Enjoy this week’s Your Best Adventures Yet from Arzo of Arzo Travels.
There are people that hike a lot – high mountains, dangerous mountains and all kinds of hikes.
And then there are people like me. People who are dream of hiking, but actually prefer getting up mountain summits via cable cars. However, sometimes I do hike and one of my hikes turned out to be quite adventurous.
Hiking Ebenalp Mountain in Appenzellerland
Switzerland is probably one of the best places to visit and a hiker´s paradise. One of the easiest hikes – which still comes with fantastic views – is hiking Ebenalp Mountain in Appenzellerland. The view is nice and the hike is not difficult. Normally.
If you choose one of the foggiest day to hike an easy hike can turn in a difficult and dangerous hike – and that happened when we got up Ebenalp Mountain via cable car (about 1,600 meters) and from there we (2 girlfriends and me, plus my little puppy) wanted to hike down.
On our way to Ebenalp Mountain we were not sure if the day way the best to get up – it was so foggy that we were not able to see anything but fog, but we were sure it could only get better. Once we arrived at the cable car station we realized that it was even worse up there. The fog was extreme. We felt like hiking in the dark.
Ariving at the Aescher
I had hiked that path before so I kind of knew what to expect but with a little dog and the slippery paces, (yes, in addition to fog it had rained the day before, so it was also wet) it became a challenge. Hiking from the cable car station to the Aescher – the world famous cliff house in the mountain is one of the best activities in Switzerland. When you hike down and turn left on the one side you – normally – will see, all of a sudden, this very impressive mountain house which will make you stand in awe in front of it.
But that day, we got there and did not see much. We only saw the outlines (images show the view once without the fog from my earlier trip and the other image was taken on the second trip) I knew where to expect the Aescher but the “wow” effect was not there. It was like “wow, so much fog”.
While it was getting a bit clearer, the Aescher still was not visible from far but we decided to sit down in the outdoor terrace and have some snacks. Luckily, it got a bit better and my two friends finally got to see the Aescher. More or less. However, it was not comparable with my first trip.
But the worst part was about to start. While I hiked up the first time (and got down by cable car two years ago) we decided to hike down all the way. We did not knew it was going to be so steep and so slippery and while we heard cows (as they are wearing bells in Switzerland) we did not see any….so with that little dog, the bad hiking paths and limited sights we kept hiking down extremely slowly.
Further down we were finally able to see a bit further….Fortunately. As all of a sudden some cows crossed our paths. I probably should mention that my puppy thinks he is a German shepherd and has to protect me from cows and all other animals – often resulting in chasing them.
Swiss cows are giants and my dog would not stand a chance…Luckily my dog was so overwhelmed with the fog and wet paths that he did not pick a fight with that one cow that did not even bother to make way, so I had to take him on my arms and walk around that cow (I have some fears and my main fear at that moment was that the cow would get up, start chasing us and we would roll down the hill…I know, my imagination is quite big).
Passing that cow felt like a big win!
Safe at last!
While the steepness did not get better the fog fortunately did and we made it save and sound back to our car.
It was a fun adventure but if I had been by myself I would have probably had a heart attack because I would have felt lost and probably would have peed my pants up in the mountains not able seeing a lot!
Read more about Arzo and her dog’s adventures in Switzerland in What to do in Switzerland? 25 Best Things to Do in Switzerland.
Oh my gosh that fog was intense! Glad you were still able to enjoy it!
Aescher hike is definitely very cool and that house is iconic in Switzerland 🙂 Never visited it, but will do in a near future 🙂 Where should I park :)?
Wow at some points it looks as Silent Hill. Awesome write-up and photos. I love to see cows all around the Alps! 🙂
i was planning for a family trip there, and luckily found this amazing informational guide…
thanks a lot as this guide will help me for my family travel trip… briefly explained travel guide…!!
Amazing guide and amazing travel blog too