Marching Like Fools

The final chapter of Marching Like Fools is less about mountains climbed and more about questions asked. After six days on the Karnischer Höhenweg, four ex-soldiers — boots worn, knees frayed, banter intact — find themselves at the Gasthof Valentinalm, with only a museum, a farewell dinner, and a final taxi ride left to navigate. Why listen to this episode?Because endings matter. Because laughter and silence share the same space. Because this isn’t just about finishing a trail, but about what’s left behind when the trail is over.This episode blends alpine history with present-day fragility: rifles and grenades in glass cases, snowfields vanishing from ridges, and the stubborn resilience of both wildflowers and walkers. There are jokes, of course — about strudel errors, MI6 suspicions, and the near impossibility of finding a yodeller in Austria. But there are also moments of raw truth, spoken and unspoken. What’s inside: Segment 1: Last Day BeginsThe walking is done, but the logistics continue: museums, farewells, and the curious efficiency of Taxi Gratzer. Segment 2: Museum at KötschachA forgotten war brought into sharp focus. Trenches, photographs, relics — and the unanswered question: what was the point? Segment 3: War, Memory & Those Left BehindA reflection not only on veterans and trauma, but on the silent endurance of partners and families who carried their own wars at home. Segment 4: Climate & the Shifting AlpsShrinking glaciers, fragile ridges, bark beetle infestations, and a landscape transforming before our eyes. Soldiers a century ago thought only of survival. A century from now, what will walkers say of us? Segment 5: Flowers, Fresh Water & Mr FluffyMisidentified blooms, a continuous mountain spring, and the furry microphone that convinced a guesthouse owner we worked for MI6. Segment 6: The Farewell LogisticsCars, chapels, and a final extraction worthy of any ops planner. Final Reflections: Brotherhood & BeyondThe Fools thought this would be their last great march. By the end, they knew it couldn’t be. Not yet. Next year, another. Listen if you like:Endings that don’t quite endHonest reflections on war, trauma, and silenceLaughter served alongside historyCamaraderie forged in weather, miles, and mugs of teaEnvironmental truths spoken plainly Avoid if you want:A neat conclusion tied up with ribbonA light-hearted travelogue with no shadowsSilence without snoring Final thoughts:This is more than the closing of a walk. It’s a meditation on memory, fragility, friendship, and the planet itself. The Fools may have left the mountains, but the mountains — and the questions — remain. Boots off. Beer poured. March complete. Until the next.

Day Six of Marching Like Fools is about decisions, detours, and the kind of mountain wisdom that comes not from daring, but from declining. From Wolayerseehütte to Valentinalm, the Fools trade cliff-clinging bravado for cautious progress, Jetboil brews, suspicious looks from a hut owner, and one catastrophic Apfelstrudel. Why listen to this episode?Because sometimes the funniest, truest stories aren’t about what you did — but what you didn’t. This is a tale of saying no to danger, yes to tea, and maybe (regrettably) to too much cream. It’s also about how exhaustion, humour, and decades-old trust still glue this group together as the miles start to tell. This isn’t a glossy alpine postcard. It’s clouds, rain, wobbly chains, and the occasional upside-down hiker. It’s conversations with students, smokers, and optimists. And it’s the peculiar joy of carrying a microphone cover so hairy it earns you accusations of MI6 espionage. If you’ve ever wanted to know what happens when four ex-soldiers skip a via ferrata, boil up tea on a mountainside, and then nearly collapse from pastry overdose — this is your episode. What’s inside:Segment 1: Recce & DecisionThe infamous Sentiero Spinoti looms. Fixed cables, steep polished rock — and a forecast of rain. The narrator inspects, confides in “Mr Fluffy” (the deadcat mic), and calls it: “Not today.” Disappointment, yes. Relief, definitely. Segment 2: Encounters Before DepartureStudents from Graz, an Austrian smoker with enviable serenity, and a pair of cheerfully cloud-defeated sunrise chasers populate the breakfast scene. Even in drizzle, morale is oddly high. Segment 3: Brew Stop & Military Mug LoreTwo Jetboils, one legendary steel mug older than most governments, and the ritual of tea. Proof that a brew stop is about more than hydration — it’s ceremony, therapy, and community in liquid form. Segment 4: Descent & RainForests, cattle, wildflowers, and finally the rain. Squelching boots replace cliff cables, with the narrator dangling from chains in ways both literal and undignified. A sensory pause by a river brings a rare, reflective calm. Segment 5: Slower Steps & WearinessAt Valentinalm, showers beckon but exhaustion dominates. The group senses the walking phase is nearly done. Tomorrow promises history more than height — a pause they’re ready for. Segment 6: Mr Fluffy & the MI6 TheoryThe refuge owner eyes the recording kit and wonders aloud if MI6 has taken to mountaineering. Denials follow. The Fools’ cover remains intact. Segment 7: The Apfelstrudel IncidentOne over-enthusiastic strudel order later, and the narrator is felled by cream. Some indulgences are worth it. This one wasn’t. Segment 8: Final ThoughtsThe rain falls, the guesthouse is warm, and the Fools — damp, weary, and still foolish — move forward with fewer miles and deeper stories. Listen if you like:Decisions that matter more than bravadoThe culture of brews, mugs, and soldierly ritualConversations with strangers in mountain hutsHumour in rain, chains, and culinary regret Avoid if you want:Step-by-step via ferrata tutorialsInfluencer-style alpine glamourStories without rain, mud, or foolishness Final thoughts:“Spinoti? Nein danke.” is an ode to caution, camaraderie, and cream gone wrong. It proves that sometimes the bravest move is to say no — and the funniest stories come from there.Boots on. Jetboil ready. Pastry optional. Press play.   

Day Five of Marching Like Fools swaps razor-thin ridges for navigational blunders,  larch forests, phantom wolves, and a lakeside beer or three. From Porzehütte to Wolayerseehütte, it’s a day of wrong turns, right people, and the kind of military-bred trust that needs no explanation. Why listen to this episode?Because it’s not just about hiking. It’s about how detours can deliver the best bits, why beer tastes better above 2000m, and how some bonds survive decades without losing strength. It’s also about goats, suspicious farmers, and why showers in mountain huts are sometimes more about morale than hygiene. This isn’t your average alpine travel podcast. You’ll get scenery, yes — but also barking dogs, beer devotionals, tactical breakfast raids, and a meditation on how open landscapes heal the mind in ways science is only just catching up with. If you’ve ever wondered what happens when four ex-military men get lost on purpose (sort of), drink too much, and talk about wolves that may or may not exist — this is your episode. What’s inside:Segment 1: Breakfast BlitzkriegDoors open at 06:30 and the polite scramble begins — muesli, bread, and teaspoons vanish in minutes. A brief map debate, a calm mountain col, and the day’s off to a deceptively good start. Segment 2: Larches, Bark Beetles & Big DogsLarch forests, thankfully free of Phytophthora, but alongside bark beetle damage to Norway spruce. Stone clearance cairns dot the meadows. Two massive goat dogs decide to test the Fools’ composure before being called off by their herder. Segment 3: Getting Lost, Finding PeopleA river in the wrong place prompts a reluctant admission: wrong trail. The detour leads to encounters with a father-and-son duo (the son a trained but unemployed winemaker), a struggling Italian couple, and a beer pilgrim who climbs for a can and drinks it like communion. Segment 4: Border Crossing & Wolf WarningsAt Passo Giromondo, there’s no fence, just new rock underfoot. A well-dressed “farmer” offers weather predictions and warns of wolves in the valley. Large pawprints later add intrigue, if not proof. Segment 5: Climate & ConditionsStorms loom but hold off — for now. The Alps are no longer climate-stable: heavier rains, wilder storms, and seasons slipping into unpredictability. Segment 6: Wolayerseehütte & the Spinoti DebateThe hut appears like a dream — or brewery. Pints flow, Teresa in traditional dress serves them, and the guardian shares mountaineering tales. Tomorrow’s route decision — via the exposed Sentiero Spinoti or a safer alternative — falls to the narrator. Segment 7: Showers, Bonding & Beer-Fuelled ReflectionPeer pressure leads to a performative shower. As the sun fades, beer loosens thoughts on military trust — instant, absolute, and unlike anything civilian life builds — and the quiet, proven health benefits of open spaces. Listen if you like:Outdoor storytelling with equal parts grit, humour, and detourEx-military camaraderie and the unspoken pacts it createsEncounters with strangers, beer pilgrims, and possible wolvesReflections on climate change in the high Alps Avoid if you want:Polished, influencer-friendly hiking storiesStep-by-step trail guidesConversations without sarcasm, beer, or barking dogs Final thoughts:“Beer, Blisters, and the Border” is about more than miles covered — it’s about the people, the pauses, and the landscapes that change you. Detours are optional. The stories aren’t.Pull on your boots. Order a pint. Press play.

Day Four of Marching Like Fools lives up to its name — The Longest March — with 20km of high alpine terrain, eight to ten relentless hours on the trail, and three climbs that would make a drill sergeant blush. In this episode, the Fools tackle the stretch from Porzehütte to Hochweißsteinhaus — a leg defined by military ghosts, unforgiving ridges, changing climate, and the kind of shared endurance that turns walking into something more. What to expect in this episode:Segment 1: Military Ghosts & Hard MarchesThe day begins before the marmots are awake, with the morning light revealing a perfect temperature inversion — a white sea of clouds in the valleys. The trail follows the First World War frontline, where Austro-Hungarian and Italian troops once fought in unimaginable conditions. Bunkers, trenches, and dry-stone walls remain as silent markers of a brutal past. Encounters with fellow walkers remind us that in the mountains, companionship can be as vital as food and water. Segment 2: Wayfinding, Terrain, and Trial by RidgeThe route winds through alpine meadows, shale slopes, and goat-track ridges, each testing both legs and morale. Sometimes the path disappears, replaced by scree that slides underfoot. Along the way: suspected ibex scat, a possible eagle, and one Fool showing signs of altitude strain. Water is scarce on many ridge walks — but here, streams offer lifelines, each litre treated before drinking. Segment 3: Climate Change, Then and NowThe episode shifts to present-day threats facing the Alps: shrinking glaciers, melting permafrost, and unstable ridges. Cushion plants creep into lower altitudes, altering ecosystems, while ibex and eagles are squeezed into smaller territories. Above, contrails crisscross the sky — a quiet reminder of the carbon cost of adventure. The narrator draws a parallel: the storm-battered slopes of today echo the hazards faced by soldiers in 1915, though now the cause is climate change, not artillery. Segment 4: Unexpected Geological TreasureA supposed fossil turns out to be a calcified stalactite — proof that curiosity can be heavy. Segment 5: Arrival at HochweißsteinhausAfter ten hours, the team staggers into the old Italian customs post-turned-mountain-hut. The guardian eyes them like veterans of a dubious expedition. Pasta, goulash, beer — devoured without ceremony — restore body and soul. Segment 6: Closing ThoughtsIt was a day of silent suffering — blisters, sunburn, aching legs — but no complaints. The narrator reflects on the shared resilience of a group that knows each other well, the ghosts who walked with them, and the honour of being one of the Fools. Why listen?Because The Longest March isn’t just about distance. It’s about what happens when people are stretched thin — physically, mentally, emotionally — and still find a way to share a laugh at the end. It blends humour, history, and hard truth about the changing mountains into a vivid account you can almost smell, taste, and feel under your boots. Listen if you enjoy:• First-hand travel stories with grit and humanity• Reflections on war, history, and landscape• The camaraderie of small groups under pressure• Honest accounts of climate change’s impact in remote places• A mix of humour, humility, and stubborn perseverance Avoid if you’re after:• Lightweight, tourist-brochure storytelling• Step-by-step trail guides or gear reviews• Sanitised, hardship-free versions of mountain lifeDay 4: “The Longest March” is about the hardest day on the Karnischer Höhenweg — and why it’s worth it.

Day Three of Marching Like Fools delivers another laugh-out-loud, quietly profound, and occasionally nerve-wracking window into the journey of four middle-aged ex-soldiers across the high Carnic Alps. From Obstanter Seehütte to Porzehütte, this was no casual stroll — it was exposure therapy, spiritual cloudscapes, and more.Why listen to this episode?Because it’s funny. Because it’s honest. Because it’s about far more than hiking.This isn’t your typical outdoor podcast. You’ll get scenery, yes — but also camaraderie, awkward showers, existential terror on narrow paths, and a grown man arguing with himself about deodorant. The trail is real. So is the risk. If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to teeter on a razor-thin scree path while trying not to wet yourself — emotionally or physically — this is your episode. What’s inside:Segment 1: The High Climb and the InversionThe team begins early — too early for breakfast, but just in time to beat a storm. They climb to Pfannspitze (2678m), technically optional, but clearly not for fools. What follows is the breathtaking (literally) experience of emerging above the clouds — into a glowing, silent world of inversion, blue sky, and awe. Until, of course, one of the team politely asks the narrator to shut up. Segment 2: Scree Bypasses and Nervous DescentThe so-called ‘bypasses’ of the famous Kinigat summits are anything but easy: scree fields, narrow ledges, steep switchbacks and silence that may or may not be terror. A ptarmigan feather and squealing marmots offer brief comic relief. Segment 3: The Hidden Refuge and the Austrian LinguistJust when they need it most, the Filmoor-Standschützenhütte appears — a wooden refuge offering shelter, cake, and a surprise: a young Austrian linguist with faultless English, generous conversation, and exactly the calm they didn’t know they needed.Segment 4: The Fading Usefulness of GuidebooksTheir decades-old guidebook is, let’s be kind, no longer fit for purpose. Trails have changed. Signs have vanished. And trusting it is more an act of faith than navigation.Segment 5: Climate Change in the AlpsClimate change rears its very real head — with warmer temps, more violent storms, and crumbling ridgelines all altering the safety and structure of the alpine environment. The Alps are changing fast, and not for the better.Segment 6: Arrival at PorzehütteArriving just before a biblical downpour, the team basks in smug dryness while watching soaked hikers arrive one by one. Showers become battlegrounds for dignity, one Fool loses a token down a radiator, and the narrator embraces the freedom of filth. Dinner is loud and wine-fuelled. The English are the anomaly.  Listen if you like:Outdoor storytelling with grit, wit, and weatherReal-life travel humour (the sort you only appreciate after surviving)Middle-aged men navigating both mountains and their own limitationsMountains as places of memory, history, and environmental warningA bit of weather nerding, ecological insight, and heartfelt nonsenseAvoid if you want:Polished travelogue voiceovers with zero sarcasmDetailed kit reviews or route logisticsTranquil soundscapes without human interruption (the narrator talks)A clean-shaven, influencer-friendly version of alpine hiking Final thoughts:“Scree, Silence, and the Inversion” is a meditation on movement — across landscapes, histories, and age. Yes, it’s funny. But it’s also deeply human. Pull on your boots. Pack a snack. Press play. And join the Fools — while they're still upright.

In this wry, reflective, and unfiltered account of life on the trail, Marching Like Fools returns for Day Two of the Karnischer Höhenweg — a remote and rugged alpine crossing along the old Austro-Italian frontline. In this episode, “Cramped, Cloudy and Clattered by Timber,” we follow four middle-aged ex-soldiers (including the narrator) as they walk from Sillianerhütte to Obstanter Seehütte — a leg that is deceptively short in distance, but dense with memory, mishap, and meaning.You’ll hear the boots-on-floorboards reality of communal alpine living, from creaky bunk beds and unsatisfying breakfasts to marijuana-scented roommates and timber-framed concussions. But this isn’t just a tale of aching calves and cold washbasins. It’s also about walking through history — quite literally — along a ridge once scarred by trench warfare, now grassed over and haunted only by cowpats, bunkers, and the rustle of highland wind.Expect candid, quietly humorous storytelling as the team reflect on the quiet bonds between strangers, the absurdities of hut life, and the sharp contrast between past and present on these old mountain paths. The narrator — battle-tested, scar-headed, and surprisingly fond of goulash — leads us through six short segments, covering everything from fragile ecosystems to tactical plug socket acquisition.Themes of environmental change thread through the episode, as the trail skirts fragile ridgelines and climbs through terrain reshaped by warming temperatures and vanishing permafrost. Even the most hardened of men are humbled by the scale and silence of these mountains — and the lingering trace of those who walked (and fought) them before.Notable highlights:Segment 1: A shared trail experience as walkers form a temporary migration of boots and banter.Segment 2: Wartime relics still visible on the ridge — graves, bunkers, and fading traces of soldiers long gone.Segment 3: A quiet meditation on climate change, shifting snowlines, and how alpine ecology is adapting — or not.Segment 4: Arrival at Obstanter Seehütte and the tale of a brutal windowsill encounter.Segment 5: The democratic discomfort of shared washing spaces and tactical approaches to phone charging.Segment 6: Reflections on history, war, and why nobody ever gets a good night’s sleep in a full mountain hut.Whether you’re a walker, a history buff, a veteran, or simply someone who enjoys intelligent travel storytelling with a sense of humour and humanity, this episode delivers. It’s not just about the walk — it’s about the weight we carry, the paths we choose, and the unexpected companionship of fools on a trail.Listen if you like:First-hand travel narratives with a dry, observational edgeReflections on history, war, and landscapeThe alpine hut experience — in all its cramped, comical gloryConversations that balance camaraderie with contemplative insightAvoid if you’re after:Glossy, fast-cut adventure hypeTrip-planning logistics (this one’s about the experience, not the gear list)Uninterrupted serenity (there’s laughter, swearing, and at least one audible thump)Verdict:A compact gem of storytelling — packed like a bunk room but layered like a mountain ridge. A reflective, funny, and sometimes unexpectedly moving reminder that history isn’t always in books — sometimes it’s beneath your boots, or in the scar on your head.

Karnischer Höhenweg – Day 1: Versciaco to SillianerhütteJoin us for Day 1 on the Karnischer Höhenweg, a high-altitude trail laced with memory, mischief, and a mounting climate crisis. In this episode of Marching Like Fools, four ex-military men — affectionately self-described as "The Fools" — begin a lengthy traverse along one of the most historically charged ridgelines in Europe. What begins with a lift from the car park at Versciaco (1200m) to the Helm station (2045m) soon becomes an exploration of war, wilderness, and warming.This is more than just a walk. The ridge hiked was once the deadly frontline between Austro-Hungarian and Italian troops during WWI. Trenches, rusted barbed wire, and disintegrating gun emplacements still line the slopes, a haunting reminder of high-altitude warfare — where avalanches and exposure often killed more than bullets. Now rebranded as the Peace Trail, the route offers reconciliation through remembrance, with mule tracks and tunnels repurposed for walkers rather than warfare.But peace is fragile. The episode explores how climate change is reshaping these mountains, with Alpine temperatures rising twice as fast as the global average. The treeline is creeping upwards. Alpine specialists are losing ground to generalist species. Melting glaciers, thawing permafrost, and bark beetle infestations are transforming not only the flora and fauna — but also the stability of the trail itself. Once again, the ridge is shifting, only this time from Nature’s hand, not mankind’s.In this episode, we ascend (a little guiltily) via ski lift to Helm, sparing our knees but bruising our pride. From there, it’s boots on ground — a steady hike over narrow ridgelines and into the sharp reality of both effort and elevation. Along the way, the narrator observes dead spruce forests felled by Ips typographus, the notorious bark beetle. The trees stand as spectral silhouettes of what once was — a quiet forest now brittle and brown, a signal of ecosystems under siege.Despite the heavy themes, the tone isn’t all bleak. In true ex-military style, the camaraderie and banter are sharp and often hilarious. The group pauses in a mountain restaurant to fuel their bodies and test their microphones — particularly the furry windshields called “deadcats,” which prompt the first of many irreverent exchanges. The narrator shares a grin-inducing story about one group member who lost an arm in a motorbike accident but heroically saved his Rolex, prompting laughs and admiration in equal measure.Eventually, the group climbs to Sillianerhütte (2447m), perched on the ridge like a sentry post from a gentler age. After ascending 1247m from their starting point, the warmth of schnapps, soup, and camaraderie fills the dormitories — a welcome change from the icy bunkers of wartime. But even here, glaciers are seen to be in retreat, and snowfields are visibly thinner than they should be.The episode closes with reflection and anticipation. Toasts are made to absent friends — fellow “Fools” unable to join because of injury — and to those with the resilience to laugh in the face of loss. With a twinkle in the narrator’s voice and the echo of a warming trail beneath their boots, we’re left with a teaser for Day 2: more trenches, more tales, and more terrain transformed by time, war, and weather.Themes in this episode include:High-altitude WWI history and legacyAlpine climate change: rising temperatures, treeline shifts, bark beetle impacts, glacier retreatThe ironic transformation from battlefield to Peace TrailHumour, resilience, and the military bond of “The Fools”Landscape change observed in real timeNext episode: Day 2 – Sillianerhütte to Obstanserseehütte. Expect crumbling bunkers, deeper discussions, and, as always, more laughter than is entirely appropriate. 

A slow start, a long ridge, and a lot of foolishness ahead.Welcome to Marching Like Fools — a podcast chronicling the journey of four retired military men as they walk the Karnischer Höhenweg, a remote, historic alpine trail tracing the old First World War frontline between Austria and Italy.This is Episode 0: our prelude — recorded before we take a single step uphill.In this opening episode, we introduce the group: a band of friends over 65, each with a military past — 1 PARA, 21 SAS, 22 SAS, and one who was once Regimental Medical Officer to the SAS. Together, we call ourselves The Fools — a name earned through years of rugged expeditions, half-planned adventures, and a refusal to act our age.We begin in Versciaco, a small South Tyrolean town, where the ski lift will soon take us to Helm, and then onwards on foot to the Sillianerhütte, our first night on the trail. But before that, we take a moment to explain what this podcast is about — and why four men with creaky knees and more than a few scars would attempt a 150-kilometre, high-altitude walk with dodgy weather forecasts and even dodgier humour.Expect history, honesty, dry socks, wet boots, ridge walks, brew stops, bunk beds, accidental introspection, and very few working knees.In this episode:We reflect on the WWI military history behind the trail — the "Mountain War" between Austrian and Italian troops that raged through these peaks from 1915 to 1918, claiming thousands of lives in avalanches, frostbite, and long-forgotten skirmishes.We talk about the physical and emotional purpose of walking a long route later in life — and why friendship, distance, and age can become part of the same slow conversation.We introduce the podcast’s tone — light, humorous, but not flippant; open-hearted, but never sentimental. You’ll hear plenty of banter, but also the quiet rhythms of memory, loss, and laughter earned the hard way.We also touch on the changing environment around us — how the Alps are warming twice as fast as the global average, how snowlines are rising and glaciers are shrinking, and how trails once carved by soldiers are being slowly reshaped by time, weather, and climate change.Marching Like Fools isn’t just for ex-soldiers or hillwalkers. It’s for anyone who knows that time passes, knees ache, and friendships deepen when you’re sharing silence on a narrow trail.So lace up your boots, grab your rucksack, and join us on the ridge.The journey starts now — before the ascent.