Speer, at last!

Third time's the charm, or so the saying goes. Last fall, Bob and I attempted to hike up to the peak Speer (pictured at the right and located in the Toggenburger range) but that time a combination of clouds, late arrival in Amden (translation = wife slept in too late!) thereby coming darkness as well as the timing of the closing of the chairlift that would shave an hour off our walk, resulted in us only getting as high as the Gasthaus at Oberchäseren. We had fun taking photos at the same places we had on the first two attempts in order to compare. The first time hiking, at this signpost we were not able to see anything other than the post, due to the clouds. We also saw on this hike where we had missed a turn on our first attempt. (See post on 28th of October, 2007 entitled Hiking in the clouds.)

Our second attempt in reaching Speer was in April, naively thinking that the snow at the upper levels would be gone after all the hot weather we had. However, there is still snow in areas on the trail even at the end of June. In April we hiked a portion of the Winter Wanderweg, but then reached the end and quickly found that we could not hike the deep snow without snowshoes. We laughed on this hike as we saw where we had lunched last time. The bench was now completely visible. Last time it was hidden behind a large snow drift. Amazing the difference a few months can bring.

The hike is a loop from the town of Amden. It begins at 1290m up to the summit at 1950m, then back down to 910m. (You start by taking a chairlift up from the town of Amden, seen in the second photo. Ah! The Swiss know how to hike, eh?) The final photo shows our view from the top. This is actually a "little" side track off the loop. If you can call something that rises 300 meters "little." According to the website entitled "Activity Workshop"

"The more or less direct route through Stelli and up to the summit becomes a little fragmented on the loose and eroding hillside, and can be busy at times. With perseverance, however, the glorious panorama from the top can be eventually reached. With the permission of the drifting clouds, the views stretch down the Glarus valley to the monochrome peaks of Glarnerland, across to the sheer ridge of the Mattstock, along to the brooding Säntis, and out to the North, over more open, flatter terrain. A good spot indeed for a breather and some vital refreshment."

It was surprisingly busy. When we reached the top, there was not any room on the 3 benches there for us to sit. Guess we're not the only ones who wanted to enjoy the view from the peak on a beautiful day. We hiked us a bit off the peak to spread out our picnic cloth (thanks for carrying it Bob!!) and get sunburned while eating lunch. All in all, well worth the hike. As we trekked back down to Amden we also saw the views toward the Glarus mountains, the Mattstock mountain and Walensee that we had imagined had to be there, but were hidden in the clouds. What a difference. So much beauty was there, but we never saw it. How true with much of our lives. We miss much because it is hidden away. Lord, give us eyes to see.