First Hike of 2017: Beyond the Fog

January 1, 2017 -- Snow is in the forecast, but not yet on the 1st of January. The fog is still thick in most of the lowland areas, but not as high as the days before. There are still cable cars running to places above the fog (or shadowy valleys) where we can hike (well actually, the cable cars are running to places where people are supposed to be skiing). We have to take advantage of this opportunity to work toward our goal of hiking Switzerland's 60,000 km of officially marked trails....

This Sunday Afternoon walk in the Linthal Valley on the first day of the new year was not even a 2-hour train ride for us, so we had finished our 13-km hike and gotten back home before end of daylight, which is not usual for us. But it worked out perfectly because although the hillside we walked was mostly in the sunshine, our destination train station in the town of Glarus in the valley bottom was completely in the shadow of the steep mountains by 2:45 p.m. 

An interesting fact: Lake Klöntal above Glarus is hidden in the shadow of the mountain for two months in winter (it will see sun only in February again). Because there has been no snow this year but it's been cold, this lake as well as a few others have experienced black ice, a phenomenon not seen here for 10 years. 

Luchsingen Cable car in the Linth Valley to take us up the hillside to the start of our hike.

Luchsingen Cable car in the Linth Valley to take us up the hillside to the start of our hike.

Hiking above the Linth Valley. These guys are having breakfast on their sunny terrace, how wonderful!

Hiking above the Linth Valley in the sunshine. This view is South to the back of the valley, but we are walking North.

Walking North above the Linth Valley in the sunshine. Down below the villages are in the shadow of the steep mountains.

Below the village of Schwanden, at the entrance to the Sernf Valley (at the end is the village of Elm)

More warm picnic weather on the first day of the new year in the Linth Valley.

Along the way is this little hamlet called Schwändi, it reminded me of a field of sunflowers all turning their faces toward the sun.

On the approach to Glarus you can see where the fog starts (or ends, however you look at it).

 

The fog further North in the valley is like a wall.

The town of Glarus below, is almost completely in shadow from the steep mountain, at about 2 pm.

In Glarus (where we got back on the train) is this great sculpture, called "The Caring Hand"

In Glarus (where we got back on the train) is this great sculpture, called "The Caring Hand"

Total hike including to the cable car base station was 13 km, we did it in 3.5 hours.