechsel. The path continues for some time along forest roads, where we follow the aforementioned signs, and higher up, we transition to a cart track, which, with a moderate ascent, leads to pastures where the path levels out. Next, we encounter a few more sections of mostly easy walking, and we quickly reach the shepherd cottage on the mountain pasture Kranichberger Schwaig, passing the pond Bärenlacke.
We bypass the cottage on the right and continue towards the summit Hochwechsel (to the left, downwards, lie the settlement Trattenbach and ski lift Arabichl Lift). Further through a strip of forest we reach a macadam road, which we only cross (left Arabichl), and a few dozen steps ahead we join a path that branches off from the saddle Dreiländereck (Dreiländereck is a saddle; if we continued left on the road).
Here we continue right and start ascending diagonally; such a path after a few minutes brings us to an unmarked crossing, where we continue on the lower left path, along which the blazes continue (the right path leads to the peaks Schöberlriegel and Umschussriegel, and it is also possible to continue to Hochwechsel). The path ahead flattens and, without significant changes in altitude, crosses the two previously mentioned peaks. When the forest thins, a beautiful view opens up on Hochwechsel, and the path then leads us to a saddle between the peaks Umschussriegel and Hochwechsel, where we continue slightly left. Here we first ascend gently, then moderately, along an indistinct and wide, mostly northern ridge of the peak Hochwechsel. Higher up, the footpath splits into several smaller paths, but we follow the blazes and, with increasingly stunning views, reach the scenic peak, beside which stands the mountain hut Wetterkoglerhaus.
Starting point - Kranichberger Schwaig 1:00, Kranichberger Schwaig - Hochwechsel 1:30.
Description and pictures refer to conditions in September 2023.
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