Bad weather was forecast after a couple weeks of sunshine and so I decided to make good use of the last beautiful day. Having found some other unknown trails on the map, I chose to go big today. :) The goal was to visit a group of mountain lakes called “Fesiseeli” and as there was no possibility to shorten the hike by cable car, the altitude difference between the starting point in Mitlödi and the lakes were a tremendous 1600 meters! As I didn’t know if there still was any snow, the main purpose was to reach the lakes, but if the conditions would turn out to be good, there also was the opportunity to scale a nearby peak. Quite a little adventure was ahead of me and when I started to walk in Mitlödi at 9 o’clock in the morning, I was wondering how the whole thing would turn out. :) At first, as usual, I somehow had to get away from civilization and unsurprisingly the trail led into the forest as soon as I left the last houses behind me. The trees were my constant companion during the ascent up to the Alp Achseli and especially for the first hour they blocked out most of the views to the valley below. As anticipated, it was a steep slope that I had to conquer and when there eventually was an opening in the trees, I gladly used it as an excuse to take a short rest. :) The panorama to behold was magnificent though and to see that gorgeous view was already worth all the effort of today's morning.
Back in the woods, it took another half an hour until the Alp Achseli finally appeared and again views opened up towards the Vrenelisgärtli and the Vorder Glärnisch, but for the first time also towards Elm and its Sardona Mountains. It seemed to be the right spot for a longer break and so I sat down for a while to eat a snack and enjoy the scenery. Mercifully, the first 10 minutes after the Alp Achseli were more or less straight ahead and only when I reached another turnoff, the ascent continued. While I had been walking on a proper trail for most of the time, a stony dirt road led the way upwards until I saw a chalet appearing in the distance. Apparently some people stayed there as I could hear a dog barking, but I passed the place without encountering someone else. Being above the tree line by now, I could not only see what lay ahead of me, but also beheld a constant mountain panorama whenever I took a look around.
The slope just remained steep and my going was steady and slow with the occasional halt in between. Overcoming another rise, the Alp Ober Fesis appeared on a high plateau and I knew that when the next part of the ascent would be behind me, I finally should be able to see the lakes. That was good to know, but that knowledge didn’t change my walking rhythm at all and I ascended as steadily as before. The higher I got though the better was the scenery and repeatedly I took short breaks to enjoy the stunning views into all directions.
Fortunately, I had seen from far away already, that snow wouldn’t be a problem to reach the lakes and so I overcame the last rise without any difficulties. Reaching the high plateau, the "Fesiseeli" unfolded right in front of me and contrary to the beautiful weather, all of them were still mostly frozen. Snow covered the rest of the plateau as well, but interestingly the surrounding mountains were free of snow. So instead of taking a rest to enjoy the beautiful lakes, I decided right away to walk on and scale that nearby peak. :) An additional one and a half kilometer with about 300 meters altitude difference lay ahead of me and they turned out to be very entertaining. Not only a lonely marmot could be seen, but there also was a nice view from above over the "Fesiseeli", several fields of snow had to be conquered and even a short scramble was necessary to avoid the snow in the steepest part of the ascent. Luckily, there also were quite a few sign posts and so it wasn’t too difficult to orientate myself.
About half an hour after I had left the lakes, I came upon a small saddle and a turnoff pointed towards the final steep ascent to the peak of the Gufelstock. A first glimpse of an impressive view was given on that saddle and when I reached the summit 10 minutes later, the view from there was naturally even better. A 360° panorama unfolded around me and I was quite blown away as I didn’t expect the view to be that good. The Alps of Glarus were in full view and so were the Alps of Graubünden, the Sardona Mountains, Flumserberg, the Churfirsten and even the Säntis could be seen at the horizon. Of course I stayed on the peak for an hour, it was my well deserved reward for that long ascent. :)
As usual the time was running too fast and I had to start with the descent way too soon. A long way was still ahead of me, but at first a second break was inevitable. :) My actual goal of today had been the "Fesiseeli" and I had skipped them on the way up, because I knew I would pass them again on the way down. So I just retraced my steps until I was back at the lakes, searched for a nice spot to sit down and enjoyed the silence together with the stunning panorama for another half an hour. :)
Retracing my steps further once I had said goodbye to the lakes, I took a turnoff about 15 minutes later which would lead me along a different route back down to the bottom of the valley. It was a great walk in that part, as not only the trail was super lovely, but also the mountains were in constant view, making me descend with a big smile on my face. :) Coming upon another turnoff, I had the possibility to scale a peak called Schafleger before I would leave the higher mountains for good. There was no official way however and taking a look from far away it seemed as the top could only be reached with a little scramble. That was exactly what had been missing so far and as the peak wasn’t too far away either, I decided to give it a try. :) Well, apparently I wasn't the first one to scale that peak, as right when I left the official trail, I set foot upon a pretty beaten track. It led all the way to the rocks at the top and after a short and not very difficult scramble I stood on the summit of the Schafleger. Once again the view was just perfect, reaching from the Sardona Mountains, to the Alps of Glarus, to the full length of the Linth valley below me.
So far it had been an amazing hike and even though the toughest part was yet to come, the day still had some surprises in store for me. Back on the official trail, I had been walking about 10 minutes when I suddenly heard a noise and saw a chamois jumping away from me. What a pleasant surprise! A bit further down I even saw a second one dashing through some bushes and it made me forget for a moment that my knees already had started to hurt. :) While I was still above the tree line in that part, I entered the woods again shortly afterwards and only the restaurant at Äugsten and the terminus of the cable car at Bärenboden presented some last views of the day. Not only some views however, but also a fox that was stalking through a nearby meadow. He didn’t notice me for quite a while and it was nice to observe him for some time as I hadn’t seen a fox in broad daylight so far.
After a last break at Bärenboden, a steep descending slope was up next, as I had to cover about 1000 meters difference in altitude in only three kilometers. I didn’t really look forward to that and for once it was a pity that the cable car wasn’t running yet, as otherwise I definitely would have used it to head down to Ennenda. Well, there was no other choice and even though my knees hurt a lot in the meantime, I walked all the way down to the bottom of the valley. The descent was mostly in the forest and so there was only one notable thing: I passed another hiker. :) A woman with a huge backpack was taking a rest in the middle of the slope and she remained the only other hiker that I saw in the course of the day. Reaching Ennenda, I spontaneously opted to walk to Glarus, as all the shops in Ennenda already had closed and I wanted to buy some water as well as some food for dinner. It was another additional 15 minutes, but well worth it, as I also got a well deserved “after-work” beer. :) Heading home on an empty train, reflecting about today’s hike, I came to the conclusion that it simply had been a blast and definitely the best hike I had done so far this year. :)
Highlights of the day: the views from Gufelstock and Schafleger
This hike is for you if:
- you’re looking for 360° panoramic views
- you want to visit some unknown mountain lakes
- you’re looking for solitude
- you want constant views over the Alps of Glarus
This hike is not for you if:
- it’s your first time in the mountains
- you mind steep ascents and descents
- you don’t want to walk in the forest a lot
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