Preiner Gscheid - Karl-Ludwig-Haus (Rax) (past Helenenquelle)

Access to starting point:
From the border crossing Šentilj we continue driving on the highway towards Gradec / Graz and forward 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 at the Mürzzuschlag-West exit, then follow the road to the city center, from where we follow signs for the settlement Neuberg an der Mürz. Before we reach the mentioned settlement, we turn right in the settlement Kapellen toward the mountain pass Preiner Gscheid. When we arrive at the mentioned mountain pass, we park in a larger paid parking lot. The parking fee in July 2024 was 4 euros for 24 hours.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we head north, following the signs for mountain huts Waxriegelhaus, Neue Hüttee, and Karl Ludwighaus. The path initially follows a macadam road, then continues on a footpath mostly through the forest, occasionally crossing the macadam road.
Higher, the path splits, and we continue right on the road (straight is the normal path), along which we proceed to the nearby turn. From the turn, we continue straight on a footpath, beside which are signs for the path past the spring Helenenquelle.
The path ahead crosses a grazing fence and gently descends to a torrent, where the spring is located.
Here, we turn left and begin a steep ascent, choosing either the left or right path, both of which merge after a few minutes of climbing. Further on, we continue steeply ascending for some time, then leave the forest and reach a macadam road, along which we proceed to the nearby mountain cottage.
We bypass the cottage on the left side, then veer slightly right into the forest, where the path splits after a short ascent.
We continue slightly left (to the right is the viewpoint Entenhügel and numerous other destinations) and for some time traverse the slopes to the left with a few short ascents and descents. In the second part of the traverse, we ascend a bit more, then cross a gully and merge with the usual path Schlangenweg.
We continue the ascent along the Schlangenweg path, which translates to "snake path," moderately to steeply ascending through a band of bushes and dwarf pines. A little further, a longer, more demanding path, Karl Kantner Steig, branches off to the left from our path, crossing it again higher up. We continue on the wider, technically easy path, which winds through a few hairpin turns on occasionally steeper slopes. Higher up, a longer diagonal ascent to the left follows, passing below the Törl saddle (1768 meters) onto shadier and steeper slopes. Here, we cross the previously mentioned demanding path. Our path turns slightly to the right a little further and begins ascending steeply in short zigzags. After a few minutes of steep ascent, the path and slope level out, and we already see the mountain hut Karl-Ludwig-Haus ahead, with only a few dozen steps remaining.
The starting point - Waxriegelhaus 0:45, Waxriegelhaus - Karl-Ludwig-Haus 1:15.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in July 2024.

On the way: Helenenquelle (1230m), Waxriegelhaus (1361m)