Trekking Mission

Trekking across the Swiss Alps. From the rugged Rätikon Mountain Range and lovely Engadin Valley in the canton of Graubünden to the eastern border with Italy. The Hike continued crossing the wild Ticino Mountains to the most fantastic glacier scenery in Switzerland in the Bernese Alps and finally in the canton of Vaud along Lake Geneva.

Hiking Day 1 and 2

It took me two days to hike from the city of Chur along the valley of the River Rhein and finally to climb through blossoming alpine meadows to the peak of Mt. Vilan. On the way down to the valley I was chased by a herd of about 20 cows till I saved myself leaping over a fence.

Hiking Day 3

Following a long valley I accessed the remote area of the Rätikon Mountains . Today's highest point, Cavelljoch, is common border with the neighboring country Austria . At an altitude of around 2000 m above sea level there still lay massive snowfields that made the passage too risky. But matter-of-factly the detour through an area full of loose stone and rubble was not much less dangerous. Just as the sun disappeared I set up an open-air camp at the foot of the so-called "Swiss Gate". After a quick bath in the freezing cold glacier brook I cooked some mushroom noodles for dinner. 

Hiking Day 4

Steep ascent. Snow had buried the path and the markings underneath. With the compass and the diverse maps I navigated up to Carschina refuge hut where I was offered a hot soup by the host. 4 hours later I passed the farmer hamlet of St. Antönien whose touristy slogan is indeed appropriate: "behind the moon on the left!" As I still had enough provisions for another day I just refilled the water bottles and headed straight on. I was climbing up on the other side of the valley, when all of a sudden a fierce thunderstorm thrashed down. On the map I located a tiny brown spot close by, any kind of building. Hurriedly I balanced over the river and soon found shelter in an unoccupied stable. As it already got dark I decided to stay here for the night. The pattering rain, roaring thunder and striking lightning throwing light through the cracks of the wooden walls woke me up several times... what an eerie feeling!

Hiking Day 5

Early in the morning I climbed up the last part to the pass and then hiked all day long on a path high above the valley of the Prättigau.

Hiking Day 6

Today I hiked across a magical u-shaped valley with its brook zigzagging through a marsh, large boulders, light mist and drizzle. I somehow expected to see some elves, dwarfs, hobbits or other creatures out of “Lord of the Rings”. The further up I climbed the thicker the fog got. The magic of the beginning turned into a hard and difficult stage. Finally the view was limited to a mere arm's length. Often I had to guess the way, as there weren't any points of orientation. A big help posed the murmur of the river underneath the ice of the glacier, which guided my up to the top of the pass of Vereina. Once in a while the strong and icy wind cleared the sky and gave view to a wild, rocky and sandy landscape, reminding me of a beach and several lakes covered by ice floes but just seconds later the fog veiled everything again. Snowfall set in and spoiled the plan for a lunch break. I needed all afternoon to descend to the famous valley of the Engadin and thus the Romanish speaking part of Switzerland. There I passed some lovely villages, well known for its unique architecture. 11 hours pure walking time, 1700 m of altitude difference and an estimated 50 km made me fall asleep within the blink of an eye!

Hiking Day 7

A spectacular gorge led into the valley bordering the Swiss National Park. Grazing cows stared at me absently while I invaded their pasture on the way to the Pass da Costainas. Now what do you do high up there, knowing the last post bus out of the following godforsaken valley was going to leave in three hours and the hiking time indicated was 6 hours? Well you could spend another night out in the wilderness but wouldn't you like to enjoy the comfort of your own bed again? That's why I hurried down the mountain as fast as I possibly could and finally ran the last 10 km along the paved main road to Müstair, the most easterly point of the country, right at the border to Italy. I made it right on time... well actually in half the time!

Hiking Day 17

Val Bedretto/ Val Corno: once more I underestimated the presence of not retreated glaciers. There weren't sufficient sunny days so far to have reduced them to their usual summer size. I advanced as far as I thought reasonable but when the steep slope got completely icy and led far down directly into an ice floe-covered glacier lake, which in the worst case scenario would be a terribly cold grave, I decided to turn around. To make up for some of the time lost I walked along the road of the Nufenen, the highest pass for motorized vehicles in Switzerland. On both sides towered 5-meter-high walls of snow. Tonight I camped down in the valley of Wallis where I found the perfect spot with an old bathtub. Actually it is meant to provide cattle with fresh water but it served me just as well doing laundry and taking a bath in the freezing water.

The trekking season may start in May or June, in July and August the temperature rises considerably and you may refresh yourself in the many mountain lakes and rivers, September could be the most attractive month with beautifully colored forests and often very nice weather conditions.

How much does it cost?
Depends mostly on your choice of accommodation and if you prefer to stock up in supermarkets or eat out in restaurants often. Generally speaking Switzerland is a rather expensive country. Then again, long distance hiking is an excellent alternative to get to know the beauty of the country on the cheap.