Short Afternoon Walk from Raten Pass to Oberägeri

Tuesday February 6, 2024 -- Before the clouds (and maybe rain) settle in for the rest of the week, there was one nice afternoon left with sunshine, so I went out for some fresh air and a "short" 8-km walk nearby, eastward of our home mountain (Mount Zug). There is a lake there, Lake Aegeri (Aegerisee) and a small mountain pass nearby called the Raten Pass, so I took the bus (45-minute bus trip, change buses twice) to the Raten Pass, and walked an 8-km path down to Oberägeri on the lake. 

The path consisted mostly of paved roads, but it was a section we had not walked before, and simply a nice afternoon for a 2-hour stroll. At some places I had a really nice view of the Schwyzer and Uri Alps, but it was unfortunately hazy. I might have to come back on a clearer day for the view! In any case, there wasn't any fog....

(Better photos of a similar hike we did at a higher elevation than this one in April 2018, those photos are HERE)

(There are no photos of me, as I could not find a suitable place to set up my tripod for self-timed photos). 

View of the Uri Alps (I think) as the bus heads up to the Raten Pass

A look past Mount Zug (Zugerberg) to the summits of Mounts Rigi and Pilatus to the west 

As I got off the bus at the Raten Pass at 12:15, I had this very clear view to Mount Säntis and the Alpstein Massif far to the East!

Even though my ultimate goal is Oberägeri, I am walking via Zigerhüttli and Alosen, so the whole walk will be two hours. 

After a 45-minute bus ride from home to the Raten Pass, I started my walk at 12:15 and caught the 14:40 bus back home from Oberägeri. For just an afternoon walk, it was a pretty long one, at 8 kilometers! (In April 2018 we did the hike along the green-highlighted trail further up the mountain, with better views).

It was cold when I started at the Raten Pass, and I first had to walk 20 minutes through a shaded forest where it was also cold, before I finally got into the sunshine and could look at the landscape that I would be walking through. The main peak here to the north of Lake Aegeri is called the Gottschalkenberg 

And ahead of me now I can see the lake. The dark patches on the pastures are recently-spread pig manure, and it really "perfumed" the air!

Below on the right is the farm called Zigerhüttli, which I was supposed to reach in 35 minutes from the pass (along the road from the left). And behind that on the hillside is the town of Alosen, which I will also be passing through. 

I arrived at Zigerhüttli at 13:05, but I had taken a break on a bench with view of the lake to eat my lunch.... 

Before reaching Alosen, the trail passed through a forested section along a stream called the Moosrusenbach. 

This business in Alosen builds chalets and wooden houses!

An old farmhouse in Alosen. There is a cat on the roof of the pick-up truck!

View from Alosen. The Schwyzer Alps are now visible, as well as the Uri Alps in the far back. Backlighting makes everything look dark, though. 

A look behind me at the village of Alosen as I continue along the trail. 

Always happy to get off the paved roads and onto some nice soft pasture trails!

Another view south to the Schwyzer and Uri Alps (in the center). 

I couldn't find a place to set up my tripod to take a self-timed photo of myself on the bridge!

Some more nice trails through the farmland on the hillside here. 

I could live like this!

Now I get to see the lake as well. This view is similar to the one we had when we followed the Alpine Panorama Trail no.3 higher up along the Gottschalkenberg in April 2018. (Those photos are HERE)

Very hazy view of the lake and Mount Zug looking west , with the summit of Mount Rigi at the back. 

Approaching Oberägeri now. I was able to just catch the 14:41 bus (for the 33-minute ride home) as it was leaving the terminal, but there are buses every 15 minutes, so it would not have been a big deal to miss it.  

Heading back along Lake Aegeri on my way back home, a 33-minute bus trip. (Two buses) 

The hikes we have done around th eRaten Pass and Lake Aegeri. The pink trail is the one I did this day.