From the Egger Alm meadow, follow the road to Hermagor for another 3min, before turning left onto a slightly uphill forest road. Glorious views over the Gailtal valley and the Kreuzeck mountain range can soon be enjoyed. A little later, the trail turns to the left and approaches the Italian border. After an approx. 1-hour walk, you will reach the customs hut and the Stallen pass. Now leave the trail and head to the left along an old dilapidated wartime road on Italian territory. Cross the slopes of the uppermost Vallone di Rio Bianco (the Weißenbachtal valley or the Kathreiner Graben rift) to reach the Stutenbodensattel pass after walking through woodland and head leftwards uphill along the old wartime road below the Schulterköpfele peaks before soon coming out again onto a forest road. Follow this road over the North slopes of the Kronalpe meadow and later take a slightly uphill track over alpine pastureland to the Garnitzenalm meadow (3h from the Egger Alm), where the first lift facilities of the Sonnenalpe Naßfeld ski resort are located. Keep to the left at the well in front of the old alpine hut and turn right at the next fork in the road. Continue through sparse larch woodland, across alpine pastures and through spruce trees to reach the Garnitzentörl pass, nestled between the Garnitzenberg and the Gartnerkofel peaks. In good weather, you can enjoy the wonderful view over to the Julian Alps in the South and the Hohe Tauern mountains in the North. Head down over open alpine pastureland (or ski runs) to the Watschiger Alm meadow and the Alpenhof Plattner hotel (accommodation facilities, ÖAV affiliated member), where it is only another short stretch down to the Naßfeldpass (3h from the Garnitzenalm), where Hotel Berghof (accommodation facilities, ÖAV affiliated member) and a few other hotels and guesthouses are available.
(Andreas Fink, Christina Schwann, OeAV Section Villach, OeAV)
 

Franz Xaver Baron of Wulfen (1728-1805) not only described the mineral wulfenite, a lead molybdate, but also discovered a unique botanical rarity in about 1779 in the Naßfeld area: the wulfenia or wulfenia carinthiaca, named after him. In all the world, it can only be found around the Gartnerkofel peak and in the Montenegrin-Albanian border region. Its occurrence in the Carnic Alps stretches over Italian and Austrian state territory. On the Austrian side, it blooms in the Kühweger Alm, Watschiger Alm, Möderndorfer Alm and Garnitzenalm meadows, and on the Italian side of the border in the Zirkel-Alm and Auernig-Alm meadows. Its limited range - botanists refer to it as being "endemic" - and its extraordinary beauty make the wulfenia a peculiarity and the provincial flower of Carinthia. It is interesting to observe that the wulfenia is obviously dependent on the pastureland of the meadows. For in recent years, there has been a decrease in the flower population that is obviously directly linked to the abandonment of pastureland. The influence of the grazing cattle – trodden land and browsing – and the activity of the alpine farmers appears to encourage the wulfenia to grow. In overgrown areas without land trodden by browsing cows, it disappears. Even the formerly widely used reference to the wulfenia as the "Kuhtritt" (cow’s footstep) indicates this link. In order to protect the wulfenia in a sustainable manner and to preserve its locations, a cross-border EU project with the title: "Sustainable development for areas of unspoiled nature in the Carnic Alps – work package 3: Wulfenia – cross-border pasture farming concept for the preservation of ‘cow’s footstep’” was initiated. Leaving aside this botanical peculiarity, the Carnic ridge is also and above all a true geological treasure house. The 5 nature paths each with 10 to 15 stopping points and the 20 large panoramic panels of the "Geo-Trail" tell the natural history of the Gialtal valley, tracing it back around 500 million years. All along the trail, you will come across fossilized mussels, brachiopods, sea lilies, corals, ferns and even entire tree trunks. One of the these nature paths is located in the Naßfeld area and along the rest of the trail to the Hochweißsteinhaus lodge, there are more signs for the Geo-Trail; in the Straniger Alm meadow, at the Dr. Steinwender Hut, at the Plöcken pass and at the Wolayersee lake for instance.
(Christina Schwann, OeAV)