Hellhole, Cliffs and Motorbikes 20220418

Day:        18.4.2022

Start:   Muotatal, SZ

End:  Muotatal, SZ

Distance:          13.88km

Ascent:               869m

Descent:             869m

Walking time:                 3.11

Easter Monday came around with beautiful weather and our lack of imagination took us back to Muotatal. We thought about going on the Gross Mythen, but the trail is officially closed (until they open the restaurant?).

Not wanting to risk it, we drove all the way back in Muotatal to a place called Hölloch ("Hell Hole" in German) and parked at the base of the Pragel Pass road opposite restaurant Hell Hole.

The initial ascent is on the Pragel pass road which was closed to traffic but didn't stop hikers, snowshoe-ers and the odd motorcycle to drive up as far as possible. The ascent is almost constantly 10% which makes for an easy constant effort on the paved road. Great to enjoy the views!

Momo was a bit annoyed initially. He was looking forward to a lazy day in the garden barking at other dogs and sneaking treats from our visitors. After a few kilometres, we have found our stride and came to the Parking lot where the trail began.

It's a wide trail with even a tunnel leading to a still unoccupied alp. The fruit trees were in full bloom. Things were splendid!

The trail first climbs to the top of the cliffs, moves across before descending into the middle band with cliffs above and cliffs below. As the foliage was not yet fully out, the views were amazing. 

 The path is nice and easy with just a few tighter segments. Before you know it, you get out on a beautiful meadow above the cliffs for spectacular views of Bisisthal.

There, we saw some antisocial hikers (they told Momo to "shove off" as he greeted them) who enjoyed the view before turning back the way they came.

We climbed up over snowfields to get back on a different route.

Our planned route was easy to find but there were no footprints and we didn't want another adventure like two days before on Goldplangg. So we decided to go straight back to the Pragel pass main road and descend the long way round.

Pragel Pass main road didn't really look driveable though...

The snow was grippy, hard-packed and wet so walking was like on gravel and we got ahead well with a few stops to sniff for squirrels and pee at trees.

Soon enough, the snow was gone and we again took a nice break on our descend to give our legs some recovery.

Unfortunately, despite it being Easter Monday, some idiots sporadically shot their guns. We got close to this on the last two kilometers and Momo went into full panic mode again. I didn't have to carry him but he dragged me behind him down the hill and tried to hide under bridges and in culverts. I know that Swiss gun ownership is part of our culture and our freedom. Simply make efforts to reduce noise. 

What we learned:

• They will always shoot guns in Muotatal, religious holiday or not.
• Sunscreen is important. 
• Don't bring too many snacks on short hikes. You'll just end up carrying them around.
• I have to bring Momo's water tupperware again. He was very thirsty on the cliffside.

Whiteout on Goldplangg

Day:        16.4.2022

Start:   Muotatal, SZ

End:     Sisikon UR

Distance:          17.68km

Ascent:               968m

Descent:             1113m

Walking time:                 4:05

The recent snowfalls were frustrating, but finally the Easter weekend started. We kicked off with a planned hike from Muotatal over the Goldplangg pass to Riemenstalden and Sisikon. 

Already on the bus from Schwyz, people asked us if we were sure about this plan. We said that we were, or we'd turn around. What we didn't expect on this sunny morning were clouds and fog.

The initial shock was of a different kind, though. Despite it being Easter weekend, Muotatalers decided to take a break from forecasting the weather and incest to be shooting their guns instead. The shots reverberated of the valley sides sending poor Momo into a full blown panic attack. After several attempts to get him to walk on, I had to carry the poor mutt a few hundred meters out of the "danger zone". His little heart was racing, and so was mine after the uphill carry.

Soon enough we rounded the corner and got out of the noisy area. We found ourselves alone on a beautiful wide trail leading up to Goldplangg. And then came the first patch of snow, which Momo thoroughly enjoyed.

Snow soon became a bit of an issue as those fluffy clouds became thicker as we went up. Soon, we were in the middle of a whiteout and only able to find the path with a GPS.

Sky: white

Snow: white

Path: white

Underside of dog: white

This part of an otherwise beautiful hike was quite unpleasant, cold and battery intensive: I had to check the GPS every few steps to be sure we don't go off the path in these ugly conditions.

Finally, as we descended and we crossed several avalanche fields, the air got clearer and some views opened up.

Riemenstaldental is beautiful and often overlooked, but an ideal hike for late(r) spring.

As we got to the first houses, we were surprised by unfamiliar sounds behind us. A skier was walking down the mountain with his plastic boots and carrying his gear. We struck up a conversation and he told us his story:

He got to Riemenstalden at 6am and with a friend hiked up the mountain on skins. At the summit, they drank their tea and prepared for the long ski down. As he was taking the skins of his skis, he fumbled and one of the skis (only one) fell down the cliff and shattered. He had to ski down on one ski and walk most of the distance. Given the circumstances, his spirits were high.

Momo and I kept walking for the long, second half of our hike towards Sisikon.

The Riemenstalden valley is long and wild with some beautiful cliffs and a very deep gorge leading out. 

We found a bench under a huge cliff for a last pause before the final descent to the sunny slopes of Sisikon, where Momo took a bath in the local fountain to cool off.

What we learned: 

Check conditions better. The snow and fog were a nasty surprise. We had plenty of battery and had saved the maps on our phone but these were unpleasant conditions for a hike.

Take breaks on the descent: a fifteen minute break in the last hour made all the difference when you descend over 850m in one continuous plod. On the uphill bits, you take breaks as needed, on the downhill bits, you should schedule them consciously

Walensee before the tourists come 20220306

 Day:            6.3.2022
Start: Walenstadt, SG
End:       Weesen, SG
Distance:            21.79km
Ascent:                 911m
Descent:                 882m
Walking time:                   4:21

Confession time: we hike to be alone. We hike for solitude. We hike to recover and reflect. This is incompatible with many of the hikers you encounter: boom boxes, loud conversations, yoga pants and influencers can spoil a nice day out. Therefore, the north shore of Walensee, as beautiful, sunny and easy to hike as it is, is generally off-bounds for us.

Unfortunately there are not many hikes you can do in early spring. There's still a lot of snow up high and most hikes in the Swiss "flatlands" are criss-crossed by driveable roads and villages which is more of a lengthy dog walk than a hike to us. 

We bit the bullet and decided to do Walensee anyways. Just as early in spring as possible and before the boat routes to the halfway point at Quinten open up. There was still hope, that the instagram-boombox crowd was still (après-)skiing in early March. 

So we drove to Weesen, hopped on the train to Walenstadt and started our hike in cold but sunny weather. 

The ascent to the top of the first cliffs takes about an hour. I felt good and all the pre-season cardio has paid off: we were never out of breath and maintained a good pace. The absence of "instagram stops" was noticed but not unwelcome.

About halfway up, we were alone. Alone! On one of the most popular hiking trails of Switzerland. By the time we reached the top, we decided to take a rest, enjoy the cold spring air and have a snack. 

We met one or two other parties on the way down and along the lake, but mostly we walked in quiet. When we got into Quinten, we really saw the difference: no crowds. Just a few hikers like us doing the full length of the lake and some weekend trippers staying at the posh B&B. Momo was keen on exploring the restaurants, but these goldmines don't open until the boat service to Quinten is running. 

We tightened our backback straps and went to attack the steep ascent over the second quarry.

For the first time in my life, I tried out some walking sticks. It really makes a difference on steep uphill sections. Not only for power and efficiency, but also because you focus way less on keeping your balance. The climb was over in a breeze. 

I must admit that the main reason why I bought the sticks was not about walking efficiency. I still hate the clinging noise of hikers coming up a quiet path on these sticks. The main reason was that we want to do some two-day trips this summer. With the heavier pack, the sticks might be necessary on the steeper uphill and downhill segments. Also, they can be used to create an awning for the tent.

The second section along the lake was as beautiful as always but there were more and more day hikers as we approached Weesen. Yeezy sneakers, weird trousers, push chairs, boom boxes, beer crates. The kind of people you don't want to see on a hike in nature. We went off the path for a last break, snack and a bath with spectacular scenery for Momo.

The way back through Weesen was uncool. Too many day trippers driving up and down the lakeshore in tuned Benzes. Too many artificially ripped "sexy" jeans and fake eyebrows giving us critical looks.

We were happy to hop in the car and drive home for a Schnitzel and a beer.

What we've learned:

• Physical preparation, especially working on baseline cardio, pays huge dividends on hikes. You just feel so much better!
• Hiking sticks make a difference. They take a bit of load off your legs but more importantly they reduce the amount of concentration required to go over difficult terrain.
• Hiking sticks are a bit of a trap. As soon as you put them away, you stumble. The body gets used to walk with that kind of support in minutes. I can imagine that people who use them all the time will find it hard to walk without sticks. So they must be used sparingly and consciously