Afternoon Hike in the Maderaner Valley / Reuss Valley

Wednesday September 19, 2018 -- Wednesday, usually a day off for both of us where we leave early in the morning and do one of our long journeys to some remote part of Switzerland.... but today there were other commitments in the morning, so no long trip. Still, including commitments, then going out for lunch, then losing an hour because I-JUST-CAN'T-READ-THE-SCHEDULES-RIGHT-AND-THE-CABLE-CAR-RUNS-ONLY-ON-WEEKENDS which meant another change in plans, we STILL managed a three-hour hike in the mountains, with a view, loads of variety, and with this extra special warm weather even work up a sweat, AND be back home before sundown. Spectacular.

There are so many wonderful hiking opportunities in Canton Uri just South of where we live, and so as we sat in Erstfeld at the Oberschwandi cable car shed -- the cable car that wasn't going to take us up the mountain -- we quickly decided to do a nearby hike that we had done before, but in the opposite direction.

After a narrow, curvy bus ride from Amsteg into the Maderaner Valley we took the Golzern cable car up the mountain and started our 7-km walk at 2 p.m. The trail is so wonderfully varied: Meadow trails, cliff trails, woodsy trails, a suspension bridge and a sunny terrace at the junction of the Reuss and Maderaner Valleys, as well as an exciting descent with one of those open cargo cars (which had just sent up a large load of cheeses for storage at the mountain alp)...  another successful outing even with the original delay. And for 10 SFr. you can get a combi-ticket for the cable cars, ride both for 10 SFr. That's an insider secret....

After ascending the winding road by bus into the Maderaner Valley, we got on the cable-car straightaway for a quick ride up to the sunny terrace we know well: Golzern

This is the Bristen-Golzern cable-car. It is a quick ride up the hill. On Sundays though you might have to wait a few turns...

Looking eastward from the Golzern summit station, there is a lake and a couple of restaurants behind the chapel, a popular destination especially in summer. We have been there several times, but not today. We are heading West.

We are heading westward to Chilcherberge, which you can get to directly in 2 hours, but we want to do a detour via Waldiberg, which was our destination for our original plan. That took three hours.

 

This is not a boring trail, but neither a dangerous one.

A short part of the trail goes along this cliff

At a couple of places you can look down to Bristen, where we started with the cable car

Continuing westward....

 

Last time we were here we saw a Wallcreeper on this wall, an elusive bird usually only seen by hikers in difficult territory

Most of the trail goes through mossy, sun-dappled forests. A good hike for a hot day!

At this place called Eisten we stopped for a coffee break. Here we are directly over the Gotthard Base Tunnel (one km vertically below us) and the trail heads North from here. South of us the mighty Mount Bristen.

Before heading North we descended to Waldiberg, a sunny terrace right at the junction of the Reuss and Maderaner Valleys. We wanted to have a look at the cable car here, which was the original plan for our descent.

 

What a great view of the road that goes from Amsteg in the Reuss Valley below, up the the side Valley called the Maderanertal.

This view is South down the Reuss Valley toward the Gotthard Pass

One last look into the Maderaner Valley before heading North along the Reuss Valley

Ah yes, and this is the Waldiberg cable car, which we had wanted to use to go back to Bristen. This will be for a future excurstion, ON A WEEKEND OR HOLIDAY when the Oberschwandi cable car is in operation!!!

Heading North high above the Reuss Valley. Ahead of us is Erstfeld where we had lunch and originally wanted to go up the mountain there.

Instead of meadow flowers, it's fungus time....

This was a very wobbly suspension bridge. The sign says maximum 5 people at a time allowed on this bridge.

One of many features that make this trail so interesting.

One last meadow to cross to get to Chilcherbergen, where we get to ride another open cargo cable car back down to the Reuss Valley

 

The car had just come up with a load of cheese wheels, so we go to descend right away. Below us is Silenen, and to the South the Reuss Valley.

Reuss Valley to the North

Silenen below

 

It's great fun riding these private open air cable cars!

 

Plan A was to ascend at Erstfeld and descend at Waldiberg, two cable cars we have not yet tried out. Plan B was just as good, ascent with the Golzern Cable Car, descent with the Chilcherberg Cargo Car (10 Fr. for the combi-ticket!)

And this would have been our ascent in Erstfeld. It was only when we got here and saw the poster on the wall, that we realized we weren't getting up the mountain here on a Wednesday!