There are some mountains on my bucket list that are on it since seemingly forever. :) One of them was the Haldensteiner Calanda. Having seen it from afar, as well as having driven past it already plenty of times, the massive mountain range above Chur was on the list for definitely too long. :) Maybe the reason why I postponed a visit for such a long time was, that there are no short hikes leading to the top. So, when I had a day off on a Saturday at the end of August, I decided to go big and finally pay the landmark of Chur my long overdue visit. As I didn't want to walk the same way twice, I decided to set out in Vättis and as a blue and white trail was leading upwards from there, I was looking forward to do some scrambling as well. :) At first, I had planned to start only around half past 9 in Vättis, but as the forecast in the afternoon was so-so, I got up really early and arrived at my starting point at about a quarter past 8. Not wasting too much time, I shouldered my backpack and headed into the direction of the Haldensteiner Calanda. The mountain range loomed high above me and I was excited to see what the day had to offer.
Well, first of all, I made my way out of Vättis, following the blue and white signs, until a turnoff led from a gravel road into the forest. Thenceforth, the next hour was spent in the woods, the trees blocking out the view in every direction. The trail itself was narrow and super steep from the beginning, together with the pretty humid conditions, it made the sweat ran down like a waterfall. :) After about an hour, a wide clearing eventually gave a short respite from the steady ascent and when I entered the woods again on the other side, the trees slowly began to thin out. Not much later on, a first stunning view towards the mountains ahead of me appeared and I was glad that there finally was something to see. :)
The slope however, didn't change at all and the trail remained as narrow and steep as before. As the trees receded further and I was more and more exposed to the elements, I was surprised to learn that the wind was blowing rather strong and I wasn't sure if that was a good sign for the ridge walk I had to do later on. Well, for now, I carried on, passing by the only other three hikers on the trail, as they took a break in the first sunshine of the day. With the trees mostly gone by now, I could finally see further up ahead and was glad to notice that for a while at least, the path was about to level off somewhat, leading along a steep mountainside.
Fortunately, the walk along that mountainside was indeed a gentle one. Too soon however, I had reached a wide ravine, where the trail led upwards even steeper than before and while I temporarily had to use my hands in the beginning, it wasn't yet time for the anticipated scramble. Having had no rest so far, I decided to take a break somewhere in the middle of that ravine and sitting down on a rock, I enjoyed the marvelous lookout towards the mountains on the other side.
Moving on about ten minutes later, it didn't take too long anymore and I had reached a vast plateau. Seeing the blue signs continuing ahead of me, I also could see what was awaiting at the end of the plateau: an immensely craggy looking rock wall. :) Making my way to the bottom of that wall, I already knew that that was going to be a lovely scramble. Not too steep, not too exposed and with plenty of rocks to hold on to, the climb to the top of the wall was pure pleasure. :)
Pausing a moment to take in my surroundings, I didn't only get a better lookout towards the mountains on the other side, but also could see a beautiful mountain valley right ahead of me. It was the way I had to take and again my legs were happy to get some respite as the first part along the bottom of the valley was fairly flat. Before long however, the trail began to ascend again and while it was a gentle ascent in the beginning, the slope soon intensified. At that point I already had done about 1200 meters in altitude difference and definitely was feeling my legs. So, the steep slope was conquered rather slowly, taking the good views as an excuse to stop regularly to catch my breath. :)
Well, nothing lasts forever and when I finally had brought that rise behind me, the ground eventually changed. While I had mostly walked amongst trees and grass so far, a vast field of stones and debris was now in front of me. In the distance, I also could see the ridge for the first time and I was curious how it would look like on there. The wind hadn't abated so far, but actually was blowing that strong, that it had almost blown me away in the mountain valley before. For the moment though, everything was fine and making my way over the debris, the preceding effort was rewarded with the best view of the day so far. :)
The ridge however, somehow didn't seem to get closer and right when I thought I must be right there, the trail took a left turn and led into another rise. Well, I had known that it was a long way to the top, but again facing a super steep ascent, I just had to sit down to regain some strength before moving on. :) Knowing at any rate that the ridge and the peak wasn't too far away anymore, I was at that moment more worried about the clouds moving in than about my legs giving up. :) Well, I eventually stood on the ridge once I had left that last rise behind and from afar, I also already could see the turnoff to the summit. Some people were just coming back from the top of the Haldensteiner Calanda and while it had been difficult to imagine how the ridge was looking like in reality, I was happy to see that it was more than wide enough to be secure, even though the wind was still blowing heavily.
Reaching the turnoff about 10 minutes later, I at long last could see the peak as well and as there still were some other people on it, there was no reason for me to turn around, even though the clouds in the sky kept on growing. Beforehand, I had read that the way to the top was mildly exposed and as it was marked blue and white on the map, I had imagined it to be a rather challenging path. Well, it wasn't. :) Although the trail was narrow and led through some rocky parts, the going wasn't too difficult. Also the mildly exposed part was no problem at all, even though the wind was still going pretty strong. Understandably, the path in reality was marked as red and white and compared to the emptiness of the trail before, that last part to the summit felt more like a highway. :) Arriving on the peak around noon, four other people were there as well, but as they left shortly afterwards, I was able to have the fantastic view for myself for the next 10 minutes.
As mentioned before, some thick clouds had appeared by now and they somewhat obscured the view, but the surroundings remained amazing enough to enjoy a lunch break of about 50 minutes. It also was nice to rest my legs and gather some strength, after all I already knew that the way down was going to be just as hard as the way up had been. :)
Once my time on the Haldensteiner Calanda was over, I retraced my steps to the turnoff, turned left and started to walk down a red and white trail. It didn't take long for the slope to become super steep again and while I was descending through another vast field of debris, I at least was still able to enjoy the superb view towards Chur and its surrounding mountains.
For about 20 minutes I walked down that steep slope, before it finally leveled off and as the ground also changed back from rocky to grassy, the going got quite a bit easier. Another 20 minutes later I eventually had reached the bottom of a huge plateau and taking a look back, I was absolutely glad that I didn't have to ascend that way. While it basically had been obvious during the descent already, that one look back was the affirmation, as the slope looked ridiculously steep from below. Heading across the plateau, the Calandahütte appeared at some point and looking at the super inviting terrace, it was a pity that I didn't have the time to sit down for a drink.
Moving on without a break, I turned right at the hut and followed a gentle gravel road down to the Alp Altsäss. There I took a right turn as well and walked along another gravel road, before the trail turned left and eventually was about to head back into the woods. Deciding to enjoy the still lovely views before they were gone for good, I sat down for a while, also to give my legs some well-deserved rest. Interestingly enough, the thick clouds mostly had disappeared by now and the sun was shining again. So, it actually didn't bother me that I was heading back into the woods, as I was rather happy to get some shade. :) It turned out though, that the forest was fairly thin and while there was some shade, there also were plenty of times where I was walking under the scorching hot sun.
Well, whatever, it was way better than a thunderstorm and so I walked down slope after slope after slope. Some of them had a narrow trail, others were pretty wide, partly it was even on a paved street and while most of them were steep enough, there also were some gentle parts every now and then. There was quite some civilization too, as I not only passed a few vacation homes, but even met some ascending hikers that most probably were heading to the Calandahütte. Overall, it wasn't the most exciting part ever and things only changed once I came upon the hamlet of Arella, as there was a big clearing that offered a gorgeous outlook towards Chur and its surrounding mountains.
Deciding to sit down for the final time, I was eating a snack and enjoying the view, when I suddenly heard some voices behind me. Turning around, the three hikers that I overtook during the ascent in the morning were passing by. :) Although I did see them on the peak as well, I never would have imagined that they would walk down the same way as I did. :) Well, kudos to them, as they had a long day with plenty of up and down. From Arella, it didn't take long anymore to reach the castle ruins of Haldenstein and from there the way down to the town was even shorter. Arriving in Haldenstein around half past 4, I sat down in a lovely park to rest for a while and to dry my sweaty t-shirt, before I took the next possible train back home. :)
Even though the weather had been the worst exactly when I was on the peak, my first visit to the Haldensteiner Calanda was absolutely worth it and I'm looking forward to scale it again some day. Next time however, I guess it will be with an overnight stay in the Calandahütte, just to shorten that super long ascent and descent. :)
Highlights of the day: the scramble on the way up and the views from the peak
This hike is for you if:
- you're looking for the best views over the city of Chur
- you want to try yourself on a blue and white trail for the first time
- you're fit enough for almost 2000 meters up and down
- you don't mind to share the peak with other hikers
This hike is not for you if:
- you hate steep slopes
- you're looking for solitude
- you prefer to walk along ridges that are narrow and exposed :)
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