A Long Overdue Trip to Lake Spilau

Friday July 20 -- As a rare exception we took Friday off for a planned day of hiking with friends.... actually, the plan was a 2-day hike with overnight in a small mountain hostel, but as the weather forecast had for rain all day Saturday we didn't want to risk getting caught on a long descent on foot in the rain.

So we made a Friday morning hike out of it, which turned out to be just perfect. The morning atmosphere in the mountains at 8 a.m. is soul-soothing, and the large alpine pasture at Lake Spilau not far from home is magnificent. And it was surprisingly green up here, considering a lot of Switzerland is yellow now due to lack of rain....

Our bus driver who took the four of us up the Riemenstalden Valley from Sisikon remembered our two men, who when in highschool had participated in one week of volunteer work up this valley, helping set up a sorely lacking water system to the farmsteads. Furthermore, once up on the mountain we met other old school friends and distant relatives... what a small world! We helped the alp farmer round up one of his cows who needed treatment for a wound, and then he joined us for coffee at his cheese dairy, where we also purchased three types of their home-made cheeses including a specialty cheese called "hay cheese" (ripened in a coat of hay). 

After a total ascent of 450m from the cable car, we descended into the next valley over, the Schächen Valley, to our favourite alp restaurant where we ate our regular pork steak with macaroni, and by that time the clouds had moved in with light rain, so it was time to take the next cable car down....

As an aside, this is where my Aunt Ruth goes every year to pick alpine lady's mantle for her special herb tea....

We were picked up by a small bus at the train station in Sisikon on Lake Uri, and then driven up a narrow winding road into the Riemenstalden Valley.

Early morning light in the Riemenstalden Valley. We are headed up to those craggy cliffs up there.

A private cable car (4 people) takes you up to the high alpine pastureland. The farmer also transports his calves down into the valley with this cable car.

From the cable car station to the lake, then a stop for refreshments and to buy cheese, over the saddle and down to Alpe Selez for lunch, before taking another cable car down to the Schächen Valley. 

Up here are the coolest rock formations: This is karst geology

Heading up to Lake Spilau in this extra specially beautiful landscape

At this cluster of homes we met up with old classmates and distant relatives, including the farmer who mainly works this huge pasture (they also make their own cheese)

(Video): The farmer recruited us to help block the way so that his cow would head into the barn for treatment of a wound...

Looking back toward the Cable Car station

First glimpse of Lake Spilau (Spilauersee)

Heading toward the little house where they store and sell the cheese, and where you can have something to drink

Cheese storage: the darker ones are from 2017 and cost more than the 2018 cheeses

And off we go to head up the 300m hill before it gets too hot! 

The meadows are blooming wonderfully right now, such a pretty sight!

One of the few photos with me in it on this excursion.

Getting closer to the top

Almost at the crossing point. We can already see into the Schächen Valley to the South.

Some pretty flying things

Arrived at the highest point on the trail, this is the view to the West (Isenthal Valley)

After rounding the hill it's downhill all the way, heading South. In the middle of the picture on the dark ridge you can just barely see the little cable car station from where we are going to descend into the Schächen Valley

More meadows, simply captivating

Still more meadow flowers, so many different kinds, as far as you can see! We have seen so many meadow flowers this year.

As we head South, we get a glimpse of Lake Uri to the West.

 

Even though this was a "short" hike, we had lots of variety

This natural rock garden looks like it was planned this way! I was really impressed by this.

Lots of snow still in the Uri Alps. The clouds are moving in quickly now!

More meadows, I just love the meadows!

Approaching our lunch establishment from above. The wide open meadows up here have been harvested efficiently (this is done at least three times in summer). The hay is a necessity to the livelihood of the mountain farmers

Here's our favourite mountain restaurant: Alpe Selez. It got kind of cold eating out on the terrace, though.

This cable car (Ruogig) takes you down the very steep hillside to the South, into the Schächen Valley. This one carries 6 people, but you have to change into a 4-person car about halfway-down. 

Changing cable-cars halfway down. This one carries only four people.

Only 7 km but still a three-hour hike because of the steep uphill section after the lake.

These are all the hikes we have done in this area

Magnificent Crossing of the Lucendro Pass

Wednesday July 18, 2018 -- On Wednesday we went up to the Gotthard Pass. Raw, empty, a rocky wasteland of incredible beauty... every step forward more stunning than the next...

This was Plan A from the weekend before, when the weather wasn't so good and we walked the Viamala Gorge instead. Good decision to wait, because Wednesday was a glorious day, we could not have asked for better weather. And while the valley bottoms languished in the heat, we waded through snow and wore jackets. This excursion will go down as one of my favourites. 

The St.Gotthard Massif is the major divider of northern and southern Switzerland, through which the Swiss have built 15-km long train and vehicle tunnels, and most recently at 52 km the longest train tunnel in the world, in order to provide faster access to the South. Previously, travelers had to cross at the Pass to which also some incredible streets have been built.

We didn't stay at the Gotthard Pass (2106m), but walked up to the dammed Lake Lucendro, then over the Lucendro Pass (2532m) and high above the Bedretto Valley, then descended to the highway that goes up to the Pass from the South. It was a long hike, steep on both sides (descent especially!), but the views West to the Nufenen Pass and South into the Leventina Valley... and the first glimpse of the old Tremola highway. Cannot be surpassed.

We did worry about the snow, though. Approaching the Gotthard Pass by bus, and seeing all the snow on the flanks where we were headed... but it turned out we didn't have to go back. The few snow patches we had to cross were manageable... Thousands of years back when these passes were the major crossings, the original planners of these trails (some of which are laid out with rocks to look like actual roads) knew to place the trails where the snows melt the fastest and crossings could take place as soon as possible in the spring....

Oh, and an important fact: The area just below the Lucendro Pass is the source of the mighty Reuss River which flows North to join the Rhine River near the German border....

Start of our hike at the Saint Gotthard Pass, heading to the Lucendro Pass. It took us over two hours to get there, though (more like 2.5).

This is the Lucendro Dam. Hard to believe that up there is a beautiful lake, and higher still many small lakes

 

In just a few minutes we're up at the lake level

Lago di Lucendro. Our goal is the valley at the back, on the left, and the amount of snow did cause us some concern...

Looking back past the Lucendro Dam to the Saint Gotthard Pass

After walking to the back of the lake, we climbed another 350m altitude to the Lucendro Pass, then across a steep mountain flank, where we were surprised by snow

The hike up to the pass was actually not difficult

Fascinating roads way up here indicate that this was also used as a crossing road

The few snowy patches we had to cross were easy enough to navigate

Most of the remaining snow is left over from avalanches

Only another 15 minutes from here to the pass

Looking backwards to where we came, it is difficult to explain what a powerful feeling this landscape triggers... in the very center of the photo are two people...

Even in this barren rocky landscape, plants find their way through

More remnants of an early road

And arrived at the pass, what a feeling of achievement! Our trail continues past those snow patches to the small saddle beyond.

Goal achieved!! Passo di Lucendro, 2532m above sea level. Our final goal is Belvedere, 1 hour 40 minutes to go, but it actually took us about 2 hours (not counting 2x 30-minute breaks!)

First order of business, a well-deserved picnic lunch and 30 minutes pause at the pass

With careful navigation, these snow patches weren't too difficult to cross, although you wouldn't want to slip

All the way from the pass, we kept getting better and better views into the Bedretto Valley, all the way to the Nufenen Pass

Once we reached the little saddle, we got a) this spectacular view all the way down the Bedretto Valley to the Nufenen Pass in the West....

...b) this stunning scene straight ahead to the East, to the Sella Lake (also a dammed lake, also a hike we plan to do this summer).... AND ....

... c) this equally spectacular view into the Leventina Valley to the Southeast. (Below is the curve of the modern road up to the Pass, that is where we will catch our bus).

This final ridge to the road was a lot further and more difficult to walk down than it looks...

 

(Video):  The old Tremola Road, all cobblestoned, right up to the Saint Gotthard Pass. It was awesome as we turned the corner and saw this amazing picture in a small opening in the hills....

Another engineering marvel: The old Tremola Road from Airolo up to the Pass on the South side of the Saint Gotthard Massif. We got this first glimpse in a small opening between the hills

Modern Day Fortress: This entire area is replete with military defenses

Another more open view of the Tremola Road, all the way up to the Saint Gotthard Pass where we started our hike about 6 hours earlier.

And this is the modern road from Airolo to the Saint Gotthard Pass

Happy to see the bus (which was late, and later held up by a stupid horse-drawn coach carrying tourists down the old road... we almost missed our connection in Airolo). By this time, I was pretty ready to head back home!

Our hike was 12 km, our walking time was about 4 hours, 45 minutes. We were up here for 6.5 hours total. This map also shows the old Tremola Road in Blue. 

As an aside: This gorge is called the Schöllenenschlucht (Schöllenen Gorge) and is on the North side of the Gotthard Massif. They are forever working on this road that descends from Andermatt to Göschenen. They have to set up some pretty hefty scaffolding to do this....