If you have a look at my blog every now and then, you might already have come across the occasional hut hike post and yep, here comes another one. :) As it's kinda a tradition in the meantime to organize a weekend hike for my friends, there naturally was one again this year. This time I took them to a rather unknown area in the canton of Uri and here's everything that happened on those two days. Having chosen a weekend in the middle of July, it coincided with the beginning of the school summer holidays and therefore, plenty of people were moving in the same direction as we were. Amsteg was our starting point and even though there was quite a lot of traffic, we arrived on time at the cable car station around a quarter past 9 on a lovely Saturday morning. Nine friends had decided to join in and since Günti, Claudio, his son Lio, Ulisse and I were a bit too early, we agreed that the four of them should already head upwards while I was waiting at the parking lot for the rest to arrive. At first however, big eyes were looking at me. Small, yellow, nostalgic and made for four persons only, the cable car probably wasn’t what everyone had expected. :) Saying goodbye for now, they sailed upwards to Mittelarni, while I sat down on a bench to wait for the rest of the group.
Arriving about ten minutes later, Zoe, Gregory, Lisa, Tamina and Flo cursed me as well when they saw the cable car, but in the end we all reached Mittelarni safe and sound. :) Having the first adventure behind us, we geared ourselves up and started our hike just after 10 o’clock. As the sun was shining strongly, our mood was good, only the wind blew slightly too fierce, but that made the walking at least a bit more bearable. After following a wide hiking trail for about 20 minutes, we had reached Lake Arni, the first gorgeous sight of today and as we had plenty of time, we chose to turn left at the turnoff to circle the lake on the left side.
A lovely part in the woods led us around the lake, but before we eventually started to head in the direction of the hut, there was time for one more detour. :) About five minutes away was a fantastic viewpoint above a cliff, taking in the sight of Mount Bristen, the Maderaner valley and the mighty Windgällen mountains. But, of course, instead of enjoying the terrific view, my friends rather preferred to complain that they had had to do yet another detour. :)
Well, I took the chance at the viewpoint to ask them which way they want to take to the hut and after a brief discussion, we agreed to do the shorter route today with the option of doing a side trip at the hut if the weather was holding up. The forecast had announced rain and a potential thunderstorm for the afternoon and if possible, we wanted a roof over our heads before the bad weather gathered. :) So, heading back to Lake Arni, we turned left at the next turnoff and began our walk towards the Leutschach hut. Following a wide gravel road for some time, another turnoff led us onto a proper hiking trail and a first short ascending slope. A junction appeared at the end of that slope and taking a right turn this time, we started to walk into the Leutschach valley with its lovely Leutschach creek. Before long, the last trees had receded and a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains was our steady companion from now on.
Enjoying the gorgeous scenery and the rather gentle ascent, we headed deeper and deeper into the valley. As midday was approaching fast, we took the decision to have our lunch break at the Niedersee, instead of resting somewhere along the trail. That meant another hour or so of ascending and as the slopes eventually got steeper, our pace naturally got slower. As the weather didn't change at all however, we weren't in a rush and because Claudio was carrying his son Lio, a fast pace wasn’t possible anyway. Reaching a wide plateau before long, we eventually were able to see the hut, although it was really hard to make it out, as the grey walls of the building merged seamlessly with the grey rocks of the mountain behind it. :)
It was still some way to go and the hardest part was right in front of us. A steep ascending slope to reach the Niedersee had to be conquered and as we started to head up the many serpentines, each one of us took on their own pace. Some a bit faster, some a bit slower, sweaty and strenuous it was for everyone though. Fortunately, the effort wasn't in vain, as at the end of the slope the Niedersee made its appearance and this gem definitely belongs to the most beautiful alpine lakes I’ve ever seen in Switzerland.
Surrounded by some impressive mountains, the crystal clear water was as blue as it could get and we all agreed that it was the perfect spot for our lunch break. Enjoying the scenery and the still phenomenally good weather, we caught our breath, rested our legs and filled our stomachs to the brim. :)
Once it was time to move on, we knew that the worst was behind us and the final slope up to the hut was therefore conquered in a breeze. :) The lovely Leutschach hut resides on another plateau and serves as a junction for many different trails. Because the weather hadn't turned until now, we could have done a side trip if we had wanted to, the motivation for such an undertaking however, was gone after the first drink. :) Well, that was perfectly fine and so we spent the rest of the day enjoying the sunshine on the terrace, marveling at the beautiful scenery, playing around with Lio, eating plenty of food, drinking plenty of drinks and visiting the magnificent Obersee, to at least have done a short side trip. :)
Tired from the whole day, we went to bed at around 10 o’clock and being a pro in staying in mountain huts by now, I anticipated another uneasy sleep. Unfortunately, I wasn't proven wrong, but somehow a sticky room with people going to the toilet in the middle of the night and talking aloud in the morning, just belongs to the experience. :) Well, the hearty breakfast as usual lifted the spirits and before long we stood outside, ready for the second day. Clouds had moved in overnight while some wafting fog had taken over in the valley below and together with the sun, who was trying her best to break through, Mother Nature once more had arranged a truly spectacular morning atmosphere. Starting today's hike around half past 8, we headed in the direction of the Sunniggrat and that meant that a long walk along the mountainside was awaiting us at first.
Descending gradually in the beginning, a couple scrambling parts soon served as an early morning challenge. Taking care and going slowly, we had the most difficult parts behind us before long and were ready for the otherwise undisturbed walk along the mountainside. To our delight, the sun had won its battle in the meantime and we not only enjoyed the crisp morning air, but also the view into the valley which we had ascended the day before. The fog down there was still lingering and with Mount Bristen rising out of the clouds on the horizon, the panorama was simply magnificent.
With our fresh legs, there wasn't really a need to stop in that first part and way too soon the descent had turned into an ascent again. At least the ascending slope wasn’t that long, but because it was fairly steep, my friends finally had something to complain about again. :) Once more however, the effort wasn’t in vain. Reaching a small hill that served as the perfect viewpoint, everything was in sight, from the mountains we had walked along, to Mount Bristen, as well as to the most popular mountains of the canton of Uri. It simply was a sight to behold and enjoy. :)
The only downside was the wind that somehow didn’t let up and basically blew fiercely the best part of the weekend. Having seen the Sunniggrat ahead of us, we descended from the small hill, before at the end of the slope suddenly two lamas stood in our way. :)
Moving on after we had taken a good look at them, a short ascent brought us to the ridge of the Sunniggrat. A steady up and down followed and heading all the way to the end of the ridge, another fantastic viewpoint invited us to take a break.
Once again however, the wind thwarted our plans of staying on the crest a bit longer and so instead we headed down to the Sunniggrat hut for a proper pause and a refreshing drink. Having regained our strength, it was about time to make our way back to Lake Arni. A fairly long descent was ahead of us and as Lio rather wanted to play than ride along on the back of his father, Claudio ignited his turbo boost and almost ran down the mountain. :)
Not all of us went down as fast as they did and taking up the rear with Zoe and Gregory, we took it slowly and steadily. At first, the descent wasn’t too steep and the outlook towards the surrounding mountains was still gorgeous enough to stop and take a picture every now and then. :)
The fun was over however once we entered the woods, as the slope became much steeper and led down in serpentines on a narrow trail. Plenty of people crossed our paths there, most of them ascending that monstrous slope. Well, talking makes everything easier and luckily there were more than enough topics of conversation to help us down the mountain. :) Eventually arriving at Lake Arni, we assumed that the others went straight to the restaurant and therefore headed there as well. We found them all together on the playground (where else? :)), but soon relocated ourselves to the terrace of the restaurant, as it was about one o’clock already and we all were pretty hungry.
A hearty lunch and a well deserved drink later, we retraced our steps back to Mittelarni and ended our weekend hike with the adventurous ride down to Amsteg. Saying our farewells at the cable car station, we headed back to Zurich tired but happy. Like every other hut hike so far, the weekend with my friends had been a real pleasure. The weather was better than expected, the views were staggering on both days and the company was fantastic as usual (even though they literally complained about everything :)). Only the hiking itself could have been a bit more, but maybe we just go longer and harder on the hut hike of next year. :)
Highlights of the weekend: the Niedersee, all the views with the fog in the valley and the good times with my friends :)
This hike is for you if:
- you want to ride with one of the most fantastic cable cars ever :)
- you’re looking for a hut hike that isn’t too strenuous
- you want to see one of the most gorgeous mountain lakes in Switzerland
- you’re looking for areas in Switzerland of which no one has ever heard before :)
This hike is not for you if:
- you dislike steep ascents and descents
- you’re looking for empty trails and loneliness
- you mind sharing a room with 20 other people :)
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