This hike, Aargau (listen), was not one of my most successful hikes. It took two attempts to get out and hike, and took me much longer to write about.
On the way to go hiking, the snow was coming down heavy on the roads. I was committed so I pushed on. Half way there, a car was upside down on the side of the road. When I got to my exit, it looked just like the ground, all completely covered in snow, getting deeper, and the only tracks on the road, are mine.
Part I: On to hiking
This hike was not as long as I had hoped, but it was mostly based on having no orientation in the snow. I had my GPS, but because I use this to map my hike versus as a guide, the printed maps I used were not of a lot of value. Part of the issue came from unclear wanderweg signs, and my own skepticism about which direction to go. At one point I went back over my tracks two or three times.
What I will say, from the hiking I did, it was beautiful in the snow. Below is what I saw during the first part of the hike, as I left my car and headed up to the mountains.
The goal at the end was to hike from one mountain to another mountain where there was a castle. I never found that castle. But, I did manage to take a couple of falls on one part of a wanderweg when there was ice under the snow and I was on a decline, which I could not see and it seems, the snow acts as an enhancer to how slippery ice can be :)
As I got my bearing and was on my way back through a field, I found these trees and thought they were beautiful in the snow, so I managed to take a quick picture before my camera became part of the snow.
So, unfortunately, this hike wasn't filled with a lot of useful information.
Part II: Things to see and do in Aargau
I want to be clear, just because my hike was not extremely successful, does not mean one should not make this a stop along their wandering through Switzerland. I believe every place has something of value, and Aargau is no different.
There are some castles worth visiting. Below is some basic information for some of them:
Wildegg Castle
Effingerweg 5
5103 Wildegg
Switzerland
map
This castle dates back to about 1200 and has been in the Effinger Family for eleven generations. Recently the ownership and operation of this castle was taken over by the Canton of Aargau.
Hallwyl Castle
5707 Seengen
Switzerland
map
What is interesting about this castle is that it has a moat. It was built in the 11th century.
Habsburg Castle
Schlossgasse 30
5245 Habsburg
Switzerland
map
This is a is a medieval fortress castle that was built between 1020 and 1030. Today it is a popular tourist attraction with great views, and used for weddings and other events.
There are many other things to do in Aargau, and despite its reputation, it is a beautiful Canton and once one gets past the stereotypes they will find all of these things engaging and who knows, maybe one day the Canton will find new life and acceptance. I have a friend who once told me her colleague lives in Canton Aargau, but doesn't want AG on the license plate so that person uses Basel-Stadt as the Canton of choice for registration. Yes, this is extreme. I also have a former colleague who moved there from the US and she + her family love living there.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that there is the Leibstadt Nuclear Power Plant which is located in Aargau. But, even at that, they put it right on the border of Germany, as if to hope if it blows up, it goes north. Is this true? Not likely, but it does make one think.
Part III: About Aargau
Aargau joined Switzerland in 1803. It is, therefore, the 17th Canton of Switzerland. There is only one formal language there, German but interestingly enough, Italian is making a small surge. I do not think it has nearly enough impact to take on being an official language. It has a total population of 624,681 with the largest city being Wettingen. The capital is Aarau.
Aargau is located in the top area of Switzerland.
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