A Little on the Wild Side in the Gitschi Valley

The Gitschi Valley is probably a lesser known side valley of the Reuss Valley, you can just see it on the right side of the valley near Flüelen (Lake Uri) as you head South toward the Gotthard Tunnel, a trip we often make. On each of these trips I look up into the valley and wonder what's up there, so on this August 31st (Wednesday) we decided to go have a look.

This is the view from across the valley, taken last fall. It's the valley on right I wanted to see. Below that massive rock wall.

For us avid hikers who don't want to first hike 2 hours straight uphill before our tours, the plethora of cable cars in Switzerland (and especially here in Canton Uri) is a real boon. So this 3.5-hour 9 km hike we did started and ended with an impressive steep cable-car ride in tiny 6-person gondolas. (The descent one is privately operated and you have to call the operator at home to come and bring you down).

Cable car from Attinghausen to Brüsti. In the background is the Schächen Valley, where we hike a lot.

This is one of the many person transports in this area (!) One day we will try this one out as well.

The start of our hike at the cable car summit station in Brüsti.

Wouldn't it be nice to have THIS view from your backyard?

Our first stop will be Alp Grat, the mountain farm just visible at the top of the green saddle in the back.

View to the Reuss Valley (below) and Schächen Valley in the back.

The first part of the hike took us up to a cute family-run mountain farm where we had a snack of homemade cheeses and sausage with bread served with seriousness by their 2-year-old, while his older sister (4) gave us the family history. This is what it's all about! As we often do, we bought some of their cheese to take home with us.

Alp Grat (name of the mountain farm). 

 

Ordering our early lunch. All the food is made here on the farm.

This is our view during our meal. South into the Reuss Valley.

Heading on Northward, a last look South to the farm.

Here at the little hut starts the steep descent into the Gitschi Valley

Then started the steep descent into the Gitschi Valley, where there is not much except a couple of mountain farms and the stunning rock formations of the base of Mount Gitschen. The valley is a large bowl and the "wild" lonely feeling combined with scattered grazing cows has an unusual but rather overwhelming effect. It is not the landscape you expect in central Switzerland.

At the saddle, before the descent, we get a view of Lake Uri to the North. We live not far from here.

Zoomed view of the clearing where the summit station of the Gitschenberg Cable Car is. We will head down from there. 

The Gitschi Valley is pretty wild and awesome.

Except for a few cows... they have a lot of room up here!

And lots of Marmots. Each pile of rocks was home to a marmot.

We had to cross a couple of wild streams. With high water, these would be hard to cross.

Back out of the Gitschi Valley, we are on the last leg of the hike.

There is another mountain farm here, where you can also get some home-prepared food.

Ahead, the Summit Station of the privately-run Gitschenberg Cable Car.

End of August and there is still snow up here. 

Just before the final descent we got an awesome view North across the entire Lake Uri (this is the Eastern Arm of Lake Lucerne) to Brunnen. And all this awesomeness is only about an hour away from where we live....

A beautiful place for a coffee break before heading down to the head of the lake.

Gitschenberg Cable Car. At the station you have to use their phone to call the operator to send the gondola up.

Steep ride down to Seedorf on Lake Uri. Flüelen in the back is the train station we need to get to.

Just 30 seconds before arrival, the hourly bus leaves the bus stop! The cable car operator was kind enough to drive us to the train station in Flüelen.

Our excursion started in Attinghausen with a cable car to Brüsti, 9 km (3.5 hours) hike and then a descent to Seedorf with the Gitschenberg Cable Car.