Walking out of the Göscheneralp Valley

Sunday June 30, 2019 -- Today we went into the mountains, into the Göscheneralp Valley which is just this side of the old Gotthard Tunnel. We vainly hoped the air would be cooler up here, but it was not! It was a bit of a shock coming out of the air-conditioned bus at the starting point of our hike: The dam at Lake Göscheneralpsee. 

Fortunately, once we got down the dam to the valley bottom there was a cool breeze, so that was comfortable. And there was still plenty of avalanche snow and lots of strong-flowing streams to cool off in (we filled our water bottles many times with this fresh mountain water!). In fact, some of the streams had so much water, it became difficult to cross.

We ran into a local hiker who showed us some impressive videos of several avalanches that came down in the valley this winter, and some of the damage was evident along the way.

We also had a bit of a shock when a large herd of cows congregated on the trail. Because there were babies, there's always danger of the mother cows getting angry, especially if you come between them and the babies. Some bikers were just making their way through the herd, so we walked really close to them....

Some interesting tidbits about this valley: Originally, the village of Gwüest was located right where the lake is. The village had to be rebuilt further down the valley once it was decided to flood the area to make the lake. The restaurant itself was moved piece by piece to its new location on this side of the dam. Also, 15 people live here year round, and kids who have to go to school get transported out of the valley by snow-mobile, and are billeted out to family members who live outside of the valley. They only come home on weekends, weather permitting....  Every 10 years the lake is drained to inspect the power plant (pipes etc.) and you can see the remains of the village at the bottom of the lake.

View down the Göscheneralp Valley from the top of the dam

First we have to walk across the dam. In the back is the Damma Glacier

A few years ago we walked around this whole lake. Others were doing it on this day but there was a sign that a bridge was out at the back of the lake and that it was difficult to cross

Below us is the trail across the dam. Then we walked on the valley bottom to the little lake, then up the hill on the right side.

So pretty

This dam is built entirely of natural materials (earth) instead of concrete

At the bottom of the dam, heading across the easy flat portion

Even though it was hot, there were lots of streams along the way where I continually washed my face and hands. In the back is the dam.

This one was an easy crossing!

This is the town of Gwüscht, where 15 people live all year round. The town had to be rebuilt here after the original one was flooded to create the reservoir lake.

The lake with the campground

Cows were milling on the path, and there were mothers and babies involved which can sometimes be dangerous. There was nowhere to "go around" so we stuck close to the cyclists where they "went through"

Looking back again to the dam and the Damma Glacier

Across the valley the next Post Bus is heading up to the lake on the narrow road

I figured if the little kids could do it, so surely could I!

Heading up the hill, last view to the back of the valley before heading into the forest

Now we get some pretty nice views into the Voralp Valley to the North. 

A nice shady spot for our lunch

Continuing on along the very nice trail

The alpine roses are just starting to bloom

At this spot you can see four Swiss Alpine Huts. Through my good zoom lens we spotted all four. Couldn't find the bivouac though. The sign obviously suffered from the avalanches this winter

This hut, the Damma Hostel, is very difficult to see as it is made of the same stone as its surroundings!

Way out there is the Voralp Hostel

Panorama view of the Damma Glacier on the left, and right into the Voralp Valley

The snow is melting quickly now and some of these streams are difficult to cross!

There was a lot of water in this stream, it was quite difficult to cross!

Heading back down to the valley bottom

There is an interesting story to this photo. Hansheiri Inderkum was the Representative (Ständerat) for Canton Uri in the Federal Government from 1995 to 2011. He is somehow related to Urs (his father's cousin maybe?). This wooden chair commemorates his service.

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The cars are driving backwards.... that means a Post Bus is coming and they must find a place to get out of the way, as the road is too narrow to pass:

At some point a part of the mountain came down here! I love how the trees grow out of the boulders

The last kilometer before getting back to the train station in Göschenen was along this shady cliff trail

The town of Göschenen

On the way back North to get home the train passes the town of Wassen three times.

The trail wasn't all easy-going, especially the steep downhill portion. This hike took at least 3.5 hours, possibly four.

The Wild Hay Trail from Eggberge to Oberaxen (Lake Uri)

Saturday June 29, 2019 -- I was on my own again and another beautiful day to enjoy, so off I went again for a hike that I have wanted to do for a while: The "Wild Hay Trail" which starts in the mountain village of Eggbergen near Flüelen on the South end of Lake Uri, an arm of Lake Lucerne.

Actually, we had done a section of this trail in November 2015, but I had wanted to do the whole thing from beginning to end, so it was a good one for me to do by myself. The trail is high up on the steep hillside above Lake Uri; in fact, exactly on the opposite side to where we went for the other hike three days earlier. You get up to Eggbergen by cable car, and after a relatively easy 3 hours of walking (have to be vertigo-free, though, because the hillside drops quite steeply on the lake side!) you end up on a high plateau above the lake, with a restaurant of course, whose only access is another one of those cargo cable cars! (the restaurant owner has to come over from his restaurant to start the cable car up for you). 

About half the hike was through forested areas, so much less hot than the one we did three days earlier, and the air was so clear, and the lake looked so fabulous that I stopped to photograph it every 50 meters or so! Plus, everything was much greener than when we were here last, so a completely different experience. Major difference though: This time the grass was not yet long enough to have received its first cutting.

And this is the most amazing thing about this place: The mountain farmers actually cut the hay on these steep flanks! This is done by hand, and they wear special spiked shoes to avoid slipping. The hay is stored on special stacks called "Tristen", and taken down by sled in winter. Cows eat 40 kg of wild hay per day, and farmers harvest about 200 kg per day. 

View South along the Reuss Valley on the way up to Eggbergen with the cable car. Below is the town of Altdorf.

I am tackling Trail no. 587, the "Wildheu Pfad" or "Wild Hay Trail". Approx. 3 hours to my destination at Oberaxen

This is how the trail runs around the "cauldron". In 2015 we joined the trail coming from further back. 

The Wild Hay Trail runs just below the band of rocky cliffs on the upper section (this row of mountains is called Rophäien). All the steep meadows get harvested.

Below on that upper plateau is Ober Axen, the goal of my hike after walking around the "cauldron". Ober Axen is accessible only on foot or with the little cable car that goes over the steep cliff

Zoomed view of the farm and restaurant at Ober Axen

Thankfully, there were lots of sections through shady forest, so it was not so hot.

Always a pleasure to walk near water

This was such a pretty waterfall. Obviously a lot of work went into this!

Some of these boulders are several million years old

Here on this meadow is where we had joined the trail back in 2015. That is, from here on, I've done this trail before, but it was a totally different experience this time.

A couple of tricky spots. Always secured with cable hand-holds.

Because this is a U-shaped cauldron, I had this kind of view the whole way around, only it kept shifting and showing me different mountains.

This is how steep the meadows are that get harvested by hand. On the left is Eggbergen, where I started my hike

These are the stacks of hay made after the cutting. Looks like they forgot to take this one down last fall.

On this hot day, at least this little guy enjoyed my sweating!

A last look at Lake Uri and Flüelen below, before I round the corner and start heading down.

This fabulous view is northwards, still Lake Uri, and in the middle is Bauen on the lake, where we hiked three days earlier. The farm on the left is called Franzenalp.

Another view straight across to where I started the hike at Eggbergen

From here at Franzenalp (you can buy refreshments from the farmer) I am only 2/3 of the way to my destination!

These little guys came running up to me an immediately started licking my legs! It's all the salt...

Another view down to Oberaxen. In particular you can see, on the other side of the lake, the cone-shaped hill that we walked across three days earlier, and down to the village of Bauen in the center of the photo.

Another magnificent view down to Flüelen and the Reuss Delta

And another view directly down to Ober Axen

When I got to the Ober Axen Plateau, where a lovely wind was blowing, I saw that another way you can get up here for a nice lunch on the view terrace is by helicopter!

I made my way to the cable car to wait for the restaurant owner to start the motor. The cable car makes a hefty dip over the edge of the cliff, but the effect is lessened by the lack of view out the scratched up windows.

Getting ready for the exciting trip down! There were at least 20 people eating lunch at the restaurant. At four people per journey, it must take forever to get everyone back down....

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Ride in the cable car. When it made the dip over the edge of the cliff, my back-pack fell off the back seat. Good thing it was closed or all the contents would have been everywhere!

View out the cable car window on the way back down to Flüelen.

This was actually a 3-hour hike. I started early, was up in Eggbergen at 9:30, and even with a nice long lunch break at the halfway point, I made it to the restaurant at 1:15.

We have done very many hikes in this area (and ridden many cable cars!) It is one of our favourite areas in Switzerland.