E1 - official end of first half

It is with greatest sadness that I have to announce the premature discontinuation of the E1 project as per today.

Yesterday I have been staying at the hotel to rest and see how the weather develops. Just as weather forecast said it started to lightly rain in the early afternoon leading to heavy rainfalls in the late afternoon and to thunderstorms through the whole night. As per forecast this weather is going to continue until Friday at least, maybe even Sunday.

I wouldn't have had problems with that on a lower altitude. Actually the first few days of the hike were like this. If I am going on a mountain hike though, I'd rather want it to only lightly rain or better to be dry. Even if it is sunny there is a lot of water in the mountains. If it is raining you are basically walking in a gutter, because the paths serve as such for the water. It is all slippery and muddy. It is not necessarily dangerous. I still respect nature and my own exhaustion at this point in time though. No need to obsess or force myself to continue.

Right now I am sitting in the train from Sedrun to Andermatt. At the altitude I planned to hike there is a dense fog. You can barely see 20m. I will go via Andermatt - Göschenen - Basel SBB back home to Braunschweig. This will take me 10 hours by train.

That said I hereby officially declare the first half (!) of the E1 hike from Lake Constance to Como to be successfully (of course) completed. Continuation of the journey beginning in Sedrun will commence, when circumstances are better (i.e. most probably some time next year :( ...).

And now I am coming back from Swiss mountain cold (14ºC today) to Northern German summer heat (30ºC today)... :)

Stage 11: seriously? ... naaahh!

So today I woke up with a terrible headache, knee aching, shoulders aching. After my motivational and weather issues yesterday, I simply decided not to continue today. I was walking for 10 days in a row with about 200km covered. I crossed a couple of hills and mountains up to 2350m high. Can't be bothered today. Cancelled all further accommodation and extended my stay at the hotel in Sedrun for one night to decide how to proceed.

Actually I feel like I finished all I wanted to do. To continue across the mountains to Italy would be a nice thing to do, but I could do that at some point in time in the future as well.

Today I will just stay in bed, eat a lot, read and watch Bob Ross' Joy of Painting on tv... :)

Stage 10: Etzlihütte - Sedrun

The day started early today. Breakfast was served at 0700. Checkout had to be done until 0830. The breakfast was simple, but good.

Yesterday I did not involve myself too much in conversations. I was doing my thing: reading, writing. But today we talked a lot. Turned out that the son of the older lady I was talking to is currently doing a road trip through South America. I did not ask her if Ernesto Guevara was sort of an idol for her son, because I considered that to be rude. Anyway we had very interesting discussions about security in South America (her son's backpack was stolen in Bolivia). And she was very interested in my story about the current hike through Switzerland. She was not really believing though, that I came all the way from Constance to Etzlihütte...

Our ways parted at around 0900, when I left. Again it was sunny, but this time a chilly wind helped me keep my body cool enough to not break out in sweat at once. The mountain trail crossed a scree slope with a light ascent up to about 2330m to then lead to a beautiful high valley that continued down to Sedrun and Rueras at around 1300m.

It was very picturesque. There was a mountain stream running through the whole valley. At some point a natural pool had developed. Some fellow hikers were having their picknick there. Nobody entered the pool though,  because despite being gorgeous to look at the water was ice cold. Furthermore the actual stream apparently had a strong current, so it wouls have been dangerous.

I continued my way down to Sedrun to my hotel, where I arrived at around 1300. Beautiful hotel with super nice food.

Anyway after arriving I was super tired. Had to catch up on sleep. Then I kinda went through some motivational issues on one hand and weather problems on the other: the next four stages of my hike are all mountain hikes (Maighelshütte - Cadlimo-Hütte - Capanna Dötra - Biasca). And the weather forecast for at least the next three days tells me, that there will be thunderstorms and lots of rain. These are in no way optimal conditions for a mountain hike. Furthermore I am just tired,  everything aches, I did not take a single break in 10 days, and after crossing the first mountains I feel like I 'achieved' the essential parts I wanted to achieve.

Based on these thoughts I plan to go to the mountains tomorrow. I have to be quick to get to the first hut until midday,  because rain and thunderstorms will hit in the afternoon. Afterwards I will see if I am able to continue or if I have to stay at the hut. I will continue to Biasca depending on the weather. I may end my journey a little earlier than I thought and go back home from Biasca though.

Stage 9: Amsteg - Etzlihütte

Ok, this stage was kinda tough. 1800m ascent, 5 hours, constant sun and heat. When I was at 1500m I've actually had enough. But I continued to my destination Etzlihütte anyway.

I left the official Trans Swiss Trail (and with it the E1) after the first 100m in Amsteg. From then on it was officially a 'mountain trail' (Swiss white-red-white markers). I barely met anyone beside a cow or two (mandatory in Switzerland). Actually a major part of the trail on a higher altitude were pastures I had to cross. And there were lots of cows.

The trail ended at Etzlihütte at 2052m altitude. I was rather late and there were already lots of people there. The hut provides for running water and in house toilets, but of course no showers. The Etzlihütte provides the 'Bade-Bottich' as a special feature: a huge wooden tub in front of the hut, which was sort of a jacuzzi, very nice. Anyway I washed myself with the cold running water in the restrooms.

Our host served dinner on the patio of the hut. Apparently he did that for only the second time in all his years as the hut owner. It was still quite warm and sunny. And there was absolutely no wind. This weather is highly unusual at this altitude. You usually expect it to be cold and windy. It was very nice. Then again it soon got cold and all of us had to go inside.

I slept in a room for 24 people in a bed for six. The night was very calm. The people were not at all noisy. Window was open, fresh mountain air, perfect.

Stage 8: Seelisberg/Altdorf - Amsteg

Despite the tough tour I did yesterday,  starting from Altdorf today had all the advantages I could have hoped for:
The stairs from hell were already behind me, I already made the additional kilometres in the direction of the mountains AND the whole stage was flat. Merely no ascents or descents. It was basically a nice stroll along river Reuss.

Two basic problems today: it was very sunny and there was no shadow at all, no way to cool down and rest (other than Erstfeld station, that is). A major part of the trail followed the highway,  which was pretty noisy.

Arrived early and well relaxed in Amsteg at the foot of the mountains. The hotel I am staying in is just perfect. It has been established in 1788. Goethe is told to have staid here in 1790. I am sleeping in 'the oldest bed of the house' (which apparently is more than 200 years old). We were joking that most probably Goethe slept in the bed I am sleeping in tonight. Though I hope they changed the mattress at some point in time since then. The place is run by two architects (I think they are) who fell in love with the place. And their love shows in lots of really nice details. If you are in Amsteg,  stay in Hotel Stern und Post.

This was the  final stage of the first part of my journey through Switzerland. Some time tomorrow I am leaving the Trans Swiss Trail/E1 to get to the real mountains. I just don't want to walk along the highway for hundreds of kilometres. I might be offline through the next couple of days, but I will continue writing (and taking pictures). Will upload, when I am back in civilization.

Stage 7: Schwyz - Seelisberg

Today was a strange day. Started my day with a surprisingly good breakfast at the little backpacker's hotel I stayed in in Schwyz. A really nice place,  but my room smelled like someone has been living there, who never in his life washed his feet. I just assumed he had short arms, thought he probably was a poor guy, and opened the window...

It was the most beautiful sunny summer day today. Which meant I was huffing and puffing and sweating AND I finally came to use the SPF 55 sunscreen.

Part of today's journey was the so-called 'Weg der Schweiz' in the Swiss canton of Uri. The Weg der Schweiz starts at the infamous Rütli. But the Via Jacobi took me on a completely different path. So I missed the Rütli. Np, I have been there before.

To get to canton Uri you have to cross Lake Lucerne by boat. So I got from Brunnen to Treib and went to the West along Lake Lucerne. You don't have the slightest clue how unbelievably beautiful this place is. I always thought that the beginning of Weg der Schweiz on the other side was rather boring. But along Via Jacobi it was just phenomenal. I walked through the greenest meadows with lots (and I mean loads) of butterflies. Below me was Lake Lucerne shining in the most beautiful shades of blue. It was awesome.

Right after the butterfly meadow I left the Via Jacobi (national route 4) and continued my way on the Trans Swiss Trail (national route 2).

I pretty soon arrived at today's destination,  Seelisberg. Was a little disappointed that it was only such a short walk today. Went to my accommodation and wanted to check in, but everything was dark there. Nobody around. Only a side entrance open. Inside no light turned on. Felt a little strange. But as it was around 1300 I thouht they might be around a little later. So I went for a nice warm lunch (didn't have that in a long while) and basically waited for 2hrs. After that I went back to my hotel to check in. Same result. Everything dark, nobody around.

I had the feeling I could walk some more anyhow. So I decided to find new accommodation for the night and to head on. My new hotel was in Altdorf just down the lake. I knew that there were the stairs from hell ahead of me (yet another descent of a couple of hundred meters, all stairs; you basically have to take stairs downhill for about 45 mins; hipe you can see the lizard only 20cm away from my feet in the stairs picture). But I knew as well, that the path was basically flat afterwards. Easy walk, I thought.

But I was wrong. I was already super tired after ending the stairs.  Then I had to walk for about 12 more kilometres. It was super warm. I wanted to be home. But there is noaway to get away from this path by public transportation (with the exception of yet another boat, that I just missed). In the end I walked about 35 kilometres including getting up to and down from Seelisberg. Tough! So tomorrow I am going to take it easy,  before heading on to the real mountains.