‘Oimzeit’ is the most wonderful time

Oimzeit (alpine pasture time) is the most wonderful time – that’s what it says on one of the alpine huts, and I couldn’t agree more. After the cattle drive at the end of last summer, I visited Ackernalm again for the first time this year. Yellow blooming globeflowers shone on the lush green meadows. The cowbells’ jingling can be heard from afar, forming a constant backdrop of sound. In the evening, I sat on the Grabenbergalm below the Fuchsloch in the last rays of the evening sun, looking out at the Schinder, Halserspitz, and Blaubergkamm behind the Brandenberger Ache.

Life on the alm is rarely this romantic. The work on the alm is hard: milking early in the morning and in the afternoon, cleaning the milking machine, tending to the animals, mucking out the stable, taking milk to the cheese dairy, running the household, and much more. There’s little free time for oneself, hobbies, or guests. That’s why I’m always grateful for the hospitality and time for a chat. Nevertheless, there are plenty of happy and fulfilling moments in or with nature. For example, a walk with an 11-day-old calf to the neighbours.

The night is short in June if you want to experience both dusk and dawn. So, I set off at three o’clock to reach the summit of Veitsberg in time for sunrise. I had previously used the summit itself as a foreground for shots, but this time I wanted to photograph the panorama over the Thiersee Valley and the mountain ranges around the Kaiser Mountains from the summit itself.

The ascent to the long mountain ridge, with Veitsberg as the eastern viewpoint, was via the Grabenbergalm. From the summit, my gaze followed the ridge down to Landl, then to the Pendling, and finally to the majestically rising rock of the Kaiser Mountains. The horizon was already illuminated in the warm tones of dawn, while the rock faces lay dark, shadowy, and heavy beneath. The sun eventually emerged far to the north, near the Kampenwand in the Chiemgau Alps, casting long rays into the damp morning mist in the valley. The long-distance view was brilliant; the Grossvenediger glowed golden in the first sunlight, and the Zillertal Alps felt within reach. That’s why I always love coming back here.