Ahornen to Girsboden
Summary: This section of the hike takes us from Ahornen, up the remaining ascent to Stäfeli, before we start our descent as we make our way through the forest to the end of the mountain stage of the hike at Girsboden.
The signpost at Ahornen directs us to turn right and onto a grass covered gravel track that leads slightly upwards between the buildings.
As we reach the final building, the track takes us round the back of it and as we walk towards the solitary pine tree, we can see the trail markers leading us across the meadow towards a path leading through the trees and up the side of the mountain.
The path here is the familiar mixture of grass and dirt, with the occasional rock and root protruding to catch and trip the unwary. As we continue through a mixture of trees and meadow, the path zig-zags occasionally, as it makes its way slowly upwards.
After passing thorough a forest area, we catch sight of the huts at Gehren through the trees and eventually the path opens out into a meadow above the huts. It is here on a rock, just off of the trail, in the middle of the meadow that I stopped for lunch.
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For lunch, I paired traditional Swiss cheese, tomatoes, Tessinerbrot and a selection of cold meats with a “glass” (actually my hiking mug) of Graff from Hawkes London. Graff is an Apple Pale Ale, a hybrid of beer and cider. Light and refreshing with a slight fruity taste, it was a perfect hike drink on a hot day like today. |
Lunch
After lunch, rejoining the trail takes us down and over a small mountain stream, before carrying on across the alternating Alpine meadow and wooded areas, until we reach the small ski lift and houses at Stäfeli.
Passing the buildings, we now begin our descent, initially through the remaining meadow, before we enter a forest area.
The path here is the usual mixture of grass and dirt dotted with rocks and tree roots that you would expect from an Alpine trail and is places requires careful maneuvering to ensure that you don’t trip or slip. The trail continues to descend, in places zig-zagging down the near vertical mountainside.
Eventually, after making our way through the forest, we see a gravel path ahead of us and the signpost at Girsboden that marks the end of this section of the hike and the start of the final more gentle stage through the Alpine meadows and down through the Niederseewald forest.
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