Tuesday 20. [20 August 1895] Up early. Hugo Elsa Papa and I left Innsbr¸ck by the 7 train for Steinach - we had a touching parting from L'Amor who insisted upon coming with us to the tram. Fortunately Mother appeared in a sketchy toilette which did not include stockings and held him in a leash with a pocket handkerchief. She let him loose just as we started and he ran briskly after us but was presently discouraged. We reach Steinach at 8 and walked to Trins where we got a peasant girl to carry our packs to Gshnitz [Gschnitz]. I had a long talk with her and found that she was being educated in a convent and intended to be a nun. She had 3 more years of novitiate. She was going to be a Dominican and would never come out of her convent nor see any one except the other nuns and the children who come in to be taught. I asked her if she wouldn't mind but she said Doch Nein. She had 3 sisters in convents so it seems to run in the family. She told me all about her day in the convent, her prayers and her walks and her lessons and what she liked most - all with her head bent down and her eyes fixed on the ground and in the same mild little voice. I think she was a stupid little thing and a contented. We reached Gschnitz at 10.35 - a scattered hamlet in a very deep narrow valley with great rocks miles up in the air above {them} it and pine woods climbing up the slopes to meet them. The inn was the Pfarrer's house and stood near the church - as we were eating a meal of eggs and chocolate the Pfarrer came out to welcome us - a cheery brisk person, with a dark face not over well shaven and a poor opinion of his parishoners. He had a long talk with Papa and only left us to greet some other comers. We found that our guide had not received Papa's postcard as the post only comes to Gschnitz once a week and that we would have to wait till the afternoon for him. So we ordered another large meal and spent the time in wandering about and in talking to some Germans a man and his wife and a friend who were making a walking tour. The guide, Alois Pittrache, appeared before lunch and I settled with him that we should start at 3. We had at 1.30 another large meal of knudel suppe (we gave the knudels to the geese) chicken and pancakes. After this we slept and rested - I read some of the Tempest and lay on my back looking up to the great rock. At 3 Pittrache appeared, we bade farewell to the Pfarrer's mÈnagere who wished us herzlich wohl, and went on our way. The mountain was extremely steep and the afternoon very hot - Alois nearly died under our loads. However about 5 we got up onto an Alpe where we met a very delicious cold wind and in less than another hour we were up at the H¸tte. The H¸tte was a most imposing erection looking over a precipice - it was kept by a most friendly and cheerful wirthin who laughed ceaselessly at all Papa's jokes. The evening was very cold - we were right up on the Joch looking down onto the long road down the Pinnischer Thal to the Stubeier Thal. Hugo was unfortunately not well and was obliged to retire to bed as soon as we arrived. We had a thick pea soup for dinner and tinned meats which called themselves Rostbraten and omelet - the kitchen opened onto the dining room which was pervaded by a delicious smell of cooking. After dinner another traveller arrived a mangy little German who had never been up a mountain before and didn't like it at all. We went to bed at 8 - Elsa and I most luxurious each with a bed to ourselves.