Kaunertal Valley

My last run on snow for this trip, and it was a cold one. I intended to follow the winter walking trail from Feichten to Platz and back, a bit over six kilometres but I ended up getting confused about my whereabouts and doing more. However, I was very surprised when I looked out my window just before I left and saw a runner heading through the village; I've barely seen any other runners in these villages and when I have it has always been in the afternoon. Makes sense, it's warmer then.
I ran through the village and onto the winter walking trail, which paralleled the cross country ski trail, crossing and recrossing the little river twice. (It's funny that in some of these river valleys there are virtually no bridges across the river and in others there is a bridge every few minutes.) After that I climbed a little and contoured the hillside below the forest. Mostly I was on snow but there was some ice. The snow had a nice crust on it which made it firm but sometimes the crust gave way and I would suddenly plunge into deeper snow.
As I've become used to, the sun was illuminating the mountain tops but giving no warmth yet. It was very, very quiet but it was going to be a beautiful day. The snow path gave way to sealed road a couple of times, which was easier on my legs. I under stand now why so few of these routes I follow are shown on the map; they are based on trails which probably only exist when there is snow on the ground.

I passed a few villages and came to the end of the path; there was a gate and then the main road. This wasn't what I was expecting as I believed I would come into Platz and see its church.
So instead of turning into the main road I headed uphill off the signed trail on a very snowy minor trail. But it had footprints on it so I felt I would be ok. It wound uphill through the forest with no signs of descending again. The snow was deep here and relatively untracked so my feet were getting wet. I broke through the snow's crust with every footfall. I couldn't run, only walk, and after several hairpins I thought it best to turn back. I descended, slowly, to the main road and decided to follow it back for a while towards Feichten to be able to work out where I was. I was surprised to arrive after a few minutes in Platz. I had obviously overshot, and I never did see the church.
I ran through Platz and back to the walking trail and on back to Feichten. I suddenly became aware how cold it was and was anxious to be finished. My six kilometre run was actually more like ten kilometres.

Along the Inn river from Ried

A day off skiing so I went for a run. I was nervous about this because of all my skiing aches and pains, but I set out with my (probably) cracked ribs, lower back tightness and my still sore thumb from my skiing mishap in early January. The pain all over was pretty bad at first but after a while it was only the ribs that continued to hurt, especially when I had to blow my nose.
I wanted to follow the Via Claudia Agata, an ancient Roman route that passes through Ried and goes along the Inn river, same one I had run alongside in Innsbruck last month and in Kufstein last year.
The route started on a sealed road across the river from the town and initially passed at river level by some frosty pastures. There was ice on the road and on the path across the pastures, but it was old ice and there wasn't any snow this low down. When the road petered out I found myself among a cluster of farmhouses, almost at someone's front door. I was surprised but as there was someone standing there I motioned to him whether the path continued and he said, in German, yes you can go as far as Switzerland or Italy.
After this I entered the forest and started climbing steeply. I was in a gorge with high bluffs to my right. The trail was narrow and in places the whole trail was covered with a sheet of ice. Luckily there was a fence I could hang on to. At the highest point I had a fabulous view of the river far below, a village some way away and a bit of sunlight on the snow capped distant mountains.

Then I descended and met a sealed road. Further along I could see what appeared to be a bridge across the river; I wasn't expecting this as no bridge was marked on the map. When I got closer I saw that it was some contraption for getting logs across the river, not people.
I didn't want to miss my hotel breakfast so I turned back and retraced my route. It was mostly downhill on the way back and the sun was illuminating the mountains nicely.

Galtür, Austria

I was exhausted from skiing and I had to take a day off. What could I do on a day off from skiing? Run. It was going to be a run on snow, and I just hoped the snow would be sufficiently hard packed that I wouldn't get wet feet.
I decided to follow one of the cross country ski routes, although you aren't really supposed to do this, but I took care to stay out of the ski tracks. Using this route had the advantage that the trail was groomed, so hard packed, and there were red poles showing me which way to go.
After an initial false start because I had to return to my hotel having realised after two minutes that I had forgotten my gloves - it would be very foolish to run without gloves - I set out on the trail towards the Wirl ski slopes where I had skied earlier in the week. The mountainsides were still in cloud but the cloud was threatening to lift at any moment. Everything was quiet, and white. Galtür is at the end of the road in this valley and in the early morning with the ski slopes still closed it wasn't surprising the area was quiet.

I followed the river for a while then climbed above it. That was hard, maybe because of the altitude.  After I got through Wirl the driveable road ended but I continued on a closed road, again by the river. I could see the tip of the mountain looming above Wirl lit up by sunlight. Then I crossed the river and turned back. The snow groomer was doing its thing on this side of the river so I had to be careful where I ran; the groomer was the width of the trail.
After I came back into Galtür I took a detour along the outskirts. I came into a sub valley which was very pretty with trees and a creek, and on the horizon a mountain range was coming and going through the mist. Then I descended through the village to the road and somehow found my way home.