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Tuesday, August 14, 2012
5-Seen-Wanderung.
This past weekend I went on the 5-Seen-Wanderung (5-Lake-Hike). Given past success with a hike of this sort, I was expecting a beautiful hike (although what hike here isn't beautiful?), and this definitely was that. The weather wasn't totally cooperative, with intermittent fog, but that's another story.
I have been experiencing mountains withdrawal, since this really was the first time that I have been in the Alps all summer; in fact, the last time I was in the mountains was when I went skiing in March!
The hike started at Pizolhütte with a steady climb into the fog.
I have to admit that I've never been on a hike that was this crowded. There were traffic jams as we climbed, and I'm pretty sure that I saw more people on this trail than I did the whole time I was Alaska. For real. I guess that's the thing about hiking in Switzerland: easy access to the trails and the high density of people mean that you're never hiking alone. Still, the fact that this was a relatively easy hike (yes, a vertical climb of 1800 feet- the height of the Empire State Building- does constitute an easy hike), that it was only 1.5 hours from Zürich, and that it was extraordinarily beautiful made it by far the most crowded hike I've done.
The climb and the crowds were worth it when we got to the top and saw the sun and the Wildsee. It was incredible!
From there, the hike descended to the Schottensee, which had a really dreamy blue color when you got closer to it.
After the Schottensee, we had another climb to Schwarzkopf, where there was a great panoramic view.
Then was the descent to the Schwarzsee (Black Lake), which was actually named quite aptly, since the water is an interesting black-ish green color. I stopped for a nice lunch break here, before continuing along my way.
From the Schwarzsee, we climbed to the top of the next ridge and saw a huge collection of Steinmannlis (little stone men). It was definitely one of the more bizarre things I've come across in my hikes. Not that I haven't seen Steinmannlis around, but never this many or ones this large.
From the Steinmannlis we descended to the Baschalvasee, and then continued to descend to Gaffia.
You may have noticed only 4 lakes on this hike, which was billed as a 5-lake hike. I am not complaining, since it was plenty beautiful. I'm just wondering how on earth I could've missed an entire lake? Or if there is even a 5th lake at all, since there are no other lakes on any of the maps I looked at... At any rate, it was a lovely hike. Yay for mountains!
I have been experiencing mountains withdrawal, since this really was the first time that I have been in the Alps all summer; in fact, the last time I was in the mountains was when I went skiing in March!
The hike started at Pizolhütte with a steady climb into the fog.
I have to admit that I've never been on a hike that was this crowded. There were traffic jams as we climbed, and I'm pretty sure that I saw more people on this trail than I did the whole time I was Alaska. For real. I guess that's the thing about hiking in Switzerland: easy access to the trails and the high density of people mean that you're never hiking alone. Still, the fact that this was a relatively easy hike (yes, a vertical climb of 1800 feet- the height of the Empire State Building- does constitute an easy hike), that it was only 1.5 hours from Zürich, and that it was extraordinarily beautiful made it by far the most crowded hike I've done.
 |
| Crowds in front of me. |
 |
| Crowds behind me. |
 |
| Crowds on the switch-backs above me. |
The climb and the crowds were worth it when we got to the top and saw the sun and the Wildsee. It was incredible!
From there, the hike descended to the Schottensee, which had a really dreamy blue color when you got closer to it.
After the Schottensee, we had another climb to Schwarzkopf, where there was a great panoramic view.
 |
| If you look closely, you can see the Wildsee and the Schottensee in the distance. |
Then was the descent to the Schwarzsee (Black Lake), which was actually named quite aptly, since the water is an interesting black-ish green color. I stopped for a nice lunch break here, before continuing along my way.
From the Schwarzsee, we climbed to the top of the next ridge and saw a huge collection of Steinmannlis (little stone men). It was definitely one of the more bizarre things I've come across in my hikes. Not that I haven't seen Steinmannlis around, but never this many or ones this large.
From the Steinmannlis we descended to the Baschalvasee, and then continued to descend to Gaffia.
 |
| The rocks are actually quite purple, although it's hard to capture it in a photo. |
You may have noticed only 4 lakes on this hike, which was billed as a 5-lake hike. I am not complaining, since it was plenty beautiful. I'm just wondering how on earth I could've missed an entire lake? Or if there is even a 5th lake at all, since there are no other lakes on any of the maps I looked at... At any rate, it was a lovely hike. Yay for mountains!
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