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.