So today is the last stage. The end of the trail. Expected, hoped for, feared. Can it really be that this adventure is over today? Well, we will be able to give that answer in a few hours. For now, we have to get up early for once, because the ship that is supposed to take us to the other bank is leaving at exactly the moment...
Trans Swiss Trail - The longest Stage
It slowly dawns on us that we have an extremely long piece of work ahead of us today, but as always we take it calmly (the advantage of age) and just start walking. Everything else will fall into place (to paraphrase Charlie in Two and a Half Man). Although the description of the two parts doesn't even sound like that...
Trans Swiss Trail – Sweat and panting and cursing
Sometimes you want to get inside a stranger's brain to see what makes them tick and what drives them. I'm not talking about Putin's brain, his psychopathic darkness would probably be frightening, no, I'm referring to the planners of the Trans Swiss Trail. Why do they have by far the longest and...
Trans Swiss Trail – Straight along the Ticino
Well, after yesterday's strenuous stage we can look forward to a long but at least flat route along the Ticino. And our little group has gained a temporary addition. Silvia, my ex-wife, wants to find out how her fitness is and accompanies us to Bellinzona. In Biasca, where the stage starts, the Blenio Valley from...
Trans Swiss Trail – A thousand Steps
You are never more in control of your own time than when hiking. Nobody and nothing forces you to do anything (except perhaps the expected distance or the hotel room you have already booked). Is it possible that this is why you feel so liberated? That a kind of dependence on this condition arises? That you want to do something again and again? …
Trans Swiss Trail - Between the Mountains and the Woods
You sit together at a long table, chat with mother and daughter, who are also on the Strada, and enjoy the sumptuous breakfast that contains everything your heart desires. This is how a day of hiking must begin; anything else would be a sin on this magnificent day that is announced on the mountain peaks. The old house in…
Trans Swiss Trail – Hiking on the Strada Alta
Well, today is the first day with company. The path is long, but, if I remember correctly, extremely beautiful. Deep down in the valley, traffic roars on the motorway, while up on the Strada Alta there is peace. Magnificent view of the Leventina and Val Bedretto mountain ranges. In villages and meadows...
Trans Swiss Trail – On Top of the World (almost)
So this morning I'm sitting in the café having breakfast, looking out into the cool morning, somehow happy to be able to escape this strange place. There are a lot of people on the street, all on their way to somewhere, no idea where. They look as purposeful as they must today. The dogma of the time: one should...
Trans Swiss Trail – The devil sends his regards
For such a short stage, it seems appropriate to start with something witty. Well then, I found something by Caravaggio, my favorite painter (among many others): We are made of the stuff that dreams are made of. Life is just a shadow that walks, a fairy tale, full of sound and fury. Come with your dark bandage, night! A …
Trans Swiss Trail – Towards the Gotthard
Awakening with David Bowie Reaching for the iPhone and the iTunes database is always the first move, even before the system is booted up. The random selection enables the surprise of the day every morning, today actually very welcome with David Bowie. However, this song, recorded shortly before his death in early 2016, is not exactly what one...
Trans Swiss Trail – Light and Shadow
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee! Anyone who remembers Muhammed Ali knows this saying. One of his many unforgettable quips that can be used to one's own advantage at any time and in the most impossible situations. I am eternally grateful to him, this loudmouth. He accompanied my youth, he annoyed me, inspired me,...
Trans Swiss Trail - Memories of past Times
“Movement is an elementary form of thinking,” said the Geneva-based developmental psychologist Jean Piaget. I don't know whether this thesis is correct, but my thought processes tend to focus on the immediate things. Or is that exactly what is meant? The brain is an association machine, connects elements, stores them, recognizes patterns. This is a …
Trans Swiss Trail - Strange people
Sometimes I wonder what kind of people they are who undertake long, strenuous long-distance hikes. And still completely alone. I'm one of them, but I still don't actually know. All I can think of is the fact that I've never felt better, never been less stressed, never been better at facing...
Trans Swiss Trail – Postcard Switzerland
The ancient Greeks had two words for time: Chronos for the exact, even sequence of units of equal length, while Kairos refers to the opportune moment, the opportune moment, the feeling of being in the right place at the right time, with the right people (Thank you Tagesanzeiger Magazine). In summary, Kairos measures the importance...
Trans Swiss Trail – Reading Nature
If you look more closely - you have a lot of time for philosophical reflections on the way - hiking is an extremely simple thing. There is nothing superfluous, nothing complicated. You put one foot in front of the other, always straight ahead or along curves and inclines until you reach your destination. And the next day it goes...
Trans Swiss Trail - The Destructiveness of Water
Sometimes you become aware of the forces nature can develop. Today is one of those days. It's not entirely surprising. But always a reminder of how quickly something harmless can develop into something threatening. But as always, everything starts as expected. The view out the window shows wet streets...
Trans Swiss Trail – The Sky darkens
Ridge hike on the western flank of the Pfyffer. On the Wachthubel there is a breathtaking view of the foothills of the Alps, Schrattenflue and Hohgant. On the descent you come across black buffalo. They made Schangnau famous for its mozzarella. What the guide has to say sounds interesting. Let's see if I can see the famous buffalo. The last time it will be...
Trans Swiss Trail - In Gotthelf's Homeland
It's going to be a long day. Some event in Lützelflüh, perhaps a Gotthelf event, meant that all the inns were fully booked on Sunday. The friendly lady at the desired hotel refers me to another one, which is also full. Well then, this evening I end up in a tiny little town called Ranflüh, a few kilometers away...
Trans Swiss Trail - The beautiful blue Aare
There is a song by Stiller Has called Aare, quite well known and popular with the audience. He will accompany me along the Aare today (even though I'm not a particularly enthusiastic fan of Stiller Has). After all, there are almost ten kilometers that I will hike exclusively along this blue wonder. The hiking guide also sees it positively: Attractive…
Trans Swiss Trail – The Swaying Trees
You narrowly escaped a great hangover, your head is somewhat clear and ready for the next stage. I sneak through the corridors; it smells of ancient wood, of worn carpets, of dust. It feels like diving into the past. But I like these old walls, they certainly have a lot to tell. I would be …
Trans Swiss Trail – Nomadic Genes
It is well advised to plan for shorter stages when planning. The body needs intervals in which it doesn't have to push itself to the limit (which I don't do anyway), where it can recover and recharge the battery. Anyone who forgets this simple truth will regret it. Today is one of those stages. Ascent and descent are harmless, the…
Trans Swiss Trail - The Perfection of the Day
You would think that a Chinese breakfast would consist of rice soup or noodle soup, maybe jiaozi stuffed with minced meat and Chinese cabbage. Or Baozi or Youtiao. I would have liked that. But nothing like that. They have adapted to local eating habits and serve bread with butter and jam and cheese and ham. The bread, however,…
Trans Swiss Trail - Back in Jinghong
As a hiker, you are per se someone who protects the environment, who protects the climate, who does not need parking spaces and is otherwise - my own contribution to this theory - a very useful member of human society. To my astonishment, the patron of the hotel thinks exactly the same thing and gives me a discount straight away...
Trans Swiss Trail – Dark Thoughts on a beautiful Day
Sometimes, fortunately not too often, there are days that are anything but a blessing. In other words, crappy days. The shitty day starts early, actually yesterday never really ends. Despite the pleasant surroundings and soft bed, it gives me an almost sleepless night, as always difficult to explain. Pizza too big? Too much …
Trans Swiss Trail - Energy for the future
Actually, my disappointed eye is on the measly breakfast, but I can't help but listen to the conversation at the next table. A couple is deep in discussion, but I take a short break to point out the deep blue sky (the weather is a popular and usually successful way to start a conversation). This results in …
Trans Swiss Trail - Horses' Paradise
A pale sun shines through the window, obscured by quickly passing clouds, but every few moments they undergo another transition from light to dark and back to light again. A very welcome morning greeting. About the horses I'm particularly looking forward to today, because the stage leads up to the Freiberge, ...
Trans Swiss Trail – Rain Songs
There's nothing more boring on a hike when it's raining out of all cylinders early in the morning, and there's nothing nicer than sitting at home in the warm room with the rain hitting the window panes. Well, this morning the former is true - it's pouring rain. The sky shows its unpleasant face, gray...
Trans Swiss Trail – On the Road again
A long-distance hike of over 500 kilometers does not always start with the best conditions. The day started early, almost night when you get up, autumn is approaching. The journey via Basel to Pruntrut is quite relaxed, but at the same time tired and stressed. The view through the window doesn't show what you would like - blue sky, ...