engelberg magazin nummer16 sommer

Walenpfad Route: Bannalp – Oberfeld – Walegg – Walalp – Brunnihütte Distanz: 10km Höhendifferenz: 700m rauf und 800m runter Dauer: 4h Schwierigkeitsgrad: mittel Rundreiseticket: Luftseilbahnen in Wolfen- schiessen und Engelberg, sowie Postauto und Zen- tralbahn = CHF 28.– (Erwachsene mit 1 ⁄ 2 Tax)

The Walen Trail Route: Bannalp – Oberfeld – Walegg – Walalp – Brunni mountain hut Distance: 10 km Elevation gain/loss: 700 m ascending and 800 m descending Duration: Four hours Difficulty level: Medium Round-trip tickets: Cableway in Wolfenschiessen and Engelberg, including PostAuto buses and train (Zentralbahn) = CHF 28 (adults with half-fare card)

Nach rund vierstündiger Wanderung erreicht man die Brunnihütte SAC.

Idyllischer Anblick: der Bannalpsee. An idyllic sight: the Bannalpsee lake

After roughly four hours of walking, the hikers reach the SAC Brunni mountain hut.

The warmmorning sun streams in through the cable car windows as we sit and watch the valley floor recede further and further into the dis- tance: the picturesque and leisurely cableway journey up to Chrüzhütte at Bannalp, where the Walen Trail begins, is a heavenly experience in itself. Once at the top, we enjoy the v iew back towards Oberrickenbach and the sur- rounding A lpine panorama. This terrain is home to the peaks of the Wa lenstöcke moun- tains – the stars of this hiking trail. We will

with our energy levels topped up, it ’s time to tack le the steepest ascent of the day. With our eyes glued to our feet, we climb these exposed but well secured passages up to the summit of the Wa legg, where we are rewarded with a spec tacu lar v iew that takes our breath away: an impressive panorama of mountain peaks and a dizzy ing glimpse down into the depths of the va lley below. This is the highest point of the hike and we are a lready more than ha lfway a long our route. The leisurely descent then begins down the opposite side of the Wa legg. The nex t sec tion the ease of a mountain goat! Anyone who has brought some traditiona l cer velat sausage with them shou ld stop of f at the family f ire pits at Wa lena lp, where you can cut the clas- sic slits in the sausage skin and roast it over the f ire to turn it into a delicious Wurscht. For the nex t hour, the trail continues across scree slopes and through A lpine mead- ows before one last burst of energy is required. Af ter completing the f ina l ascent of the day, the sight of the SAC Brunni mountain hut standing by beautif u l Lake Härzlisee is sure to bring a sense of relief and achievement. Here you can treat your wear y feet to a won- der f u l sensor y experience on the Kitzel Trail, where a barefoot wa lk across various sur faces including sand, wood chips, pebbles, clay and water stimu lates and rev ita lises not on ly the soles of your feet, but your entire body and sou l. The per fec t end to a wonder f u l hike! traces the border between the cantons of Nidwa lden and Obwa lden, and af ter the ef for ts of the prev ious pas- sages you shou ld f ind that you bound a long here with

need a f u ll day to hike the red-white-red Wa len Trail, as it is not simply a case of put ting one foot in f ront of the other – there are many adventures, big and sma ll, to be had a long the way. Just

On the Walegg, the highest point of the hike, an impres- sive panorama awaits hikers.

a few metres a long the trail, for example, we reach the Banna lpsee lake, where the Urn- erstaf fel mountain guesthouse makes for a good initia l stop-of f point. The Banna lpsee may be a man-made reser voir, but with the guesthouse situated on its grassy shore it is the ver y pic ture of an idyllic A lpine landscape. And this cr ysta l clear mountain lake does not on ly make for a beautif u l sight – with our feet ref reshed f rom a dip in its cool waters, the nex t sec tion of the hike feels a lmost ef for tless. Af ter a shor t while, however, we need to roll up our sleeves once more when the path star ts its ascent and the f irst pangs of hun- ger and thirst begin to kick in. But there are still a few more twists and turns to complete before we get to sit down to a well-deser ved picnic of bread, cheese and chocolate. Any- one travelling light shou ld head to the picnic area at A lp Ober feld, where you can purchase f resh, loca lly produced goat ’s cheese, goat ’s milk, meat and yoghur t. Well ref reshed and

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fokus | focus

fokus | focus