What do you do on a Sunday in the morning when you have an appointment in the middle of the afternoon? Sleep in? No. Reading a book? No. Hiking up a mountain? Hell yeah! :) As I wanted to check out how the conditions are on about 2000 meters above sea level and as I needed a mountain close enough to home I decided to tackle the Federispitz. With a height of 1865 meters and basically the first "real" mountain when you come from Zurich into the direction of Lake Walen it suited my needs perfectly. Even though I had to gain about 1400 meters in altitude as the starting point at Ziegelbrücke was only 425 meters above sea level. Arriving with the earliest possible train in Ziegelbrücke, I picked up the trail right at the railway station. The road led along the railway tracks for a short time and then turned right into the woods. And as suspected the first half an hour was all about gaining height, ascending a relentless steep slope through the forest. At least I was walking in the shade and not under the bare sun. After that slope the trail led on a paved road further upwards, luckily not that steep anymore. Soon enough I left the road again and kept climbing up, passing loads of cows and a couple farming houses, the view getting better with every step I took.
After two hours of walking, more or less out of the trees now, I thought I finally saw the peak of Federispitz. But I thought wrong. It was only about 10 minutes later when I came up onto a plateau with a cute farming house that I saw the Federi ridge and the peak of Federispitz. The sun was blazing, the sky a clear blue, the grass as green as it gets, loads of flowers were blooming and the view was simply stunning. Nature and Switzerland at it's very best! It made the climb up to the ridge a breeze. Once on the ridge I was able to see onto the other side towards Zurich and it was time for a break to admire the breathtaking scenery.
The walk on the ridge was gentle and everything was clear of snow, so about 20 minutes later I stood on the summit of Federispitz. I was a bit surprised as there were quite a few people on the top already, considering it was still early on sunday morning. But nevertheless I enjoyed a long break and the great view over Lake Walen and the Alps of Glarus. While I was on the peak, clouds started to move in, so getting up early today was really worth it. For the descent back to Ziegelbrücke I took a different route, but like the ascent before it was just steep. At least the view during the descent was brilliant, always with the Alps and the Lake Walen in sight.
Also because I took my time for taking pictures and admiring the landscape I realized half the way down that when I kept on going that pace I will miss my train. "Luckily" I was in the woods again and therefore was able to move a bit faster. Only the path was not signed that well and I had to check my map frequently to keep on walking in the right direction. I attempted a short cut once and walked through a field with sheep grazing on the other side. I was not that far when they started bleating and came running towards me, chasing me right out of that field. Haha. Well at least I saved a couple minutes :) The further down I went, the easier was the walking and in the end I reached the railway station of Ziegelbrücke 15 minutes before the departure of my train. The weather was good and the scenery was grand, so it was definitely the right decision to go on that hike today. :)
Highlight of the day: the scenery
This hike is for you if:
- you like it steep
- you're looking for panoramic views of the Alps of Glarus
- you want to do a strenuous hike when there is still snow higher up
- you don't mind a lot of cows along the way
This hike is not for you if:
- you're looking for an easy hike
- you want to eat in a restaurant along the way
- you want the possibility to switch to a cable car on the way up or down
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