The route is certainly not an easy one. After all, there are more than 900 metres of altitude difference to overcome in one direction and also in the other. Nevertheless, it is also one of the most attractive routes I have walked.

The views make it hard to know in which direction to look. On the one hand, we see mountain slopes covered up to their tops with lush greenery. On the other side – raw, almost vertical rock formations. And above it all, there are high, snow-capped peaks of the Alps. There were also mountain lakes and waterfalls. The only thing you have to be careful of is not to step on a cow pie.

Start of the hike

The hike starts at the top station of the Kies – Mettmen cable car. We reached the cable car with bus no. 544 from the train station in Schwanden GL. The bus runs quite infrequently, so check the timetable beforehand, especially for the return journey.

After exiting the train, walk towards the mountain hotel and at the back of the hotel head up to the dam. The dam offers an amazing view of both sides of the valley. Then head for Leglerhütte SAC, a hut located at 2,273 m above sea level in the middle of Europe’s oldest nature reserve. The abbreviation SAC originates from the Swiss Alpine Club, founded in 1863, which is still committed to the development of the region and alpinism today.

The modern Leglerhütte SAC

In the modern and environmentally friendly hut you can relax after a three-hour hike, eat homemade cake or something warm. Various ecological systems are used here, such as photovoltaic panels, a combined heat and power plant running on rapeseed oil, and a method of drying toilet waste. The latter system allows the toilets to be used odourlessly and without the use of water. I must admit that I read about it later. On the spot I simply thought that the toilets had run out of water.