Sorry for disappointing you but no, this blog entry is not about Game of Thrones! :) A fine winter day was predicted a couple weeks ago and during my research for a nice day hike, I found a place called Drachenflue (roughly translated as Dragonridge) and immediately knew that this was where I wanted to go. Taking a closer look on the map I saw that there was supposed to be a castle just next to Drachenflue and so my hiking plan for the day was settled. While the hike originally would have begun in Kerns, I already started to walk in Sarnen adding three more kilometers to my hike. Obviously one can skip this part as there is a bus from Sarnen to Kerns, but it was definitely the right decision to walk. First I was hiking along a small stream and through the woods and when I came closer to Kerns the countryside started to look as beautiful and as Swiss as it could get. Lovely farming houses with green fields lined the way and backed by some snow covered mountains and hills, I felt like I was in the heart of Switzerland. :) The path took me right through Kerns and with a mix of some charming old and new houses it was an entertaining walk through the town. Out in the countryside again, I was hiking once more along some green fields and the occasional farming house here and there, always marveling at the Stanserhorn to my right that grew bigger and bigger with every step I took.
The first sight that I wanted to check out was the Lake of Gerzen and when the trail led into the woods I knew it wouldn't be far anymore. And so it was. Not much later I walked into a clearing and stood before a nice little frozen lake. As no one was there I took the chance to sit on a bench at the lake and enjoyed the warm sun and the quietness of the forest. Marching onwards I soon was out of the trees again and this time came upon a narrow street. As I didn't really felt comfortable walking on that winding road, I took the next possible path back into the forest. It was definitely not the way I should have taken, I learned that soon enough. Stumbling over roots, snow and ice I had to change direction a couple times to find my way back on to the marked hiking trail. The official path still followed the road though, so may be the detour I took was not that bad. :) Another short ascent later the part in the woods was over and leaving the trees behind me I was greeted with a stunning sight of Stanserhorn and the adjoining mountains. Coming to a turnoff a little bit later I kept on going straight ahead and only learned about 20 minutes later with a look on the map that I took the "wrong" way. Well this way also led to Drachenflue, but my original intention was to walk along a ridge and not a street as I was doing now. "Never mind!" I thought. Taking a look around I was actually pretty happy with the "wrong" way. The ridge was somewhere behind the trees to my left in the shadow with probably not too much view, while here on the road I was out in the sun with a wonderful panorama around me.
All in all I was hiking on this road for about half an hour and when I reached the end of it, it took me another 5 minutes and a short ascent to stand upon Drachenflue. Unfortunately there were no dragons, but the view absolutely made up for that. :) It was the perfect spot for my lunch break and taking my time, I stayed there for about one hour to enjoy the beautiful weather and the view of Lake Lucerne and the Alps around it. From the top of Drachenflue, the descent towards Rotzberg and its castle, led me back into the trees again. While in the beginning I was able to walk on leaves, the further down I got, the more shade there was and therefore also more snow and ice. Carefully I walked downwards and was happy when I had this tough section behind me. Coming out of the forest I had a superb view of Mount Pilatus and not much later I was glad to be back in the sunshine. Rotzberg also came into view pretty soon and the first look was actually not too appealing. The ascent was steep and I couldn't see any sign of a castle. Making my way to the bottom of Rotzberg I decided to go up anyway. It was such a beautiful day and I wanted to be outside as long as possible. Well, the ascent was as steep as it looked but the struggle was well worth it. Not because of the "castle", as only the foundation walls were left of it. But once again the view absolutely made up for that. So it was time for another break with a stunning panorama.
Unfortunately everything has to come to an end and going down the same way to the bottom of Rotzberg I carried on from there towards Stansstad. While I had to walk through some industry first, the last part of today's hike was a stroll along the lake of Lucerne and that was a fine ending. The scenery with the setting sun doing justice to the rest of this wonderful hike. Today was magnificent (even without any dragons and castles :)) and felt more like a hike in spring than in winter.
Highlight of the day: the weather and the different views
This hike is for you if:
- you're looking for panoramic views of central Switzerland
- you don't want to go over 1000 meters above sea level
- you're looking for diversity (lakes, mountains, forest, roads, paths, panoramic views)
This hike is not for you if:
- you want to get away from civilization
- you mind walking some parts on snow or ice (applies for winter only of course)
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