Day 4 Hike in canton Obwalden

Lots to talk about today

I really enjoyed my hike today. I had ups and downs, amazing views, beautiful car ride, and amazing cows, as always.

I just want to point out, the purpose of the 11 days, 11 hikes, 11 cantons for me, is to clear my thoughts, enjoy nature, not be in my home for two weeks, and, if possible, learn something about the cantons, though, this is not my major driving point. So, I will talk about what I have learned about the canton, but all in all, like today, there may not be any pictures from the capital.

Part I: On to hiking... 

I love hiking. I feel like I have had an honest day after a good long hike. I feel like the only thing I took was memories of my surroundings. Providing I respect nature, there isn't anything but good that I get from these experiences.

Some logistics
Length of hike today was 11.5 kilometers and took me almost exactly three hours. I didn't stop more than the one time when I was at the halfway point, and I didn't sit at all. I am finding that when I take a seat I really don't want to get back up, and worse, I stiffen up. So, I decided to hydrate, enjoy the views, and eat a little while standing at the halfway point today.

The incline today was 820 feet. Not too much and for Switzerland, it was a flat day for sure. But, what I really enjoyed was that it was long and stead all the way up. If you look at the incline part of the map, you will see that it was steady up, then steady down.

I should point out, I had to manually route this because I had my GPS set to not auto log the points, which meant, it recorded nothing but my lack of common sense. So, I am missing some details on statistics, but this is good enough.

Sidebar, on the highway many times on my way to the other cantons, I have noticed a painting on one of the mountain sides, it is huge and on a flat rock surface. Today, while driving to my hike, I saw it so I tried to drive and snap a shot with my Nikon Coolpix. It didn't turn out all that great, but at least you can see it.

What should I be wearing, eating, drinking?
I would be remiss if I didn't spend a couple of minutes and talk about gear for hiking. I hope it goes without saying that you generally do not want to wear cotton because it will absorb the wet, which isn't all that pleasant.

For pants, I always like to wear something comfortable. Hiking pants for me are perfect because they not only breath, they have awesome pockets.

What I think is most important are the shoes and socks. First, if you have the best hiking shoes in the world, but wear the worst socks, you will have problems, and vice versa. I highly recommend investing in good boots. I wear Asolo boots and love them. I have had them for a few years and never regret the investment. At that time, I think they were about 285 or 300 USD but probably less now. I also have quality socks. I spend a lot of time looking for the ones that will not cause sweat and slipping in my boots. I cannot recommend a brand, but any retailer for hiking equipment should be able to point you to plenty of selections. If not, maybe you need to find another store.

Hiking poles. I have them and use them a lot. Partly because they help balance my rotunda, but also because they take a lot of the impact off of my knees and feet. I had knee surgery years ago and my knee bothers me a lot, so they are great for that, if nothing else. I see many Swiss hikers going into very difficult areas without them. I suggest it is a matter of preference.

I am not an expert on food and drink I generally carry a lot of water so I am always hydrated. I can tell today I did a good job of it because I didn't get a headache. By the way, I have heard that by the time you get a headache, you are well on your way to dehydration, and that you are already dehydrated before it kicks in. So, drink plenty of water. I do not drink things like gatorade, but they will probably be very helpful for replenishing what your body is expelling.

For food, well, I have some thoughts here. Some of you may already know, I have a green drink every morning before anything else after I brush my teeth. This really sets my day off right. I don't hunger as much, and seem to have a lot of energy. Today, I didn't have a green drink because I stayed in a hotel last night. So, I started my day with a couple of banana's. I don't like to bite apples (a Daveism, don't ask) so I didn't have any of them. I must admit, before I started hiking I also had a bread based snack while driving. This weighed me down and wasn't helpful. So, my suggestion is to start your day off right and all should fall into place.

I would really be interested in hearing what others fuel with before, and during hikes!!!

The hike itself
I do not get tired of saying this, the views in Switzerland are just amazing. Everywhere the eye turns it is another post card. Today, was certainly no different. With Titlis in view for the entire hike and just amazing surroundings, I was blessed beyond words.

The hike was in a valley between the mountains, with the small town of Engelberg as the base. Here is how it started. A beautiful view of the mountains, and a stream as I entered a small section of woods. I should tell you, from the night shots the night before, I had my settings on the camera way out of whack and completely forgot to reset them, so I tried to recover these in Photoshop, but not too successfully.

Shortly after this, I was on the riverbed side hiking for a bit.. it was really beautiful to see how the mountains were peeking out behind the trees and the colour of the water was perfect.

After coming out of that small wooded area which is where a small driving range was for golf, a gentleman was farming his land by cutting and fluffing his grass to be gathered for the cows. His house is beautiful, and I can tell you, over my shoulder and his front porch view is of Titlis. I don't imagine life getting much better than that!!

As I passed the farm and the gondola lift, I came upon a field of cows. Yes, I followed the path in the grass where they were mowing it down and filling their bellies. Like all other times, they just moved around and gave me the look of just don't bother me.  On the way back down and through them the second time, one was parallel to the path and standing there so I had a chat with him, then patted him on the side as I walked by. I love animals so much and really wish we treated them better.

Sadly, the farmer up on the hill on the left side, had three dead cows out alongside his barn. They clearly were either just put down for food, or died of something because they were not hanging up, but laying in the field with their legs up. I had a really hard time after seeing this for about 10 minutes. I felt very sorry for them for many reasons. I am certain you can understand why I did not take a picture of this.

Oh look, a nice view of Titlis. It is an amazingly beautiful mountain. Watching clouds formulate off of it, and then moving on, is really spectacular. Don't you agree?It is just beautiful.

As I was leaving this part of the hike, heading towards the mid point for my turn around, I stopped, and looked back to see the town of  Engelberg and took this photo. I can only imagine what it is like to live in such beautiful places. It reminds me of the old western movies from when I was a child. A man, his wife, and two children living on a farm, and being a single unit that works well together. Making their weekly trip by horse and coach into the city (which takes all day) for supplies.

I found it interesting to see two sets of elderly couples holding arm in arm and walking close to the mid-point. All the years have passed, they still have love for each other, and enjoy a nice walk. Life is Good!!

As I came to the mid point of the hike, I found the views to be amazing. There were waterfalls all around, beautiful water running below, and a perfect atmosphere, not to mention, a restaurant (no, I didn't go in).

Here is what I saw just as I was coming near the restaurant. I could see a few people through the trees sitting there and enjoying themselves.

Of course, I needed to look at the signs to ensure I was going the right way. I never get tired of how well the Swiss define their trails. I also like how they tell the time it will take to get to a particular location instead of telling the distance. In Switzerland, the distance has very little to do with the amount of time it takes because every hike is different, that is, unless you are hiking in the Obi parking lot and just doing laps.

A shameless plug by me for the restaurant. I cannot speak for the food, but they looked like very nice people and the water troth out front was perfect for me to freshen up a bit.

This is roughly the same view as the above picture, but this one is unobstructed. This place is beautiful, plain and simple.

Once I made the turn and started heading back, I could not help but to notice Titlis yet again, and as beautiful as ever. I wonder if the mountains know how much they give to the eyes of those who get to see them? I presume it sounds dumb but I'd like to give them a hug to say thank you.

After about 45 minutes into my return, I had a chance to take a memory of the mountains just to the left of Titlis one more time. Nothing more to say other than what the picture does already.

I feel it is important to remind everyone that I am scared to death of heights. I have no idea why, but I have noticed it has gotten worse as I ripen. I mention this now because as I took the picture above and turned back towards my destination, I found a small pulley device going up from where I was to a base camp if you will of Titlis. It was just a box and a couple of cables. I then played the game of how much would it take me to sit in that thing and ride up to the point.

I originally said a million CHF, then, I broke down the ride and it got ugly. First, I realized the box itself was big enough I could lay down and just not look. Thinking, ok, I got this, I can get up there, even if it starts swinging from the wind, I will just hold on, and not stress. Then, I looked closer at the box and realized it was only being held together by some bolts, it had a wooden floor and simple wooden slides. Certainly, half way up, the bottom would give out, then I would have to hold on the what is left for my life while it climbed up to the end. Knowing I do not have enough strength to hold the whole way, I then became certain of falling to my demise...  and it was at that point I knew 1,000,000 CHF wasn't enough!!!

I walked a little further to see the gondola going up on the other side of the valley. These cables are miles long and just swing and hang. I know they are safe as we never hear about problems, but like the older bridges in the US starting to have problems, like the one that went down in the Mississippi, I believe it is only a matter of time...............................

Overall
I believe it is important to enjoy nature, and get in tune with it, in the manner that fits you best. Life becomes understandable after one achieves this, through the good and bad. With my personal problems preempting this adventure, today was a strong day of reflection on what is happening. Missing my family, and not knowing when I will get to see Chu Chu or Sashimi Miso Kobayashi again, really is hard. I have decided to make a separate blog to talk about this stuff, as it doesn't belong here.

So, enjoy the views that I share with you. Imagine yourself in these places with nothing more than fresh air, friendly faces, and engaging nature. Now, as you are driving somewhere, as I am below to my hike today, picture yourself going out into nature and the rest will follow.

Have I mentioned... I really love my mini cooper. It is the best way to travel to any hike!

Part II: Let’s talk about the Canton Obwalden

I am not sure if you are noticing a theme from the canton pictures, but in case you have not, I will tell you, so far, they are all next to each other (which makes sense I know). I also find that while they seem small to me, they are unique in their own ways.

courtesy of wiki

Here is a surprise, Obwalden joined the federation in 1291, like the previous three (Schwyz, Uri, Nidwalden). While reading the demographics, I found some things quite interesting:

• There are 35,585 residents
• Of those residents, 45% of them were born in the canton. This tells me it has great roots
• As of the year 2000, 15,026 of the residents in Obwalden were never married. WHAT??? So, if you are single, this may be a good place for you to move, that is, if you are looking!!!
• In 2007 Obwalden replaced the former degressive income tax (lower tax rates for higher incomes) with a flat 1.8% income tax, which is the lowest in the country. This cantonal tax is in addition to federal and local taxes. (direct quote from wiki)

When you look at the image above of the canton, you will notice it looks like it is in two pieces, but when you look closer, you see it is connected by a thin line.

Below is a map of the places I have hiked so far:

Part III: Lunch Checks

Today I didn't stop for lunch and headed home. I decided to explain what they are. There is a company in Switzerland that has Lunch-Checks. The purpose of them is to supplement lunch costs for many working people. At the company I work, they are not provided to everyone. In fact, we have been trying to figure out who gets them. Our group get them because we work in a remote building that doesn't have a canteen which is accessible. It is ironic because on the main campus, I think food costs more than some places where we eat.

We get 340 CHF of lunch checks a month for the price of 170. So, at the start of the month we go and purchase them with cash and off we run. We can then take them to any restaurant that accepts them as a replacement for cash. Therefore, our lunch costs 1/2 price. On my hike, I have been mapping out the places that take them in each canton and then eating there at lunch time when my hikes are done.

Not sure if I clearly explained what they are, but if you look at the other blog posts or click on the Lunch-Checks link you can see what they look like.

In closing... thank you so much for reading this blog. I hope you are enjoying it. Today, 3 hours and 21 minutes it took me to complete this entry.

Day 3 Hike in canton Nidwalden

Today was a great hiking day, I felt really good and the hike went very well. But before I go into that, click here if you want to know how to pronounce Nidwalden.

I should also say, before I go too far, I did not take city pictures like I have the previous two days, but for a reason. The place I hiked, Ennetbürgen, was remotely located from town, and after my hike, I needed to go find a store that sells hiking poles, as mine are shot, sadly. Even worse, every InterSport I went to was closed. So, I wasted a lot of time there, and I then needed to go find my hotel. I upgraded my room for 20 CHF to have a view of the lake versus the not so appealing part of the mountains on the other side.

Lastly, I have more pictures than usual, and then a special treat, I hope you like it, but don't cheat and scroll down, just wait for the end to come and it will be there.

Part I: On to hiking

Unlike yesterday, I had my destination picked out. This time, I had an added treat, the cogwheel train wasn't running. Luckily, I was able to drive to where the train would have come to. It had some hard turns that hang out over nothing (if you live in Switzerland, and you have driven in the mountains, you have experienced this at least once).

After having difficulty finding a place to park (lots of construction), I geared up. Funny, a gentleman was driving and asked me directions so I gave them to him. When he was later walking past, I asked him for a view of his map and he grumbled and showed me. When I asked a second question, he got annoyed.

Overview of the statistics
The hike started out at 2847 feet and climbed to 3625 feet. A total vertical climb of 787 feet and an elevation increase of 778 feet. I actually disagree with my GPS on this one because after I reached the summit I went down for about 15 minutes, then I climbed again for another 20. I know my GPS is acting up and not working properly, so at some point, I think it will need to be replaced, sadly.

I took a couple of pictures before I started the hike, but really didn't like them all that much, so that is why I am not posting them here.

Overall, the hike was really nice. The climbing wasn't too hard and only technical in a few places. In one spot, it had a vertical drop of about 10 feet which took some maneuvering to ensure I didn't fall. Nothing was more aggravating than watching a woman (maybe in her 50's) and her mother zipping on through. Ok, I wasn't aggravated, but envious of how great they took care of themselves.

Here is the typical board posted at the start of the hike. Oh, I should mention, that guy who asked where to park, he and his wife took the elevator all the way up, and only beat me by a couple of minutes :)

I took a few shots of the trails on the way up. And at one point, I was able to get my first glimpse of the lake from higher up. That was nice to see.

What got me really excited is something I saw off in the distance. A mushroom I am very familiar with from the US, commonly referred to as Chicken of the Woods, Laetiporus being the technical name. I did not disturb it, but I was excited. It is the first time I have seen one here.

I ask you, what would hiking be in Switzerland without cows? This time, they were on the hiking trail. And, funny enough, gave me a look and refused to move. At first I thought maybe I took a wrong turn, but then saw the wanderweg sign and realized I was in the right place.

Have I mentioned how much I love cows? I had a nice chat with them, and on the way back down, they took over the trail again and I spent a moment chatting with them. I think the other people around may have thought I was crazy.

The first cow was from a picture I took on the way up, and the second is them holding court on the trail on my way down.

As I mentioned a bit ago, there is an elevator that you can take that overlooks the lake to the top. When you get there, it literally is hanging over the ledge about 40 feet with nothingness below except the railings. I honestly didn't want to even walk out on it, but I knew I had to. There was a young couple sitting there and kind of watching me, and like a little boy, I worked my way out, touched the door, and turned back.

Something else I found interesting is that the hiking side of the mountain is in Nidwalden, but the overlook is in Lucern. The sidn shows both cantons on them, one facing out, the other in. I am only showing the one from looking out here.

And while I was inched out over this, I took a photo of the water corner of Stans, down below. Stans is the capital of the canton. You do not really get a sense of how steep this cliff is or how high up you are from the picture, but, it was a beautiful day and a nice view for sure.

Just before I left the top, I saw these beautiful flowers so I thought to take a quick photo of them. I am not a flower person when it comes to naming them, so, if you know what kind it is, please feel free to let me know in the comments below.

And finally at the top, there was another board, so I took a quick shot of it, as it defines the area where the overlook is,Bürgenstock Resort.

Speaking of mushrooms, on the hike down from the top, I found these stumps from the trees that were cut down. They were carved out like mushrooms... This was really cool!!

This building was at the bottom of the mountain after the turn. It overlooks the lake and the airport. Hope you like it.

The last picture of the hiking is of me. I am not sure why my tongue is sticking out, but that is normal for me. Of course, I looked relaxed and rested, but I guess that is because this was a shorter hike. I really wanted to go further, but it was really hard to understand where I could and could not go (meaning, crossing the canton line).

Part II: The canton and lunch

I think by now, you are starting to get the idea that I like the history of the places I am visiting. Really, it is important for me to enjoy all of the canton, not just the hike itself. When I go to take my citizenship test, I plan on quizzing them on my vast knowledge ... I know I know.. you don't have to even say it!!

Like the first couple of cantons, Nidwalden was founded in 1291. It is another smaller canton, with a large area covered in Mountains. Rotstöckli is the largest mountain in this canton, coming in at 2,901 meters, or 9,518 feet.

There are 41,024 people living in Nidwalden and bad news for the single guys, it is 50.9% male and 49.1% female.

Nidwalden is becoming more and more popular for business and residents because of its very low tax rate. Zug is the lowest I should add, at 13 %.

Part III: Lunch Checks

You probably think I am obsessed with the lunch checks. Well, I am. So, I am trying to add this to my daily hike, find the place in the canton that takes lunch-checks. Today, I found a Migros Restaurant that took them, which was not very close to where I hiked.

What I enjoyed the the most about this lunch, was not only did they take them, but because I gave more money in lunch checks than the meal, the woman gave me change in cash. I told her I thought it was a mistake, but she insisted, and so I took my 10 rappen with a smile.

The first picture was me paying with my lunch checks. I explained to her I wanted a picture, so she, with a nice smile, put them out nice and neatly for me. She was a team player. The second picture is after I sat and captured my change :)

In closing, I promised something different. Well, this is different, but it didn't turn out as good as I had hoped. It is a timelapse of Nidwalden from my hotel room across the lake. It is short, without a start, and without an end and when I have time I will clean it up, speed it up, and present it again. I have also taken a few night shots for your enjoyment as well.

PS - this blog took me 4.5 hours to complete (including the photography) and I have not checked it for grammar, spelling, etc, I am just too tired.

Day 2 Hike in canton Uri

A couple of general things before I get into the hike and all the details of Uri.

Planning is an essential element to most things, including hiking. I was quite tired yesterday and didn't do a great job of preparing for today's hike. I printed a few maps, and did some short research, but nothing substantial came up.  So, today, was a seat of the pants hike, and let me tell you, it was the seat of the pants hike!!!

Next, I find it funny that the Swiss and I have two separate definitions of "flat" when referencing the hiking conditions. I will give more detail below about where I hiked, but when I got to the place, I asked the woman and she said, yes, it is flat.

So, let me clue you in a bit. "Flat" to the Swiss means that you will climb, you won't need ropes and helmets to get up the mountains, but you will be sure to go up. It is amazing to me how fit the Swiss are, hiking in the Alps is normal, and climbing is normal, and up up up is to be expected.

On my way back down during the hike, a young man passed on a run up the mountain with a huge backpack and just bouncing up the path like he was in a swimming pool and weightless. That was annoying!!! But, just made me envious. :)

Ok, last thing before I dive in.. tell me, does it ever stop raining in Switzerland?  I cannot remember more than 2 days in the last three months where it didn't rain at least once in the day. Today, was no different.

Part I: On to hiking

My original plan was to a flat hike from Silenen to Erstfeld and back. This would be about 10k round trip. Ironically enough, it looks flat on the map, but, it isn't. Not very hilly, but still has its moments. Well, not entirely true, I actually planned on taking the gondola to Eggbergen and hike around there, but when I got there, it was not open.

As I passed these two towns, and I am much further than I realized I noticed a gondola service located in Intschi. Something very important to point out, I am quite afraid of heights, to the point where I feel like I will pass out, though I am pretty sure it would not happen.Anyway, my friend Andrew was with me, and we got the tickets. As we sat in this gondola, big enough for 4 comfortably, 4 other adults go in, and all sat on the other side. So, as it went up, and passed the towers, it shook, then rocked quite a lot. Andrew was kind enough to snap a few photos as I was keeping myself busy looking at the map and trying not to look out the windows.

I will admit, it doesn't seem all that bad looking at these two pictures, but, for me, it was a lot of stress.  You should also note, the weather looks not so bad at this moment in time.

When you get to the top and there isn't anyone to greet you. You just open the door and hop out. I had a look of terror in my face for sure, and I survived.

At the top we had a decision, to go "flat" or to climb which was a shorter distance. My goal was flat, so I opted for flat. As mentioned above, that doesn't necessarily mean it was really flat. Also, at this point, it was raining off and on, and the fog (or clouds) were dense. This to me, is sad sometimes when hiking because I am certain the views must be amazing, but, you cannot see more than 100-200 feet in front of you. So, the pictures you will see below, where foggy at best.

Some Statistics

• The distance of the hike was 6.43 kilometers, but I cannot verify the accuracy because my GPS is on the blink and not working correctly. Meaning, it is moving the points around a bit, so I had to manually input this map after reviewing the original.

• Vertical climb, elevation increase, and elevation
  For this hike, it was 1017 feet in total climbing.  The elevation in feet increase was 924 total feet. The hike started out at 4,555 feet and at the top it was at 5,479 feet.

• Time
  This is something I am not 100% on because I didn't really pay much attention to when I actually started the hike, but, my best guess is 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Overall thoughts about the hike
I love being out in nature, there are always things to see that are pleasing to the eye. The start of this hike is along a mountain lake, sadly, you could not see much of the lake because of the fog. It is a very safe hike, the trails were a bit muddy because of the rain, but I imagine on a sunny day you will tell yourself 100 times how beautiful the views are.

This is a shot next to the lake. I wanted it to be more artistic, but with the rain coming down, the heavy fog, and my camera/me getting wet, it wasn't so easy.

Like all of the major hiking trails in Switzerland, there is always information to be found that will help you understand where you are and what is going on there. It does help if you speak German. What? Are you really going to insult me and ask if I speak German or at least understand this stuff? Ha!! Of course I don't. Well, one can easily figure out bits and pieces though.

I do not know what it is, but I love cows. I find them to be beautiful, friendly, and harmless. Really, I think cows are a good metaphor of how we could be. Ok, the cow chips (I am not going to link to a definition or explain that) aside, I think they are great. These two were just sitting and watching me walk by, clearly aware of my being clueless and annoyed, but they didn't budge. A few of their friends were on the other side of the path, with a family view of the lake, they looked very relaxed.

My parents have a few cows and I am quite fond of them. One of the two younger ones, which is easily as tall as me, would give me kisses. I know it sounds crazy, but one day, I was feeding him with some grass in my hand, he leaned over the fence, and licked my face. After that, every time I would see him, I would bring him close, move my head next to his, and he would bump his lips on my face. I really loved that a lot. Here is a picture of him I took shortly before moving to Switzerland.  A funny note, when I was moving here, they (the moving company) asked me about my dogs, I sent them a picture of him. They didn't think it was as funny as I did.

Along the hike, since the view was quite limited, I took some photos of the stream and such that I passed on the way. Actually, for the most part, the hike was parallel to the stream, just zigzagging back and forth across it a couple of times as I was hiking up.

During the hike, I came across this plaque and stone carving. I thought it was interesting but I didn't know what it said at the time, so I of course, did some translation to come up with a rough idea of what it says. I am also including a close up photo of the carving and plaque, and then a third, which shows a happy snail, deciding it was the next location for him to scurry about on.

I wonder, as a side note, do you like the images more or less than the blog details? 

The exact translation of this doesn't say a whole lot, but the sculptor of the piece was Ettore Jelmorini if you would like to look at his other works. This one, I could not find on his site and after a few minutes of googling, I did not continue.  Translating Geometrischer Mittelpunkt simply says "geometric center" if that helps. The rest is just coordinates and general information.

Before I end the hiking segment, I would like to just talk about the ride down the gondola for a moment. When we got in, he announced via speaker from the ground it was time. Then, that thing took off and I swear, we were doing double time. When I spoke with him, I told him, it went too fast. He laughed (and I could smell alcohol like nobody's business), and said, it moves 5 meters a second, it moves 5 meters a second. I'd say it was more like 10. He laughed again and that was that. The guy was drunk as a skunk and telling me it was on the up and up? come on!!!

Part II: Let’s talk about the Canton Uri

Ok, not sure where to begin but lets start here. The canton is centrally located in Switzerland, and I can tell you, while it isn't the smallest canton, it is mostly made up of mountains and very small villages.

(sorry I forgot to add this image for day one but here is a link to that image)

Currently URI has a population of 35,422 people. I could not find a male to female ratio, so I am just going to make up numbers and say it is 25% male and 75% female, but before you roll your eyes, I know this is not true.

URI is one of the original cantons of Switzerland and, like Schwyz, it was founded in 1291, so it has some history to it.  Altdorf is the capital city of URI, and, the only city that takes lunch-checks. But, don't try to eat at Danioth on Sunday and ask them to take the lunch-checks, because they rejected me flat out. Not to mention, to be honest, the food wasn't all that good.

The old town is really beautiful and here are a few street pictures I took.Clockwise starting with the upper left: the road headed out of town, the picture doesn't do justice to how authentic it is; next two are perspectives of the same building, which I will talk about more in a minute;. nice typical side street view; what looks to be a typical in-town home; close to the previous picture, I thought the rose bush was amazing so I had to take a quick picture, though, I was tempted to photoshop out the satellite dish.

The last interesting image I have for you, was a shock to me, mainly because of my limited worldly experience or knowledge I suppose. But, I loved this little nugget.

The picture is of  Wilhelm Tell, does that name sound familiar? William Tell easier to associate with? It never occurred to me as a child to question where he was from, where he lived, etc. But, let's get on to the legendary tale...

On 18 November 1307, Tell visited Altdorf with his young son and passed by the hat, publicly refusing to bow to it, and so was arrested. Gessler — intrigued by Tell's famed marksmanship, yet resentful of his defiance — devised a cruel punishment: Tell and his son would be executed, but he could redeem his life by shooting an apple off the head of his son, Walter, in a single attempt. Tell split the apple with a bolt from his crossbow.

I found this very cool and very interesting. I guess that since this has happened so long ago, the story could have twisted and turned many times, but, I really like this short recap of the legend and who am I to question it?!

I hope you have enjoyed today's blog entry. I am not sure if I am giving you all the information you would like so please leave me comments and ask me to add other things. I am amazed at how long it takes to do this blog, this one was about 2 hours of time to write and insert the pictures.  Tomorrow I am off to Nidwalden and Tuesday I will be in Obwalden. I am considering getting a hotel room for tomorrow night and save the driving. Then, come home Tuesday after I complete the hike. Then, I am excited to spend the national holiday hiking in Lucerne on Wednesday.

Lastly, I am going to do a couple of town walking hikes during this and stay out of the mountains. I think this will be during off days of harder hikes. As of right now, I still have no clue where I am hiking tomorrow :)