Pfaffensattel - Harterkogel

Access to starting point:
From the border crossing Šentilj we continue driving on the highway towards Graz and further towards Linz and Salzburg. We soon leave Highway A9 and continue driving slightly to the right towards Vienna / Wien, proceeding on Highway S35. From this highway, we then merge onto Highway S6, still following the signs for Vienna. We leave the highway after the tunnel Spital / S. and then we take the exit towards Semmering. We continue following the signs for Steinhaus and Spittal / S. and shortly after, we turn left towards the settlement Birkfeld and the mountain pass Pfaffensattel. We keep following the signs for the mentioned mountain pass, where we park.

Route description:
From the mountain pass, we head to the eastern side of the road, where we take the path towards the summit Hochwechsel and the mountain pass Feistritzsattel. We initially walk on a rougher road, passing a gate, and in a few minutes, we reach a spot where blazes direct us slightly to the right onto a footpath that soon begins to ascend steeply. Higher up, the forest thins, the path levels out, and with some views along this section, we reach the peak Grabmayr-Kogel.
From the aforementioned summit, the path returns to the forest and briefly descends. This is followed by a few minutes of walking without significant changes in altitude, then we notice signs for Kleiner Pfaff pointing to the right (the sign is from the opposite direction), but we continue straight, descending along the still-marked path to the saddle between the peaks Großer Pfaff and Kleiner Pfaff.
Here, when looking to the right side, a beautiful view opens up, and about 10 steps further, we reach a crossing where an unmarked path branches off slightly to the right toward Großer Pfaff (the turn-off is marked). The path ahead passes onto the northern slopes of the just-mentioned summit, where it continues without significant changes in altitude, and the saddle on the eastern side of the peak is reached in a moderate diagonal ascent. At the mentioned saddle, a slightly more demanding path branches off sharply to the right toward Großer Pfaff, while we continue along the path where the blazes continue. Next follows a somewhat steeper ascent through spruce forest and blueberry bushes, then we reach a 1509-meter-high hill, followed by a short descent where we bypass a larger pond on the right side. Further, we ascend gently to moderately, descending slightly only for a short time, along an increasingly panoramic grassy slope. We follow this path to the peak of Harterkogel, where, on the right side of the marked path, we notice a small cross with the peak's inscription.
Starting point - Grabmayr-Kogel 0:25, Grabmayr-Kogel - Harterkogel 0:55.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in May and September 2023.

Along the route: Grabmayr-Kogel (1495m)

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