22. Jul 2023

Gries - Seeboden/Millstäter See

It rained most of the night. I could hear thunder now and then. But the rain had stopped by morning and I could dry my tent before packing and moving on. There was one long stretch along a highway that I had to walk on and was dreading to do (Photo 2). The traffic, though, was not as heavy as I had expected. After about an hour walking on the highway, I found out why. In the town of Kremsbrücke the road had been closed. The storm that passed over the campground where I had stayed the night, hovered about ten kilometers further over this area. It caused heavy flooding, a mudslide and took out part of the road. I was so glad the storm did not hover over the campground. Even though cars were being turned back, I was permitted to walk through the town (Photo 2). Emergency vehicles and personal were everywhere. An Austrian news team was reporting on the scene. A camera man asked me where I was walking with my large backpack. I told him briefly what I was doing. He said that would make a good news story, but he had unfortunate no time to do it then and there. I continued on, prayed and sang softly my pilgrim song as I passed through the disasterous area. On the other side of the town I tried to warn approaching cars to turn around. Most ignored me, but a few did stop to listen to what I had to say. It felt like preaching to secular Europeans: Most are so convinced of their direction in life that they just keep speeding on. Some though will listen and take the turn back.

Many hours later I walked through another small town called Treffling just before Lake Millstätte where I would stay the night. As I walked by the local fire department, five men were sitting there with a beer crate relaxing after their day of work. They called out to me to come over. They had recognized me from walking through the catastrophe zone earlier in the morning. They were surprised that I had walked the distance from there to their town with the backpack. They offered me a cold beer, but I said I would prefer cold water, which they gave me. They wanted to know my story, so we talked. The local priest will be moving on to another place this September. They asked me if I would to stay and be their priest. I said that I am not Catholic. They said I could become one. I answered that they could become like me, a follower of Jesus! We had a good time together. I was able to share from my life and walk with Jesus and pray with them before I continued on.