Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Mt. Rigi

Sun.  Snow.  Mountains.

Another snowshoe Sunday!  This time we went South to Mt. Rigi.  Located on the shores of both Lake Lucerne and Lake Zug, Mt Rigi is at the start of the Alps.  We began our adventure in the town of Weggis under overcast skies, where we boarded a gondola for the first part of our trip.  Halfway up the gondola we emerged from the clouds to blue skies and magnificent views of the Alps.  All we could see were the peaks, as the valley below was covered in fog.  Crazy.  Luckily we remembered to bring our sunglasses!



At the top of the gondola we transferred to a cog-wheeled train to continue the journey to the top of the mountain (Rigi Kulm).  The train was crowded with skiers/snowboarders, sledgers (sledding) and winter walkers, it was standing room only.  The mountain is a year-round playground.  There are ski runs everywhere you look, and groomed sledging (sledding) routes winding their way down the mountain (you can rent wood sleds to whiz down - some people were going pretty fast).  We wandered a few feet from the train stop, put on our snowshoes, and started walking (downhill).  The path wasn't well marked - it was more of following tracks in the snow and looking for the next orange pole.




After walking downhill for a while it was time to make our way back up - easier said than done.  We decided to head to the stop just below the summit, and followed what we thought was a trail, until it disappeared into a sled run and we were left walking straight up the mountain until we caught up again with the sled run.  We eventually made our way to the station where we enjoyed a nice lunch in the sun.  It was hot just sitting in the sun, people were stripping down to t-shirts!  And boy, what magnificent views - a real treat.



We opted to skip the train and walk back down to the gondola on one of the well-marked snow paths.  There were quite a few walkers, both going up and down.  Matt got a little sun-burned, but all in all it was a great day in the mountains!

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