It was my first time ever on Mount Napf, a prominent mountain in the rather low rolling mountains of the Emmental Region North of the Alps, and actually not so far to travel to as many of the places we go. It is a favourite of the locals as it offers spectacular 360 degree views once you have successfully scaled its rather steep slopes. Spectacular that is, if the air is clear, which it was not on this day we chose to climb it. Weather maps also showed the best chance of sun in this area, but as luck would have it, the single dark cloud obscured the sun for much of our hike, and it was COLD! (and frustrating because left and right the hills were bathed in sunlight).
The section we hiked (which is also part of the National Trail No.3 called the "Alpine Panorama Trail") took us 4 and 3/4 hours to hike (at a good pace too) even though it was only 14 km, but there were two very steep sections which really add to the length of the hike. Much of the trail was muddy after recent rains, slippery with roots and gravel, and popular even on the off-season. But we had a nice lunch in a mountain restaurant to the sound of cow bells (always enjoyable), purchased Emmental Cheese from one of those self-serve farm shops, and the Emmental landscape and farmsteads are always pretty. Plus the bus ride up one valley and down the other on one-lane roads is always exciting! And now I can say I have finally been on the Napf....
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| Our trip started with a ride in the Kambly train and a stop at the Kambly cookie factory in Trubschachen, for our free samples of cookies (second breakfast), except the cookies are all too sweet for me now, so I go for the salty flutes or healthy biscuits instead. |
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| A lovely bus ride from Trubschachen up the valley to our starting point at the Mettlen Alp. This is the village of Trub. |
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| A lovely bus ride from Trubschachen up the valley to our starting point at the Mettlen Alp. |
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| Our 14-km hike started with a 1-hour steep uphill climb to the summit of Mount Napf, and then another almost 4 hours walk to Lüdeneralp in the West. |
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| The weather started out sunny, but the air was hazy and so we didn't get that stunning view of the Alps that is promised from this summit. |
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| Hotel / Restaurant at the summit of Mount Napf |
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| They must have Supermen measure these distances, because we walked fairly quickly, and it took us 3 hours and 45 minutes (walking time) to our destination at Lüderenalp. |
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| This little guy was walking the trail, and I saved him from getting stepped on by moving him with a piece of dried cow dung. I was clever to not touch the caterpillar, as the bristles of this Pale Tussock Moth Caterpillar can give you a nasty rash. |
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| There were nice fall colours even if the view was hazy. Unfortunately, the single cloud in the sky gave us shadow for a large part of our hike. |
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| We had to climb that hill, it was 100m of torture as the gradient was about 45 degrees! (or so it seemed) and gravelly. |
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| Once in a while we saw a farmstead perched on one of the many rises here in the Emmental landscape |
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| After the steep uphill section we came to Oberenzi, a farm where you can buy cheese, icecream, syrups and cookies, all on the Self-Serve principle. |
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| Oberenzi Farm where you can get some refreshments on the Self-Serve principle. |
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| Looking back the way we came, in the back is the summit of Mount Napf, mostly in the shadow of the single cloud this day. |
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| At the half-way point of our ca. 5-hour hike we had lunch at this mountain restaurant, Ober Lushütte. |
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| At the half-way point of our ca. 5-hour hike we had lunch at this mountain restaurant, yummy Swiss Rösti. |
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| Fall colours and hazy views over the Emmental landscape. |
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| No denying it anymore, Fall is here. |
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| And it's always a pleasure to walk through the cow pastures. |
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