Zurich, Switzerland - Hiking is one of the few outdoor activities you can do in the time of coronavirus while being compliant with social distancing. So, on a recent weekend, H and I hiked up the Uetliberg. The Uetliberg is a mountain that rises up on the west side of Zurich and provides panoramic views of Zurich, lake Zurich, and the municipalities in the neighboring valley.
This being Switzerland, the mountain is very accessible and accommodates a variety of activities. There are numerous walking paths providing access to the summit, as well as a train (the Uetlibergbahn). The mountain includes a variety of water fountains and camping stops for barbecuing sausages and the like. There is a downhill mountain bike track and in the winter, the hiking trails are converted into sledding runs. At the top, you'll find the Uto Kulm, a four-star hotel and restaurant. Sadly, H and I didn't get a chance to step inside the Uto Kulm because it's closed due to the pandemic.
The Uetliberg isn't the tallest mountain. It rises 870 meters above sea level, and Zurich is already at 408 meters above sea level. So, this wasn't the most demanding hike, in fact door-to-door from our apartment, the hike to the peak and back took only 2.5 hours. That said, the hike to the top is rather steep in parts, so we were huffing and puffing and stripping off layers. I began the hike wearing a long underwear top, a sweater, a jacket, plus a hat and gloves. By the time we were halfway up the mountain, I had removed all but the long underwear and sweater, much to H's amusement (surprisingly, she had dressed lighter than me).
But, boy was I glad I had brought these layers by the time we got to the top! The temperature fell as we gained elevation and the wind picked up considerably towards the top of the mountain. When we reached the summit, I had all my layers back on. However, a funny thing happened at the summit and on the way down the mountain: despite the persistent cold, I started to shed my layers. As frightful as the cold was, it was not nearly as frightful as the threats emanating from the mouth of my beloved, who told me in no uncertain terms that I should hand over my hat, and then later, my gloves.
This being Switzerland, the mountain is very accessible and accommodates a variety of activities. There are numerous walking paths providing access to the summit, as well as a train (the Uetlibergbahn). The mountain includes a variety of water fountains and camping stops for barbecuing sausages and the like. There is a downhill mountain bike track and in the winter, the hiking trails are converted into sledding runs. At the top, you'll find the Uto Kulm, a four-star hotel and restaurant. Sadly, H and I didn't get a chance to step inside the Uto Kulm because it's closed due to the pandemic.
The Uetliberg isn't the tallest mountain. It rises 870 meters above sea level, and Zurich is already at 408 meters above sea level. So, this wasn't the most demanding hike, in fact door-to-door from our apartment, the hike to the peak and back took only 2.5 hours. That said, the hike to the top is rather steep in parts, so we were huffing and puffing and stripping off layers. I began the hike wearing a long underwear top, a sweater, a jacket, plus a hat and gloves. By the time we were halfway up the mountain, I had removed all but the long underwear and sweater, much to H's amusement (surprisingly, she had dressed lighter than me).
But, boy was I glad I had brought these layers by the time we got to the top! The temperature fell as we gained elevation and the wind picked up considerably towards the top of the mountain. When we reached the summit, I had all my layers back on. However, a funny thing happened at the summit and on the way down the mountain: despite the persistent cold, I started to shed my layers. As frightful as the cold was, it was not nearly as frightful as the threats emanating from the mouth of my beloved, who told me in no uncertain terms that I should hand over my hat, and then later, my gloves.
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| Lake Zurich, as seen from Uetliberg |
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| Zurich, as seen from Uetliberg |
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| Neighboring villages of Stallikon and Wettswil (I think) |
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| H, prior to stealing my hat and gloves |
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