The cathedral of trees

My original plan for Austria was to travel to one of the big national parks, with mountains or cascading rivers, with wild cats and maybe bears and definitely boars and possibly wolves.

Instead, I took the tram and the train to Vienna Woods. I was meant to get off at a place called something like Kasgarten, but I missed the stop as I expected the bus to just stop as it had everywhere else, but I would have needed to press the button and I didn't so I went to the end of the line.

The map for the walk at the end of the line I had left in the hotel. It was the only map I had printed off as the route at Kasgarten seemed very well marked and, besides, I didn't have the chance. So, when I got off at Mauerbach I was relieved to see a picture of the route and some vague instructions to follow: track 21, then 4, then 19, then 1, then 22 and then 21 back to the start.

That seemed straightforward enough.

First I had to find the start, which was relatively simple. Though not exactly obvious. I was rather relieved when I realised I had found it. I set off.

Somehow, I went wrong very quickly and found myself on an overgrown track bearing rather steeply downhill in the wrong direction, as far as i could make out from, no, not the angle of the sun, but the compass on my iPhone. I soon reached a larger track and started walking.... choosing to go left, for some unfathomable reason... only to arrive nearly back where I had started. Ah, I thought, I should have turned right. I back tracked and passed the overgrown track and from then on had no trouble following the way-markers.

I couldn't work out if the trees had been planted... they seemed to be often in quite straight lines and of a similar age. In some places I did find stands of young trees that were surely planted. And there was evidence of people clearing the understory. Even so, it didn't feel managed. There were mainly beeches and a lot of oak. Then some acers I didn't know, some like field maple and others that were similar to sycamore but I wasn't sure. Some birches and others that I simply had no idea about... alder? Hornbeam? No idea. I wished I had a tree book.

There was little ground flora - the beeches saw to that - but a good understory largely of beech saplings. A lot of acorns, so that often I was crunching over them, but only one oak seemed to have a carpet of seedlings around her. Elsewhere, I saw no oak saplings. The oaks were also different species to those at home - some red oaks on one part of the track and many that I think were Turkey oaks.

I think I saw one squirrel and I heard tits and woodpeckers but that was all I could recognise.

What I especially liked was the feel of the place. Yes, the trees seemed all similar ages and it could feel rather samey, but it was peaceful and felt expansive and free, despite some signs of management. I was really impressed by the way-markings. And these cross over a vast stretch of forest so that you can do any number of walks. Many of the tracks were graveled, some seemed to be forestry roads, but usually they were footpaths.

There were signs of the recent storms - with streams or ditches showing where the floodwaters had rushed through and some fallen trees or large branches - even across the route.

The trees - many of them didn't have any branches until two storeys high at least - straight and unbranched... ideal timber... but often the slopes were so steep that you can't imagine them being felled.

I saw two couples and twice saw a young woman with about ten dogs - we must have been doing the same route in different directions. One of the couples had a smooth collie, a tricolour like my Jabi. They told me she was 10 and their last smooth collie lived to 14 and a half. She was very sweet and delicate, with a very fine head and soft fur.

I saw two or three shooting stands, at least, I think that's what they were. I wondered what animals were there whom I did not see? Badgers? Deers? Foxes?

Three hours, it took, and it was wonderful. I got back successfully by a slightly different route - bus and then another bus. I was lucky with the timings, as I didn't have to wait at all.

The maple whose bark features in the slideshow had a trunk that angled so dramatically that it formed an ideal chair. I sat on it to look across a meadow at a single silver birch in the middle of the grass with forest all around. The grass was carpeted with purple flowers - they were autumn crocuses... croci? - which are either poisonous or the plants from which saffron is derived. I think the former as they were pale and growing wild.

Anyway, I chose to talk to the tree, who was welcoming. "What's wrong with me?" I asked. The maple replied, "All that's wrong with you is that you think there's something wrong with you." That was a cheerful comment - though I am writing this at 3:30am when I need to get up at 6:20am. The bastard insomnia. I now have pills but they have only had a week in my system and apparently I must give them longer. I didn't want pills but this is ridiculous.

I was almost asleep until I started thinking about how a wonderful woman called Annette is going to talk about orcas at the conference tomorrow and I have done a lot of work on orcas and I can't say it because I already know - after the first half day - that I am out of my league and all my questions sound like a toddler saying, "But look, the animals matter and are cleverer than you so shut up the talking and sit with a robin!!!" And that got me upset and I can FEEL the adrenaline. I tried breathing exercises and all my other tricks (codeine, reading, sweet treats) and none worked. So here I am. Tap tap tap.