Hiking in Switzerland – Gabrielle and Urs: January 2017

January 28, 2017

Close to Home for a Change

January 28, 2017 -- Most of the time we think we have to travel "far away" from home to do hikes that are worthwhile (well, the real mountains ARE away from home), but all around us the countryside is beautiful also, in a different kind of way.

This weekend we wanted to stay close by, especially as this area got some rarely seen winter sunshine, and we traveled only 30 minutes to the starting point of both our Saturday and Sunday walks. The area may be fairly flat, but the landscape is varied just the same, as we walk our 12 kms in the pastoral landscape, through small farming hamlets, along streams and rivers, maybe visiting a cloister along the way, and still with views of the mountains in the South, if the air is not too hazy.

At the women's cloister called Frauenthal (Women's Valley) I experienced one of those fantastically long German words: "Zisterzienzerinnenabtei", what a tongue-twister! It means "Abbey of the Cistercian Sisters", the Cistercian Order being a branch of the Benedictine Order of Monks, formed in 1098 in France. The Frauenthal Cloister is the second oldest Cistercian cloister in Switzerland and dates from about mid-1200's. The order emphasizes self-sufficiency and hard work, and so the nuns work the land, have stalls with animals, and even a small power plant next to their buildings.

On Sunday we started again close to home, parallel to our Lake Zug, but this time only a short 1.5-hour Sunday afternoon walk. Both were very nice winter walks, and it's nice to experience our home territory sometimes!

Start of our hike at the Railway Station in Mühlau, along the Reuss River.

Village of Mühlau on the Reuss River, start of our 12 km hike to Lake Zug.

Crossing the Reuss River, one of Switzerland's most important rivers (flows to Lucerne)

There are always clusters of forested areas on our walks.

Approaching the Cistercian Cloister in Frauenthal, established mid-1200's

Cistercian Cloister in Frauenthal, established mid 1200's. Bottom right is their power station.

The Church of the Frauethal Cloister is built purely in Rococo Style.

Can't be too tall to pass through here....

So many babies...

Old covered bridge on the Lorze River

The cloister is built on an island in the Lorze River.

Along the way to Cham on Lake Zug

Church in Cham, end of our walk.

On Saturday we started in Mühlau on the Reuss River and walked 12 km to Cham, from where we can take a bus or train back home. The walk took us 2 hours 45 mins. On Sunday we started in Buonas on the West side of Lake Zug and walked 6 km to Immensee on the lake (Urs' home town), always with Mount Rigi in our sights.

Start of Sunday's walk from Buonas to Immensee, always walking South with Mt. Rigi in our sights.

The countryside is dotted with farms with great backdrops!

The countryside is dotted with farms with great backdrops! (Lake Zug in the background)

Always trying to photograph birds of prey, but they are always a little too far away...

Walking along the railway tracks

On Saturday we forgot to take coffee along, but not on Sunday

Approaching Urs' home town Immensee on Lake Zug, at the foot of Mount Rigi

Immensee on Lake Zug, our destination before heading home by bus.

January 25, 2017

Sledding in the Prättigau Region Close to the Austrian Border

January 25, 2017 -- Searching the Internet for suggestions for winter hikes, we came across this one in an area we had visited last Spring, but that we otherwise didn't know well...

The description was of a 4-km hike to a small cluster of mountain homes accessible only on foot on a road that had enough slope to ride the sled back, or in the worst case enjoy a nice walk back. So we dragged our sleds along (probably more trouble than it's worth) and had a fantastic day at high altitudes, cold in the shade but nice and cosy warm on the restaurant's terrace at Partnunstafel, below a stunning rocky ridge that forms the border between Austria and Switzerland.

On the way up, a local bringing goods up to the restaurant with his snowmobile offered to take our sleds for us, so the last climb was easier, and lo! what fun to see our sleds waiting for us at the restaurant! After a yummy Swiss Rösti dish, the first part of the descent was OK with the sled, but after that there were only intermittent stretches to ride... but the walk back to the darling village of St.Antönien for the bus ride back was great too.

January 31 (update) -- This might sadly already be the end of the sledding season, as the Fön is blowing again, bringing warm weather and rain and melting the snow more quickly than it came...

Heading through Canton Grisons through the Prättigau Region near the Austrian Border.

Our 4 km walk to just below that massif started in St.Antönien

The walk to that cluster of houses in the back was 4 km and took us 1.5 hours.

Our goal is that cluster of buildings below that fantastic ridge that marks the Swiss-Austrian border.

There go our sleds!

Not much more to go, it's just on top of that hill

Cool, there are our sleds at the Restaurant Sulzfluh

Enjoying Rösti at the Restaurant Sulzfluh at Partnunstafel

Enjoying Rösti on the terrace at the Restaurant Sulzfluh at Partnunstafel

The walk from St.Antönien to Partnunstafel took us 1.5 hours (4 km) and we half sledded, half walked back.

After lunch, we head down by sled as far as possible before walking again.

The cows are happy to get out of the barn for some sunshine

Everybody is enjoying the sunshine!

Village of St.Antönien where we will get back on the bus

Heading back from the high valley to the lower one, already long time in the shadows

The Prättigau Region is near the border of Austria

January 21, 2017

First Real Winter Hike this Season: Hasliberg in the Bernese Oberland

January 21, 2017 -- Finally we have some nice snow in the mountains and today was a particularly nice day for a real winter hike! Only problem is that most of the trails prepared for winter hiking are also in popular ski areas, and because it's one of the first really nice Saturdays, all of the country seems to flock to the hills, and here where we walked on Mount Hasliberg was no exception! The small villages on the hillside just aren't equipped for so much traffic, and the already narrow mountain roads were turned into one-way lanes with all the cars parked for several kilometers around the ski lifts... cars were being turned back because all available parking for over 5 km was occupied!

The entire 12-km route we walked (550m up and then down again) was on wide level prepared trails (in summer local roads) which also double as toboggan runs. All the way we had sunshine, warm weather and fantastic views of the Bernese Alps including the notorious Eiger North wall, and the view West was along the Brienzer Valley where Lake Brienz and Interlaken are, but were blanketed by fog all day... as was most of our route back home.

So glad we have opportunities to still do 3 or 3.5-hour hikes on nice winter days as well. Next time: Tobogganing!

On the way toward Brünig Pass, the fog is high... here we usually get a lovely view of Lungern Lake.

Once at the level of the Brünig Pass, the air here on Mount Hasliberg is clear and wonderful.

Cars parked along the entire length of 5 kms along the hillside have turned this already narrow road into a single lane road. Back near the pass, signs advertised that all parking in all the villages was full, and cars were being turned back by traffic controllers. Times like this we are glad we travel by bus, although with the traffic, we were 10 minutes off schedule.

Most of the action is around the ski lifts.... on our walking trail we are almost alone.

This view across the village of Reuti (our starting point) on Mount Hasliberg is along the Brienz Valley where the lake is covered in fog.

We started our 12-km hike on Mount Hasliberg in Reuti above Meiringen (last village on the bus run from the Brünig Pass) in the Bernese Oberland. We walked for 3.5 hours on a lovely prepared trail, and then caught the bus back to the Brünig Pass from the village called Hochfluh.