From Isone to Tesserete along the Trans Swiss Trail

Wednesday 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!)

From Isone we hiked up the hillside through some chesnut, oak and birch forests, with some great views of the Isone Valley and Monte Tamaro. After crossing the pass called Gola di Lago, we then continued along Monte Bigorio above the Capriasca Valley, first reaching the Santa Maria Monastery and then the cute village of Bigorio, before ending at the bus station in Tesserete. This stretch is part of Stage 29 of National Trail no.2: "Trans Swiss Trail". 

In all it was an almost four-hour hike, and even though it was cold, we had plenty of sunshine. 

San Lorenzo Church in Isone at the start of our hike. We got here at just after 10 a.m. 

Heading up the hillside now from Isone to Gola di Lago. 

On the way we got some great views of the Monte Lema / Monte Tamaro range to the west. 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.

VIDEO:

Watching the helicopter, it's like a large mosquito from here!

On our way up, we passed through some very lovely birch groves. The lack of leaves at this time of year gives us better views of the surrounding mountains and down into the valleys.

On our way up we get views toward the back of the valley to the town of Isone where we had started on our hike. 

We also got views on the lower part of the Isone Valley. Directly below us is the town of Medeglia, where we also could have started this hike to the Gola di Lago Pass. 

We arrived at the pass called Gola di Lago at about 12:30. This large upper plain is a military shooting practice site. The trail that passes here is part of both National Trails no.2: "Trans Swiss Trail" and no.7: "Via Gottardo", as well as the Regional Trail no.52: "Sentiero Lago di Lugano". 

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! 

From up here on Monte Bigorio we get some nice views of the Denti dell Vecchia mountains and into Val Colla. 

Here we had passed through the scattering of houses in the mountain village called Condra. We left the village and continued down the trail at 2 p.m. 

Views of Monte Tamaro to the west. 

Zoomed view of the summit of Monte Manèra on the left (Monte Tamaro is further to the left), and on the right is the Mario Botta Church. 

From here now we have a steep descent through a forested section before reaching the Santa Maria Capuchin Monastery. 

Our hike from Isone in the Isone Valley to Tesserete in Val Colla along Monte Bigorio. 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!). We got here at 14:35, and took a five-minute break on the sunny bench here. 

Village of Bigorio in Ticino, Switzerland

 And always with the cats!

Hazy view from Bigorio over the beautiful Capriasca Region. 

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. We got to the church at 15:20, so spent about five hours on this hike. 

The church in Tesserete with the background of the mountains called "Denti della Vecchia" ("Old Lady's Teeth). We arrived here at 15:20, so it took us about five hours for this hike. 

And finally we arrive by bus to the main train station in Lugano, for our 2½ 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....

Bell Tower of the Lugano Cathedral. (Cattedrale di San Lorenzo)

A four-hour hike along Stage 29 of National Trail no.2: "Trans Swiss Trail".

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!