Schoeckl Tour North - Let's go for a hike

English description:

At your own risk you can jump directly to Part 2 (Field work). The stage info is collected in boxes - this is all what is needed for the puritans.

Part 1: General information

Target audience

Those who enjoy going for a longer hike and like multi caches where the cache is mainly a virtual guide along the hike. Do not expect a special container or tricky tasks along the way. The stage tasks are designed such that the walking rhythm is not broken and you can focus on the hike and the scenery.

The recommended mode of visit is on foot. Some parts of the route are suitable for MTBs too (though biking is prohibited in some segments) while other parts (Kesselfall gorge, ascent via Jägersteig to Schöckl, the route along the ridge of Niederschöckl) are not suitable for bicycles which would necessitate alternative route choices.

What to expect/highlights

The route involves a mixture of forest trails, logging roads, paved roads and almost alpine trails and will lead you through a variety of diverse landscapes. To get an impression of what to expect have a look at my photo collection.

The highlights in my opinion are the Kesselfall gorge, the scenic views along the way (I recommend to choose a day with good weather), the not much frequented sections of the trail (Jägersteig and along the ridge of Niederschöckl) and the summit area of Schöckl (with the new motoric park as additional attraction).

Route and terrain information

Start: The cache starts and ends at the Sandwirt inn.

PHEG052J Public transportation: The start can be conveniently reached by public transportation: Take Verbund bus line 140 , get off at the stop "Augraben - Sandwirt". A walk of 10-15 minutes along Prüggerweg and Kesselfallstrasse will bring you to the start.

Terrain: Expect a hike of 20-21 km and 1000 height meters elevation change. Some parts of the route (in particular the Jägersteig) are more challenging terrain-wise than the average terrain difficulty of my other caches. Most of the route is easier than T=3.5* however due to the most difficult parts and the length I chose 3.5* as T-rating.

Time requirements: Plan for 5.5-8 hours (depending on your speed, the trail conditions and the length of your breaks). Very fit cachers will be able finish within less than 5 hours. If you have no experience with longer walks and do not know how much time you need depending on length, elevation gain and terrain difficulty, then it might be better to plan for sufficient slack time and to come on a day with enough daylight time. If you come by public transportation and/or if you visit additional caches, the distance covered and the required time have to be increased.

Route: The cache route roughly follows the route described at bergfex.at (gpx file included). Between some of the stages you can however choose your own route. If you are not familiar with the area, bring along the gpx file or a reasonable map (paper or GPS-based) as I tried to keep the number of waypoints small.

The cache route leads you from the Sandwirt along the hiking trails 740 and 18 through the Kesselfallklamm (a gorge) and the Rötschgraben to the Jägerwirt inn. The Jägersteig (trail 16) leads you up to the summit of the Schöckl. From there route leads you first down to the Schöckl saddle via trail 730 and then up to the summit of Niederschöckl and along the ridge down to Loregg. Trail 767 then leads you back down to the start via the Theisslwirt inn and Präbichl.

Logs/Photos

Logs that report about your hiking experience as well as photos along the way are very welcome and highly appreciated by me, but please avoid spoilers which give away stage informations or contain the coordinates of the final.

Winter visits

The Kesselfall gorge is officially closed in Winter. You can walk through it on your own risk however. (I added an alternative for Stage 1 in case you want to avoid the gorge.)

You should however be aware of the fact that the Jägersteig up to the Schöckl summit can be quite slippery when there is snow and ice (which stays there longer - Northern hill side). Follow the cache route in Winter only when you are well equipped and have experience under such conditions.

The cache is hidden at ground level. With the help of the spoiler picture it should be findable also when there is snow, however it might be that the cache container cannot be retrieved when the temperatures are very low.

Preparations/Equipment

Entrance fee: The Kesselfall gorge is maintained by volunteers from the Alpenverein. Please be fair and pay the maintenance fee (2 Euro for adults as of 2016). There is a box at the entrance of the gorge - bring along coins there is no staff at the entrance.

Food and beverages: Inns along the way are Sandwirt (closed Mo and Nov-Apr also Tue), Jaegerwirt, Alpengasthof Schöckl and Stubenberghaus at the Schöckl summit, Theisslwirt. Given the length of the tour it is recommendable however to bring along your own provisions in addition.

Shoes: Come equipped with good shoes. When there is ice, light crampons (Groedel) might be helpful.

Part 2: Fieldwork

Collect the variables A, B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K at the Stages 1-9 (I do not use E to avoid confusion with East and avoid I for readability issues.)

Start (Sandwirt inn)

N 47° 12.065' E 015° 23.990'

Parking is available at the large car park of the Sandwirt inn. In 2016 there used to be a sign saying for guests only though this never seems to have been controlled or enforced. This sign apparently got removed meanwhile. Moreover, an additional parking area has been set up on a meadow to the right of the road which leads to the Sandwirt. There a sign explicitely welcomes visitors to the Kesselfall gorge.

Route information: Follow the signs to the Kesselfall gorge. The default mode for Stage 1 makes you enter the gorge (do not forget to pay the entrance fee at the little hut at the start). If for some reason you cannot visit Stage 1 (for example dog/Winter conditions), have a look at the alternative provided further down.

Stage 1 (Kesselfall gorge)

N 47° 12.298' E 015° 23.928'

The reception is jumpy in the gorge. Better rely on the description than on the coordinates. After a longer section with no ladders you have now arrived in front of a sequence of several ladders. A: The number of the first ladder of the sequence (watch out for a small metal plate at the lower end). As a backup: Nearby you will find a metal sign with a word which starts with a capital letter on it. Add one to this word's number of letters to obtain A.

Alternative for Stage 1 (No gorge)	N 47° 12.229' E 015° 23.942'
Walk to the bridge (waypoint H1) which leads to the entrance area of the gorge. Near the little hut you will find some information on locations that deserve a visit in the Semriach area. New question as of October 2018: Let's focus on the yellow sheet on the upper right part. One line of the text consists of two words written in red. A1: The number of letters of the second word in red. A = A1 + 1

Stage 2 (A former mill)

N 47° 12.587' E 015° 24.444'

The gorge is now behind you and a less spectacular but still nice and peaceful part of the hike is ahead of you. You have arrived at a house which belongs to the complex of a former mill. Watch out for the edge where two facade walls meet. Close to the common edge you will find a two digit number on each of the two walls which will provide you with 4 digits. B: The product (not the sum!) of the four digits.

Route information: Your way now leads you through the Rötschgraben. Follow trail 18.

Stage 3 (Rötschgraben)	N 47° 12.785' E 015° 25.931'
Watch out for a white sign which has been attached to the green sign with the street name. C: The two digit number on the white sign (written in black). As a back-up: The number C is also attached to a gray object at the other side of the road.

Route information: Continue to follow trail 18. At waypoint H2 take the left trail. Your way now leads you up to Windhof. I hope that the scenic view along the way compensates you for the fact that in this part of the hike you have to walk along paved roads. You can avoid the tarmac by walking to the left of the paved area.

Time for a rest?/Help for Stage 4

N 47° 12.861 E 015° 26.501

Here a bench invites you for a short rest. I intentionally did not place a stage here - just enjoy the view and relax. If you happen to belong to the cachers who feel scared about the tree question at Stage 4 you can provide yourself with an option for a check for variable D. Have a look at the bench and the name of the person to which it is dedicated. L: The position of the name's first letter in the alphabet.

Stage 4 (Old trees in Windhof)

N 47° 12.889' E 015° 26.695'

Watch out for a group of old trees: One left of the road with a trail marking on it (update: this tree got cut down - a stump remained) and three to the right of the road. To which tree species do these trees belong to? Looking around closely might be helpful. Nut trees: D=62 Pear trees: D=52 Birches: D=42 Plum trees: D=72 Oaks: D=82 You need help?: If you read the cache description carefully, the first hint for D (see the hint section) should help you. If not, I provide you with a second chance. Watch out for the nearby solar panel. Let M be the number of segments. Now the second hint should help you.

Route information: The route now lets you first pass the Jaegerwirt inn and then the building of the former North lift up to the Schöckl. From there follow trail 16 (Jägersteig) up towards the Schöckl summit. Due to storm damages and new logging roads, trail 16 is not always easy to see. I included some waypoints that might be helpful, H4 is the first among them.

Along your way you have the chance to visit the Lost place Schöckel Nordlift cache and the Need a lift? cache (with a little detour).

Stage 5 (Hunters trail/Jägersteig)	N 47° 12.204' E 015° 27.713'
The first part of the relatively steep ascent along trail 16 is now already behind you. Watch out for a marked tree with two stems and a text of the type "Hier stand ....." encarved into it. Focus on the name of the person mentioned. The full name is a bit hard to read, but you only need the first letter. F: The positional number of the name's first letter in the alphabet (a=1, b=2 etc).

Route information: Continue along trail 16 to the summit of the Schöckl. Waypoints H5 (enjoy the view there) and H6 (turn left into the logging road and soon thereafter head upwards again) might assist you.
Along your way you can visit the Schöcklland 7 cache and the Schöckl tradi cache with minor detours.

Stage 6 (Schöckl motoric park)

N 47° 11.902' E 015° 27.863'

You have arrived at the summit area of the Schöckl. In Summer 2016 a new small motoric park has been opened which is available free of charge to everyone. (Attention: Come with more time if you wish to try out all or some of the stages.) G: The total number of yellow springs which fix the balancing elements to the ground. As a back-up: Subtract two from the number of foot prints (in three colours) at a nearby stage of the balancing path.

Route information: Continue to the summit cross of Schöckl (waypoint H7 and enjoy the view there). Then follow trail 730 down to the saddle (waypoint H8). From there take the ridge trail up to Niederschöckl.

Stage 7 (Niederschöckl, small cross)	N 47° 11.821' E 015° 26.838'
Now you have arrived at the summit area of Niederschöckl. There is a tiny summit cross. Have a closer look at the box which contains the summit register. H: The number of little tube-like openings on the bottom of the box. As a back-up: Subtract 2 from the total number of screws which fix the box (consider both the backside of the box and the rock).

Route information: Continue further along the ridge trail towards H9. Along the way you can visit the Niederschöckl cache.

Stage 8 (Loregg, Theisslwirt ahead)

N 47° 11.106' E 015° 25.689'

Now the descent along the lonesome trail from the Niederschöckl is behind you and it is not far any longer to the Theisslwirt inn (the oldest inn on Schöckl). Watch out for two hiking sign posts. (Comment January 2024: Apparently these signs have been removed forever. Use backup 2 or 3.) J: The number of letters of the word immediately after Theisslwirt on the second sign. Backup 1: Subtract 5 from the two digit number to be found on the first sign. If the signs are missing, you can make use of one of the following two backups. Backup 2: Watch out for an arrow on a small piece of rock. Which colour and orientation does it have? yellow and pointing downwards: J=9 red and pointing upwards: J=11 red and pointing downwards: J=10 yellow and pointing upwards: J=12 blue and pointing downwards: J=8 blue and pointing upwards: J=13 Backup 3: Continue to waypoint B8: Watch out for a hiking sign. Subtract 10 from the two digit number on the sign.

Route information: Trail 767/GUW will be your companion until the end of this cache.

Stage 9 (Chapel in Präbichl)	N 47° 11.842' E 015° 25.187'
Some of you might only know the Präbichl near Vordernberg and so it might be your first encounter with the little village Präbichl near Semriach. You now have arrived at a small chapel. There is also the Muhrkogel cache nearby. Watch out for a green street sign with an attached white sign with numbers on it. K: The product (not the sum!) of all the digits on the white sign.

Calculations
At Stage 9 there is a bench for performing the calculations. Alternatively, you can use make use of the multichecker if you have mobile internet access. (The multichecker option is an experiment - if it gets abused, I will remove this option.) U = (H + 1) * (C + D) + A * J - 2*K -1 V = (B + G) * (F - J) + F * (K + 2) + 1 X = 11.500 + U / 1000 Y = 23.500 + V / 1000

Final

N 47° X' E 015° Y'

To approach the final you need not climb over or under a fence. The cache container is a small lock and lock container which only contains a log book, a pencil (I hope I did not forget to put it into the box) and a cache note. It is hidden at a characteristic hideout location but not any longer at the most obvious spot as it got moved a bit to the right. You might want to take along the spoiler photos. Please rehide the cache container well.

Route information: From the cache follow the trail 767/GUW down to Kesselfallstrasse (waypoint HA) and back to the Sandwirt inn.


Change log:

November 25, 2016: Added link to German description.
November 25, 2016: Changed slightly the formulation for the back-up version for variable A.
November 28, 2016: Adapted information on time/length somewhat.
November 29, 2016: Changed rivets to screws for the back-up version for variable H.
November 29, 2016: Added an option for checking D (see box before Stage 4 and hint).
December 18, 2016: Added a second option for checking D (see Stage 4 and hint).
December 30, 2016: Changed colour of backup object at Stage 3. Added alternative parking coordinates.
November 26, 2017: The task to obtain G at Stage 6 got updated to account for a change in the number of yellow springs.
November 27, 2017: Change back to the original version for G.
October 26, 2018: New alternative question at Stage 1. Comments added about changes with respect to parking and the final hideout.
June 20, 2019: Added two backup questions for Stage 8 which can be used when the signs are missing.
January 15, 2024: Mentioned that the tree on the left at Stage 4 got cut down. The third backup for Stage 8 got adapted to make it work again. The original signs at Stage 8 have apparently been removed forever.