My hikes during the last months were also practice for my upcoming trip to Nepal. Now with only one week to go before my flight to Kathmandu, I actually planned to stay at home for the weekend and save some energy. But as the weather was super nice once more I abandoned my plan and went for a little hike on Saturday. The idea was just to move my legs a bit, so the mountains were no option. Checking my Swiss Mobile App for ideas I discovered a section with unobstructed ways. Those ways are officially marked and specifically designed for disabled people or people in wheelchairs. Of course people with no disability can also walk those ways and so I settled for a 13 kilometer hike in the Eastern part of Switzerland. Arriving by bus on Saturday morning in the small village of Nussbaumen, I found the first sign of the way just next to the bus stop. A couple turnoffs later and I was already out of the town, walking along farming land on a wide gravel road. The way led mostly downwards until I reached the first lake on the trail. Following the shore for a couple 100 meters I ended up at a lovely spot for swimming and BBQing. Today I had the place for myself, but in summer I'm sure this will be packed with people.
Carrying onwards I left the first lake behind me and soon came upon another one. But instead of following the shore, the way ventured to the right towards a ruin of an old castle. As the ruin was only a two minutes detour from the main trail and as the castle was on a small hill overlooking the area I couldn't resist and checked it out. Not much is left of the castle except some stone walls. But with a nice view and a BBQ site inside the walls it's definitely a cool place to stay for lunch. And that's exactly what I did. :) The timing was perfect anyway, as when I sat down on one of the walls, the sun finally broke through the clouds. Hiking onwards after lunch, the way led soon back to the second lake and there I cheated. :) Instead of following the official trail I took the path closer to the lake. I hoped for a view of the lake as I haven't seen the water so far and sure enough I came upon a viewpoint with a nice view of the lake. But that was it. No nice spot to sit down so I carried on and was back on the official way in no time at all. Leaving also the second lake behind, the trail did go a bit upwards now and I hiked for quite a while on a concrete road. The scenery in this part stayed nice and I hiked through forest, along the edge of a forest, among farming land and of course I also passed the mandatory farming house here and there.
Coming towards the end of the hike I came upon a tiny village and when I left the last house behind me I stopped to take a picture of the surroundings. Just as I wanted to start walking again I heard some pounding hooves. Turning around I saw a deer with two young ones running towards me. The mother ran up ahead really fast and crossed the path I was standing on five meters in front of me. The two kids however lost track of her mother and ran back in the direction they came from. I was a bit bewildered, because that scene I just witnessed was most unusual. But when I heard a gunshot about a minute later it dawned on me. They were hunting in the woods close-by and of course the trail I was walking on led exactly through the middle of that forest. :( I had no experience with such situations and as I entered the forest I felt quite uncomfortable. And the feeling intensified along the way. Well I knew they are pros, but with barking dogs everywhere, gunshots to my left and right and hunters appearing out of nowhere all I could think about was to walk faster, to be out of the woods as fast as possible. Luckily nothing happened and once I reached Warth about a kilometer later the tension was gone completely. The town of Warth is host to the Carthusian Monastery of Ittingen. This is the official end of the hike and definitely worth a visit. As I had some other plans later on, there was unfortunately no time for a refreshment there. Heading back towards home by bus and train I thought it was not a bad decision to have done that hike today.
This hike is for you if:
- you're looking for unobstructed ways
- you're looking for a hike with BBQ opportunities along the way
- you want a swim during the hike
- you want to take your children with you
This hike is not for you if:
- you're seeking loneliness
- you're looking for 360° panoramic views
- you want mountains around you
During the hike I learned that the mother of a good friend passed away unexpectedly the day before. As I knew her well this came as a real shock. Understandably I couldn't really focus on my hike anymore and my thoughts were with her and my friend most of the time. Obviously there was also no "Highlight of the day". Instead I would like to dedicate this blog entry to her. May god rest her soul and may she rest in peace. ♥
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