Fernwandern: Vorbereitung

From the Staffelegg to the Rhine Falls

Ever heard of the European long-distance hiking trails? There are twelve of them, E1 - E12, and they all crisscross Europe over thousands of kilometers.

I only recently learned about them and was immediately gripped by the desire to start hiking.

But not so fast, a little preparation is essential.

In order not to carry too much weight on our backs for weeks and months, Seraina and I bought a new light tent, good sleeping bags and mats, and some other useful utensils.

To test the new equipment, we planned a 3-day hike over Easter weekend.

My idea looked like this: Start from Staffelegg and walk east on the Swiss Jura-Höhenweg, part of the E4, as far as we can go.

The E4, European Long-Distance Trail 4, begins in Tarifa, Spain, the southernmost point of mainland Europe, and runs through 10 countries and over 12,000 km to Cyprus.

"Hiking off on the Staffelegg on the way to Cyprus", let that roll off your tongue.

The closer the day of departure came, the clearer it became that we should have a little more of a plan. Because where should we spend the nights?

We picked out green spots on the map and designed our approximate route.

And at some point, I don't remember how we came up with the idea of setting the Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen as the destination. This was no longer on the E4, but what the heck.

However, the question arose: Was this even achievable in 3 days? We were soon to find out.

Day 1

We took the post bus up to Staffelegg - it was packed with masked hiking excursionists - and got off at the bus stop „Staffelegg, Passhöhe“ as quite a few others did.

Remember, it was Easter and - as not often this year - beautiful weather.

I took a start photo and let the first hikers go ahead. Group hiking is not ours.

Nevertheless, we soon met a couple who also started from Staffelegg.

They were on a day hike to Brugg. "Where are you going?" they wanted to know. I didn't hesitate for a moment and answered in a good mood: "We are on our way to Cyprus. How astonished they were!

We hiked blithely along, past the well-visited Linde von Linn to Brugg and further into the forest to the vicinity of Baden.

Here we wanted to spend the first night.

Zuhause auf dem Eppenberg. Seraina macht sich bereit für den Abmarsch. — At home on the Eppenberg. Seraina gets ready for the departure.

Seraina am Tag der Abreise auf der Staffelegg — Seraina on the day of our departure on the Staffelegg

Von weiten sehen wir die Silhouette der gespenstischen Ruine Schenkenberg. — From far away we can see the silhouette of the spooky ruin of Schenkenberg.

Seraina nimmt den Mund ganz schön voll, mit Bärlauch. — Seraina takes her mouth quite full, with wild garlic.

Die Schweiz im Frühling, überall spriesst der Bärlauch — Switzerland in spring, wild garlic sprouts everywhere

Kunst im Wald, die wir alle bewundern dürfen — Art in the forest we are all allowed to admire

Von weiten sehen wir schon, dass wir nicht die einzigen sind an diesem beliebten Ausflugsort. — From afar we can see that we are not the only ones at this popular tourist spot.

Die Linde von Linn — The Linde from Linn

Bald in Brugg an der schönen, grünen Aare — Soon in Brugg on the beautiful, green Aare river

Das wohl bekannteste Zeichen in der Schweiz, dem Wanderland schlechthin — Probably the best known sign in Switzerland, the hiking country par excellence

Aaah, geschafft! Ja dann, prost! Irgendwo im Wald vor Baden. — Aaah, made it! Well then, cheers! Somewhere in the forest before Baden.

Day 2

It was gray and cold when we dared to get out of the tent the next morning. We made coffee, packed up, and headed for Baden.

From the Stein ruin, we had a magnificent view - also of what lay ahead of us today.

There was a market in the old town. A biting breeze was blowing. We took the opportunity to be in civilization and used the nice toilet in a large department store, drank another coffee, and then crossed the wooden bridge over the Limmat in sunshine already.

The hike over the Lägern, the rocky end of the Jura-Höhenweg, was a scramble, but impressive.

Many fireplaces and a sea of wild garlic lined the woods; at least where it did not drop almost vertically to the left and right.

The path was arduous, each step had to be chosen carefully. Thus, 10 km could suddenly become quite long.

Then finally we reached the small town of Regensberg, which resembled an open-air museum with its old towers and walls.

Here we deviated for the first time from the long-distance hiking trail E4 and headed north towards the Rhine.

The weight of the 12 kg backpacks was wearing us down, especially after hours of marching. At least the trails now led us through mostly flat terrain until we finally found a cozy little place to spend the night in a quiet forest outside Glattfelden.

Uns erwartet ein eisiger Morgen, als wir bei der Ruine Stein vor Baden eintreffen. — An icy morning awaits us when we arrive at the Stein Ruin outside Baden.

Aber nach einem wärmenden Kaffee (und einem sauberen Klo im Kaufladen) sieht die Welt schon ganz anders aus. — But after a warming coffee (and a clean toilet in the store) the world looks quite different.

Das Badener Altstädtchen — The old town of Baden

Von hier wird es für die nächsten Stunden felsig, anstrengend, spannend, spektakulär! — From here it will be rocky, strenuous, exciting, spectacular for the next few hours!

Die Lägere - östlichster Teil des Jura-Höhenwegs — The Lägere - easternmost part of the Jura High Trail

Bärlauchsaison - Die Wälder präsentieren sich in wunderschönem Grün — Wild garlic season - The forests present themselves in beautiful green

Ein paar Blätter Bärlauch im Brot wirken geschmackliche Wunder — A few leaves of wild garlic in my sandwich work wonders in flavour

Viel ist nicht mehr übrig von der Burgruine Lägern — Not much is left of the Lägern castle

Wir haben den Höhenweg fast geschafft - in der Ferne winkt das malerische Dorf Regensberg — We have almost made the high trail - the picturesque village of Regensberg beckons in the distance.

Im Altstädtchen Regensberg — In the little old town of Regensberg

Viele Kilometer später wieder nimmerwo im Wald. Auch diese Nacht kühlt es auf empfindeliche 0° C ab. Aber die Frisur hält. Und die Schlafsäcke sind auch gut. — Many kilometers later neverwhere in the forest again. Also this night it cools down to delicate 0 ° C. But the hairstyle lasts. And the sleeping bags are fine, too.

Day 3

Also, the last day was a challenge. Although it was no longer so steep and rocky but with over 30 km the longest stage.

However, the day compensated us with beautiful landscapes along the Rhine, which we wanted to remember. In fact, we came back here 2 months later when it was a bit warmer to camp on the banks of the shimmering green Rhine.

So we started out walking along the Glatt, then climbed down the steep stairs to the tributary of the Töss into the Rhine, crossed the Thur, which also flowed into the Rhine, already with tired legs, cut off 4 km of the trail in Rheinau by walking a bit through Germany, and ended up stumbling the last kilometers to Schaffhausen.

Oh yes, there was also the Rhine Falls to marvel at. Well, in the wild they would be more impressive than here between all the tourists, where they are commercialized by all means.

The beautiful old town of Schaffhausen fascinated us more.

The delicious pizza from Mamma Rosa was well deserved. We devoured it with relish under the church of St. John. Then we strolled satisfied to the train station.

Am dritten Morgen erreichen wir die Mündung der Töss in den Rhein — On the third morning, we reach the mouth of the Töss into the Rhine

Entlang der Ufer des Rheins — Along the banks of the Rhine

Buchberg auf der anderen Seite des Rheins, aber dennoch in der Schweiz — Buchberg on the other side of the Rhine, but still in Switzerland

Die Thur auf dem Weg in den Rhein. Viele Familien nutzen die Wonne des Tages für ein Picknick am Fluss. — The Thur on its way into the Rhine. Many families use the bliss of the day for a picnic by the river.

In Rheinau passieren wir die Grenze nach Deutschland, nicht 100% sicher, ob das corona-technisch erlaubt ist. — In Rheinau we cross the border into Germany, not 100% sure if this is allowed corona-wise.

Der heilige Pascha schützt die Brücke - oder so. — St. Pasha protects the bridge - or something.

Das erste Ziel ist erreicht. Der Rheinfall lacht in voller Pracht. — The first goal is reached. The Rhine Falls shine in all their glory.

Ein paar Kilometer weiter betreten wir endlich die Altstatt von Schaffhausen. Es war mir gar nicht bewusst, wie schön die ist. — A few kilometers further on, we finally enter the old town of Schaffhausen. I didn't realize how beautiful it was.

Unter der St. Johann Kirche schlemmen wir unsere Pizzen und sind stolz, unser Ziel - mit sehr müden Knochen - erreicht zu haben. — Under St. John's Church, we feast on our pizzas and are proud to have reached our destination - with very tired bones.

Finally, I want to mention that our equipment is good. The sleeping bags withstood the cold, the tent was not exposed to showers but has our confidence. More or less 12 kg on the shoulders should be quite bearable even over longer distances. I think we are prepared for our multi-week hiking trip.

A few days before departure, one question remains: where to go now? To the beautiful country of Slovenia, which has been waiting for my return for 14 years? To one of the many corners of Austria or even once across? Or to Italy, where not only the cuisine but certainly also the weather keeps its promise?

Long-Distance Hiking: Preparation