Sometimes I ask myself how it is possible to see the person you live with so little? This year hasn't been easy on us, and between business travel and all the responsibilities we didn't see each other much, so we try to enjoy every single moment that we have together. After I returned from Sicily, my husband went to Madrid for a week and when we finally got reunited we decided to spend a day in the mountains. I don't remember when was the last time when we went hiking, and this was one of our last opportunities this year to enjoy sunny weather as well.
I planned an easy trail. 1 hour of hiking in Appenzell and the trail was not supposed to be strenuous. Well, looks like we haven't learned yet that an easy trail in Switzerland doesn't always mean easy to everyone. However, we had such a great time that we decided to hike even more, but let's not reveal everything in the beginning.
As we were supposed to hike for about an hour we didn't hurry up in the morning. We had nice long breakfast followed by a bit of kitchen clean up before we left home. We arrived at the parking right before lunchtime. It wasn't a good idea as there was only one cable car coming each 6 minutes, so we ended up waiting for more than 30 minutes in the row.
It was so hot that a cap wasn't enough for me because I thought that my ears would get a sunburn, so I bought a hat in between. I looked a bit like a fisherman, but in this case safety goes over fashion. Whoever knows me a bit knows that waiting is not my favourite activity, but luckily there was a playful dog which boosted my mood again. When we finally got in the cable car I couldn't wait to go out as it was super crowded and a bit smelly too. It took only 6 minutes, so we kept our mood up, and when we came up the crowd somehow dispersed and we could enjoy a quiet day with spectacular views.
There is nothing better than a meal with such a view, so this is how we started our hike.
After lunch we walked to the trail. It's a starting point to many trails, so there are always quite a few people, but after a while we became alone again.
Can you see that house in the middle high up on the mountain? Yes, this is where we ended up, but this was not our original plan.
Hiking in the Alps is amazing because you can get high up with a cable car and then hike just a little to enjoy stunning views. I didn't really know what to expect from the hike as this place is not in the middle of the Alps, so I was sure we wouldn't be surrounded by the mountains all the time. I was positively surprised by the scenery.
On the other side we could see the lake Constance and the region of St. Gallen.
In the beginning it really was an easy hike with panoramic views, but soon it changed and became more challenging. It wasn't because of the altitude change, but because the trail has large slippery rocks all the time which was difficult for my hip and we also didn't have proper hiking shoes as again, we didn't expect it. But we didn't let the trail win and continued...
At this point we could see Schafler clearly, but we still didn't know that we would go there. Honestly, I was already thinking about it, just didn't know how to bring it up to my husband as he wasn't enjoying walking on those rocks at all.
It was so interesting as on one side were the rocky mountains and on the other side this beautiful hilly landscape.
Finally, the trail changed back to little stones, but I had a feeling that it wouldn't last for long and I was right 馃槉
I think I should try bouldering one day...
Our original plan was to go to the plateau that you can see in the middle - that green patch. It doesn't look really cool though, so at this point I was sure we had to do more to go home with a great feeling about ourselves.
And here we are already on the way to Schafler...
It was a bit scary as the trail looked exactly like this and I saw a woman fall even though she had proper gear and walking sticks! But I had already decided what I'm going to order at the restaurant on top of the mountain, so there was no way back from this point.
The climb was steep, so soon we got much higher and the views opened up more and more.
Rocks everywhere...
I was getting a bit tired, but happier and happier with every step forward...
And we managed to hike up! Another great thing on the Swiss Alps is that there are restaurants or some sort of bistros at places where you would not expect them. And you can even get a proper meal! Of course, it's mainly sausages and cheese, but often there is a nice meal for vegans too.
I wanted to take a photo of the valley too, but I didn't dare coming closer to the rim.
There was a small circle on the top where you could stand and enjoy the 360 degrees views. It was fascinating. Standing there made me feel enormously proud and happy and it was the best reward for all the effort going up. I promised myself to make time and come to the mountains more closer. This is where I belong. I do love water, but mountains are so much closer to my heart.
And yet, the flat landscape on the other side was still there 馃槉
Thank you for reading and until next time...