On Friday evening I walked into our local library in Thalwil to collect a DVD for my wife and to look for a hiking guide. The first one I happened to see was ‘Glarnerland’, a book in the series of the Rother Wanderführer with walks in the Swiss Canton Glarus.
After browsing an hour through the guide, I decided to do the first hike to the Hirzli mountain (1640 m).
Around 9:30 I arrived at the valley station of the Niederurner Täli cable car. There I was met with an incredibly friendly operator who also took the time to explain the route to me.
While I was visiting the toilet, Paddy, my dog, was taken care of by two extremely friendly students, one from Germany and one from Brazil. They were so fond of him, that I was happy to be able to take him back out of their care…
Sometimes you have to wait incredibly long for a cable car, but this one is highly efficient (8 people – every 10 minutes).
When I arrived at the hill station I had to climb several hundred meters up the mountain through the woods, and with a view.
After about one and a half hours I arrived at the top of the Hirzli. The views along the way were already gratifying, but this one was downright stunning. The type of view you nowadays expect from pictures made with AI…
The views reminded me of the Celtic saying that there are places where earth and heaven touch each other.
After a coffee, some chocolate, biscuits and sausage, I walked over the ridge to the Planggenstock, the second peak. It was a true ‘Gratwanderung’ (Ridge walk). Steep declines on both sides of the path, and one or two times I slipped (do not tell my wife!).
After the Planggenstock the route continued over the ridge and then made a turn to the valley. The way back was a gentle walk back to the mountain station of the cable car through the valley and a wood (‘Flüewald’).
It was a fantastic walk. I give it a solid 5/5 stars and place it firmly in my top 5 favorite hikes.
All pictures were taken with my new ‘classic’ DSLR camera, the Canon 5D ii (released in 2008) with the ‘el cheapo’ Canon EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. It was the first time I used the camera and lens, so I learned how to use it along the way. PS: I am writing a review about this camera which I will publish later on this blog.
