Edelwiess and the Rax

The Edelweiss, Latin name Leontopodium alpinum, is a rare alpine flower that has become a symbol of Apline life and a point of pride for the Austrian people. It almost exclusively grows at altitudes above 1800 meters and was once sought after as an ingredient for folk remedies.

Today (and since 1886), due to extant fears of overharvesting, the Edelweiss is a protected species in Austria, and many other countries.

Edelweiss, which translates to English as "noble white" is used as a symbol in literature and art, as well as national symbol in Austria, particular in the Tyrolian regions. In Roger and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music for example, "Edelwiess" is the title of Austrian patriotism, opposing the imminent Anschluss by Hitler's Third Reich.

The Edelweiss is a common symbol used by many groups for many purposes including on some Nazi SS officer uniforms. A list of some of these uses can be found on Wikipedia.

When hiking in the Rax, I kept a sharp eye out for the noble flower, which is today a rare sight. I was not as lucky as some members of our group (I'm looking at you Kathy, Alex, and Hans-Joerg), but I was still able to go home with some memories I will never forget!

Speaking of the Rax, that experience -- just three days and two nights -- opened my eyes to a small variety of cultural differences between Austrians and Americans.

One in particular that stuck out to me was that the Austrians seem to take a much less structured approach to their wilderness. Even on hiking paths, much of the time there seems to be almost no effort to "tame" the wilderness. In place of the conventional trails you often see in the US, most of the time in the Rax I felt like my group was just following painted rocks that were each about 40 yards for one another. The fog was thick enough at a few points, that we just had to guess the proper direction because we couldn't see the next trail marker -- a fun game to play in the cold, pouring rain, no doubt!