The footpath had collapsed. What was left of the hiking trail was hanging off the steep face before plunging into the crevasse. Very carefully we navigated the challenging rockslide. The sun penetrated the vertical walls highlighting the moss covered faces as the Frutz River beckoned us further into the Üble Schlucht Canyon in Laterns, Austria. The name means “bad” in reference to the danger of navigating the terrain before modern paths were built. Despite what its name suggests the canyon is “bad” but only in American slang which translates to “cool.”
The warm spring made it possible to hike into the Üble Schlucht early this year. We had some friends visiting from California and wanted to show them one of our favorite places that requires some effort to get down into. The gorge is located in the Laternsertal and the starting point is in the small village of Laterns. One must be in decent physical shape because the descent is steep and the ascent back up is long and can be a bit precarious with slippery and uneven paths. The start of the trail is about 923 meters and for a moderate hiker it should take approximately 2 1/2 hours to get down to the city of Rankweil. But the energy exerted was well worth it especially to share this alpine wonder with good friends. We sure had a “bad” time!
https://www.bergfex.com/sommer/vorarlberg/touren/wanderung/7441,ueble-schlucht-laterns/