Zürich, Switzerland - Hannah and I hiked in Appenzell on Saturday and ate fresh trout at a riverside restaurant by the Hirzel hills on Sunday.
Saxer Lücke
Hannah and I traveled to the Alpstein mountains, which are a group of mountains in the southern part of Appenzell near St. Gallen. We took a long gondola ride up to the top of a prominent mountain ridge (about 1,800 meters) and then hiked along the ridge to the Saxer Lücke, which is the saddle between the mountains we were on and the abutting mountain chain (Lücke means gap). In this case, the saddle was formed by a fault line. In fact, the layers of stone forming the ridge we hiked along were so affected by geological activity that in some places they had turned vertical. However - to my knowledge - Switzerland is not particularly seismically active: they get an earthquake of magnitude 6 every century or so.
The hike to the saddle provides stunning views. To the east you see a low valley formed by the Rhine. On one side of the Rhine is the Swiss Canton of St. Gallen and on the other is the microstate of Liechtenstein. To the west is another smaller valley between the Saxer Lucke and the neighboring mountains, Marwees and Alp Sigel. At the saddle itself you're confronted with a prominent rocky peak that is featured in many Instagram accounts and now also in Hannah's.
From the saddle, we descended a steep rocky path to a Berggasthaus (mountain guest house) overlooking the Fahlensee where we snacked on rosti with bacon and eggs. Here we met a German fellow named Robert. Robert was very excited when we told him we were from California as he explained that several years ago, he had stayed in a lovely place north of Oakland called Albany (where Hannah and I own our home).
After refueling, we debated our next move. We ultimately decided on an ambitious 3-hour hike to Wasserrauen, which - according to a Swiss hiking blog that Hannah follows - was "epic." In retrospect, we might have benefited from some additional detail.
The route descended further into the valley, leaving us at an elevation of about 1300 meters at which point it began a rapid ascent up some 400 meters to a narrow saddle between the Marwees and Alp Sigel. The steep and narrow path switchbacked its way up the mountainside. The footing was at times muddy and slick, at other times rocky and uneven, and never once secure.
As we ascended, let's just say the declining oxygen levels may have aggravated Hannah's anxieties and neuroticism. Closer to the base of the ascent her concerns centered on the weather and if we might get rained on (this concern proved valid as it started to rain as we neared the train station at the end). Later, she grew increasingly concerned that the other side of the mountain would be even steeper than the side we were ascending (it was less steep, as it turns out). As we wound our way up the mountain, the imagined angle of descent awaiting us on the other side grew alarmingly, to the point that Hannah was evaluating back-up plans in the event we were unable to descend. Initially, this meant returning down the way we came up, but later Hannah was concerned that even this might prove impossible, since the way we came was steep and your footing is more secure going up than going down. Now we (Hannah) had to evaluate the very real (imagined) possibility that we would be stranded on a high alpine mountain. It was at about this time that Hannah noticed poop on the trail. At first, Hannah's primary concern was how to avoid the poop when on a narrow and uneven trail, but soon her concern quickly shifted to what made the poop, since these were clearly not cow patties. The obvious answer was wolves (mountain goats). By the time we reached the saddle, Hannah was in full war-gaming mode, planning for a midnight attack by a pack of wolves. In the end, we arrived at the train station somewhat wetter than we would have liked, but without any broken limbs or wolf bites. The hike was indeed "epic", totaling roughly 10 miles in length and about 700 meters of ascent.
Hirzel
Regular readers may recall that we visited Hirzel once before. We returned this time simply to go to the Sihlmatt restaurant, which is known for its trout. The restaurant is tucked away by itself in a valley near the river Sihl and the proprietors keep a small farm operation with donkeys, chickens and rabbits. We ordered two whole trout: one boiled and one fried, which were excellent. And, when in the area, of course we had to make a detour to see our favorite goofy hills. A lovely quiet Sunday.
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