From Isone to Tesserete in the Ticino

November 25, 2015 – Wow, it suddenly got cold here! While it’s snowing and raining North of the Alps, there is still some nice weather in our South, but COLD! 

Still it’s wonderful that we can still do some nice “fall” hiking and still get a bit of sun. On Wednesday we traveled 3 hours to Isone, a town in a side valley near Lugano (Ticino) which is the military training center for Switzerland’s mountain infantrymen, the toughest level of military training (Urs also did this training when he was 20, with his love of mountains and all!)

San Lorenzo Church in Isone

Our 12 km hike took us up the hillside, through some chesnut, oak and birch forests, with some great views of the Capriasca Valley and Monte Tamaro.

Just about one year ago we hiked that whole ridge over there from Mario Botta's church structure on the right, to the top of Monte Tamaro, all the way to Monte Lema on the left (5 hours, 15 km).

We stopped for a while to watch a helicopter deliver stone slabs for a new roof on one of the many isolated stone houses up here, many of which have no road access.

At the mid-way point of our hike -- i.e. 2 hours of hiking -- (at "Gola di Lago" = "Throat of the Lake") we stopped for lunch. There was a chilly wind blowing but the view was worth it.  

Along the way in the clearings and meadows there are stone houses, or clusters of them, vacation homes or farmsteads. Always interesting to look at.

We always look for the trail markers, to make sure we're on the right track or to see how far we have to go. If the trail marker was attached to a tree, then this often happens! 

Isone in the Capriasca Valley to Tesserete in the Colla Valley. Between Bellinzona and Lugano. 12 km, 4 hours. 

Heading down into the next valley called Val Colla we come first to the monastery of Santa Maria del Bigorio (founded in 1535), and then shortly after to the super cute village of Bigorio. All the villages around here have twisted alleys and archways and always worth exploring. 

At the Santa Maria del Bigorio with the Pilgrim's walk down to Bigorio (or up from!) 

Village of Bigorio in Ticino, Switzerland

 And always with the cats!

As we walk the last 15 minutes from Bigorio to Tesserete (where we are going to catch the bus back to Lugano) we come right down to the superb old church and colorful cemetery, and in the background some great detail of the mountains called Denti della Vecchia ("Old Ladies' Teeth") which we walked across earlier this spring. 

And finally we arrive by bus to the main train station in Lugano, for our 2.5 hour ride home. This church tower is right across from the station. I love how the late fall setting sun emphasizes the landscape features with the sharp shadow/light contrasts....

Walking Down our Local Mountain, Mount Zug

I don't always have to travel 2 or 3 hours to get to my hiking destination, or to enjoy great views from a higher altitude. In only 30 minutes by bus and funicular I can get to the top of our local mountain "Mount Zug". From here there are many directions that we can walk, but for a short outing, it is only an hour to walk back down the mountain through farms and meadows, with far-reaching views of both the flat lands North of the Alps, and the Bernese 4000m mountains, which are over 100 km to the South.

This year I walked down the hill three times, twice in March and once in November, taking a couple of alternate routes.

This first walk was 13th of March, 2015. 5.75 km in 1.5 hours

 (At the arrow is where I live)

The second walk was with Urs on the 19th of March, a different route this time, but about the same length: 6 km in 1.2 hours

This third walk was on November 18th, pretty much the same as the first, with great late afternoon lighting.

Switzerland's Largest Upland Moor: Rothenthurm

(November 15, 2015) -- Our Sunday afternoon 12km "walk" on the Rothenthurm High Moor was supposed to be accompanied by sunshine (or so the weather forecast!) but it didn't rain (thinking positive!), and the moor was still pretty. Only the photos could have been more stunning. 

We started in the town of Rothenthurm (less than an hour's travel from home) and got back on the train at Biberbrugg. In winter this whole area is prepped for cross-country skiing.

The Rothenthurm Moor is Switzerland's largest upland moor. In 1987 after a democratic vote by the Swiss people, a legal framework was created to protect this moor, which provides a habitat for many threatened species of animals and plants.

Urs' uncle Tobias is 82, and is so spry... he walks faster and has more stamina than I do! (He claims he thought he had to walk fast to keep up with us "young" people). When he was 70, he did a 10-hour hike with Urs over 2 mountain passes. (Well I won't be doing that).

I loved this very pretty restaurant sign in Biberbrugg, before getting back on the train to head home.

And this is about the only sun we had that day, on our way home along Lake Zug!

Tschamut to Sedrun in the Surselva Valley

(November 8, 2015) -- This unusual warm weather we have been enjoying means we have a longer hiking season, but we have to plan our travel well to avoid places where the cable cars don't run anymore (revision before ski season) or narrow valleys where the mountains cast shadows.

Sunday morning we headed through the Gotthard Tunnel to just South of the Alps to hike in the Bedretto Valley, but as we took the bus up the valley we quickly saw there would be little sun all day. So we headed right back through the tunnel again and up high into the Alps where we would be sure to have lots of sunshine (and no snow!)

Just East of the Oberalp Pass we did an 11 km hike (3.5 hours) in the Surselva Valley (where the Rhine River has its source) from Tschamut to Sedrun. Great for hiking but the ski areas have all their snow machines up and ready to make snow but it's just not cold enough.

First attempt for a hike was the Bedretto Valley, but there is shadow all day, so we headed up higher to the Surselva Valley, East of the Oberalp Pass

Heading toward the Oberalp Pass from Andermatt, looking West

Oberalp Lake at the Oberalp Pass, Switzerland

Oberalp Lake at the Oberalp Pass, Switzerland

Oberalp Lake at the Oberalp Pass, Switzerland. The old wagons of the Gotthard-Matterhorn train have windows you can still open. I prefer those to the modern cars.

Dammed Lake across from Tschamut in the Surselva Valley. This is a destination for next summer.

Little village of Tschamut in the Surselva Valley. It lies quite a bit lower than its train station. 

Tschamut in the Surselva Valley, Switzerland, the starting point of our hike. From here we first have to climb steep upwards almost 200m.

This is near the ski area of Milez. There are avalanche barriers everywhere

Ski village of Milez, desperately hoping for snow!

Looking down the valley toward Sedrun from the ski village of Milez.

We didn't take the direct route to Sedrun, but walked along the hillside.

Looking East down the valley toward Sedrun from the ski village of Milez.

They are desperately waiting for snow here. Hard to believe we are at 1900m above sea level, and those peaks are almost 3000m up with little snow.

Lunch time at 1900m above sea level, November 8, 2015, and no snow yet! 

At the back, in the dip, is Lake Toma, the source of the Rhine River. That is 2300m and the North side, so it has snow.

Enjoying the last rays of sunshine!

Heading down to Sedrun to catch the train back home. 

Sedrun, Switzerland

On the way back to Andermatt and Goeschenen