Switzerland travel series - part 7 - Säntis
Are you ready for another walk with me in the Swiss Alps?
I had a minor surgery planned this week and I knew that I won't be able to go to the mountains for a few weeks, so we decided to go there last Saturday (probably last time this year). You might have noticed that I'm not that active on Steemit this week. I'm taking some medication that makes me very tired, so I struggle to keep my eyes open 😊 It also takes me much longer than usually to put this post together as I have to take naps from time to time..
But let's focus on our walk now!
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Säntis
Säntis is the highest mountain in the Alpstein massif of northeastern Switzerland and the landmark of the Lake Constance region. It's very popular and easily accessible by cable car Schwägalp–Säntis.
Located at the peak of the Säntis at 2,501.9 meters above sea level, there is a Transmission tower. The original tower from 1955 was renovated many times due to the harsh weather conditions. The tower was replaced in 1997.
There are many hiking trails with different difficulty grades, so everyone will be able to pick one.
It took us around one hour to get to Säntis. We live in a valley and enjoy the landscape becoming more hilly when we drive towards the Alps.
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We are almost there..
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After we parked the car, we went for a short walk before going up to Säntis.
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Here it is! This is where we go. Can you see the cable car? This cabin fits 85 people!
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I'm not such a big fan of cable cars, but my desire to go hiking and enjoy the views was stronger than my fear. The ticket price is CHF 45 (ca $45). There are some discounts available and you can check them at the counter.
The ride takes 10 minutes and it is quite scary and beautiful at the same time.
The structure of Säntis is extremely interesting in terms of its geology. We can clearly see different layers from different periods.
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After 10 minutes (in my opinion it was several hours) I was the first one to get off the cabin. I could finally breath normally again. The first thing that I realized was the difference in temperature. In the valley it was 22 degrees Celsius, while on the mountain it was only 5 degrees Celsius. It was quite cold and windy, so we put on our jackets first.
I have forgotten about the ride and the temperature as soon as I saw this view. It was all worth it!
We can also see Churfirsten. This is a mountain range consisting of seven peaks in the canton of St. Gallen.
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Let's start with walking around the platform..
There were some people who came up just to look around and have a meal with a view and then went down again. Not sure if this is the best use of the CHF 45 ride though 😊
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But it was not us! We will go to this mountain rim. We were told that I should manage to walk there even with my leg pain. Let's try it!
Once we get there we will see the Mount Altmann (on the left) and Wildhuser Schofberg (on the right) in the Alpstein Range in all their glory.
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Our walk starts at the restaurant. Look at these stones. They are nicely put together to form some kind of statues. I wonder what happens when there is a strong wind as Säntis is known for its extreme weather conditions that are not typical for this region.
Let's walk around the restaurant to get to our hiking trail.
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I hope you have good shoes as the trail looks rough. It is rather narrow as well so at some places we hoped that there won't be anyone coming from the opposite direction..
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The path leads us down, then up to the top of this mountain and then down again. Wouldn't it be easier just to build the trail around the mountain?
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Let's stop for a minute and admire the surroundings before we go up..
Those teeth on the right are Silberplatten.
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This is what it's called an easy trail over here 😊
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We can see the cross on the top already - almost there..
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Getting closer.. Let me tell you that it was not easy.
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Before we reach the top we turn around to see how much we descended. To our surprise, it was not as much as we thought.
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Hooray! We are finally in the middle of our hike. Look at this beauty!
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You can see the restaurant and the trail that we took.
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And now we will go down again 😊
Can you see the lake on the left? It's the Seealpsee and I'll take you there as well - just not today.
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As we approach the mountain rid, the path becomes wider and easier to walk on.
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We can see far away..
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Can you spot that small statue?
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We are slowly coming to the end of our hike. The trail continues further down but my leg hurts so I have to go back. My conditions should be improved after the surgery, so I hope to continue this hike next year.
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In total we walked around 8000 steps which doesn't seem a lot but it's more than enough on such a rough trail.
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Yes, I know this is not an ideal backpack for mountains but it's my favorite one! 😊
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My pain was getting more and more annoying on the way back to the cable car.
I didn't expect to be happy when I enter the cabin. On the way down I was more relaxed and those ten minutes actually took only ten minutes 😊
As usually, all photos are taken by my Nikon D3200 AF-S NIKKOR 18-55 mm 1:3.5-5.6 G II (except of the ones indicated in the text)
I hope you have enjoyed our hike!
Thank you for joining me!
Cheers,
Martina
I'm not sure how active I will be this week but I promise to answer all your comments.
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super post!
Thank you!
Nice post! Wish you a good recovery! I was not as lucky as you with the weather when I was there last in July. About cable cars, I usually prefer to take them only to go down after a good hike up. Going up starting from Wasserauen, Seealpsee, Ebenalp then along the northern ridge up until Säntis was a very nice hike, though quite exhausting (2000m up).
Here before reaching Seealpsee, we could see our target Säntis waiting for us :
Seealpsee that you mentioned :
Starting the ascent, we pass below Ebenalp, with its famous Ascher cliff restaurant :
Taking some altitude, now seeing lake Seealpsee below :
We encounter some cows who seem to enjoy the view :
Some parts are somehow challenging once we arrive closer to the top, but always well secured with cables or ladders :
And finally the last exposed portion to reach the cable car !
Clouds were all around unfortunately. But still a very rewarding journey : )
Wow!! This looks like a tough hike! 2000 m sounds tiring. We've seen people walking that final ascending part and I must say they looked exhausted.
I usually prefer to hike up as well, but it was not possible in my current conditions. I was grateful that there was the cable car even though I'm usually scared of hanging on a cable :)
I'm sorry to hear that it was cloudy. After such a hike, it would have been very rewarding for you to enjoy the views. I hope that you will manage to come again.
AND please make a post about your journey as I'm sure more people would enjoy it. Your photos are great! :)
Thank you for your amazing comment!
EDIT: I've just noticed that you're based in Zurich so I'm sure you'll be able to visit Santis again :) BTW, maybe we could organize a Swiss meet up in the future if there would be more Swiss based people :)
Thank you ! For sure I will post my hikes here, I have done a lot since I moved to Switzerland, just need time to put them together. I don't have a high quality camera, simply my phone, but would be happy to share trail descriptions with pictures
Best wishes and maybe see you on top of a Swiss mountain :)
I went to Pilatus yesterday, check it out : )
https://steemit.com/nature/@deconstruction/the-dragon-above-the-clouds-pilatus-hike-part-1-intro
Omgosh, that is truly stunning... I love that little restaurant sitting all alone on that mountain top... wow... Truly wonderful post again Martina and hope you feel better and heal quickly!!!
Thank you Dave! I think you can also stay there overnight if you don't manage to get to the last cable car that goes down at 6.30PM. Must be amazing to wake up with such a view :)
Thank you for visiting and for your wishes!
Spectacular photos, enjoyed each and every one of them. Wish you'll get well soon and enjoy life to the fullest as you do. Thank you for your effort to share this amazing trip with us!
Thank you Dan! I hope your wish will come true. At the moment I'm a little bit annoyed as I'm not used to the constant pain.. so it's better not be around me now, lol.
I'm glad that you liked my photos. You could think about your next EuroVelo somewhere here ;) I would love to see your impressions!
What a great travel blog! I always loved the mountains. I grew up in Austria, and lived most of my life in Canada, near the Rockies, until returning to Austria.
Alas, I am too old now for strenuous hikes, but I could handle the cable car, lol.
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Thank you for stopping by! I have never been to Canada, but seen so many posts about Rockies that it feels like I've been there already :)
Why did you come back to Austria?
There are so many cable cars in Switzerland that bring you to very high altitudes. Also, I love to see older people wandering around the mountains. I'm sure you'd manage an easier trail as well!
Easy trails - yes, of course. I do have some conditions, so it would have to be easy trails. Thinking about years ago having my youngest son in a pouch on my chest hiking in the Rockies.......
There are cable cars in Austria also. In the Canadian Rockies, not so - only one I know is in Banff. No Schutzhaus up on top anywhere. You hike, you are on your own in the wild. There are places in British Columbia no man (other than the Natives) has ever set foot on.
Why did I return to Austria: there was nothing anymore that could have kept me in Canada (long story). I am retired. Winters are brutal and start mid October, and we had snowstorms even in May, with a short Summer. Nice for the Tourists in Summer, I guess. I worked mostly outdoors on the Canadian Railway.
Blakiston Falls, Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta
Black Bear (they actually come in all colors) encountered on the way, munching on dandelion greens and keeping an eye on me. Also in Waterton.
..... and in Winter, Cameron Falls, also Waterton. It was about 1½ hours drive from where I lived.
right-click the images, they are fairly large
There is something special about hiking in a wild place but I like the feeling that you are safe in the Alps. Doesn't matter how high you go, there is always some facilities in case you need them. I don't want to say that I like certain comfort but rather look at it as being safe..
Rockies sound very wild to me. I've heard there are many bears and it's very common to come across them. I see that you were lucky too :) Are they used to people and remain calm or is it rather dangerous to meet them?
Wow! Those waterfalls are amazing! I don't even want to think how cold it must be to have them frozen like this!
I understand your reasons. And home is and will remain your home :) Winters in Austria must be milder. Do you live somewhere in a big city or rather a small village?
Grizzly bears could be dangerous if they didn't have breakfast yet, black bears not so much, since they usually don't hunt larger prey. One must be careful if they have young ones. If you have a dog, keep it leashed: if you let them running freely, they scare up a bear, and then run back to you for protection - and guess what: a dog can run faster than you, and a bear runs as fast as a horse!
Austria: I live in Vienna. The nearest mountains worth mentioning are about 1½ hours away. My friend Peter lives in the area of the Hohe Wand and Schneeberg is not too far from there.
S
S (named ess , plural esses) is the 19th letter in the Modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet.
These photos are breathtaking! I have always wanted to see the Alps in person and this post just drives me to visit them even more. I have never ridden a cable car. It makes me feel better how you were nervous on the way up but loved it on the way down. This gives me some encouragement that I can do it too! I am sorry to hear you had to have surgery. I wish you a speedy and successful recovery! ♥
Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comment!
I'm always nervous when I take a cable car. It's just so unnatural to hang above the ground on a cable. Once you take it, you'll understand what I mean :)
I feel better already. I'm just sleepy because of my medication but the pain is manageable now.
I hope you'll come to Switzerland soon. Let me know when you're here and I'll take you around :)
omg this is gorgeous! No wonder everyone raves about the swiss alps!
Is it cold there right now in the valley where you live?
I hope your surgery goes well!
Also, your sign off banner is SO CUTE!
Did you make it? Or have someone make it for you?
I love it!
Kind of inspires me to make one
Thank you for your nice comment!
Switzerland is beautiful and absolutely worth a visit!
We have an amazing Indian summer here. The temperature goes up to 22 degrees Celsius every day. Mornings and evenings are cold though.
Surgery went well, thank you. I'm still tired from the medication but it should be fine in a few days.. I even learn how to give myself shots without fainting, lol. Have to do it for 10 more days..
The banner was made by @woman-onthe-wing. I love it too!
I'm looking forward to seeing yours :)
How wonderful! Breathtaking views, I really enjoyed your post, thank you for all these amazing pictures and feel better soon, looking forward for your posts!
Thank you for your kind words! I'm doing better now. Still a little bit sleepy because of the medication but I'm sure this is going to improve soon too :) Have a lovely weekend!
Simply stunning @delishtreats
Your pictures of that amazing terrain are incredible. It's giving me itchy feet! 😁
NIce job with the hiking. It looks really tough so that's pretty impressive. You are clearly very determined. I always say it, there is no better place to face your own challenges and suffer for a cause than the mountains.
I hope you feel better soon.
Gaz
Thank you Gaz!
Come to Switzerland then! You will love it here.
I must admit that I was happy to be back in the car. It was very painful. BUT I was also very happy that I managed to finish the trail so you are right. There is no better place to face our challenges :)
I feel better already. Still very tired from the medication but the pain is manageable now :)
I'm glad you're feeling better.
I do love that feeling of accomplishment when you've challenged yourself and succeeded.
Wow, those are some incredible views, What an amazing country. I wonder what that statue was! All the best and a speedy recovery.
It was some kind of a female shaped structure but there was no sign saying what it was.. I was also curious.. I wonder why the artist who brought it up, didn't leave anything for people to know that it was him/her.
Thank you for stopping by Jeremy! The recovery should take a few more weeks but I feel better every day :)