Piesenkopf hiking 2015-06-28
Scheuenalpe to Piesenkopf and back is a gentle and fascinating hike through rare mire landscapes.
Today we had a simple goal: To find out whether Sandras' knee had improved after a recent climbing accident. This is an ideal tour for the purpose - relatively short, never steep and mainly following a small trail over soft ground. Our only challenge was a time limit. A slight lack of planning made sure we wouldn't start sooner than absolutely necessary: by 14:19 we were off from the parking at Riedbergstrasse, with just below three hours at our disposal (after which a diving course waited). The signs suggested some 4h15 as a minimum, so we weren't too sure that this would be a very regenerating hike, but now we were here…
On the way to Piesenkopf from Scheuenalpe, one may pass by the Scheuen-waterfall. It adds a few altitude meters to the tour. We weren't too excited about it, there being almost no running water today, but we are perhaps a little spoiled with waterfalls. For those who aren't it might be worth the extra ups and downs.
Leaving the waterfall behind, one gains some altitude under the pleasant shade of the forest. It isn't long before the terrain flattens and opens up to a landscape that fills us with awe. These flat plains with extensive precipitation store lots of water in the ground, creating rich and beautiful mires dotted with cotton grass, orchids and other delicate flowers. Unusually many rare and protected species can be found on these wet grass plains. And the vague footpath skirts right through it.
Unfortunately but expectedly, the last distance over the mires is trodden to muddy ruination by cattle. We know they are important for fertilizing the land and keeping it open - but just as one hops from a pool of mud into a cowpat, the benefits of the temporary putrefaction is all but forgotten.
The path at last becomes comfortably dry as it climbs again towards Piesenkopf. Alpenrosen adorns the lush slopes, and the soft ridge provides a generous view over the valleys all around. A few cows have settled on a soft knoll right in front of the summit - proud sumiteers on a well-deserved break. We stop briefly to admire the panorama. But regrettably, all too soon we need to hurry back down over the springy tufts of the mires.
Read MoreToday we had a simple goal: To find out whether Sandras' knee had improved after a recent climbing accident. This is an ideal tour for the purpose - relatively short, never steep and mainly following a small trail over soft ground. Our only challenge was a time limit. A slight lack of planning made sure we wouldn't start sooner than absolutely necessary: by 14:19 we were off from the parking at Riedbergstrasse, with just below three hours at our disposal (after which a diving course waited). The signs suggested some 4h15 as a minimum, so we weren't too sure that this would be a very regenerating hike, but now we were here…
On the way to Piesenkopf from Scheuenalpe, one may pass by the Scheuen-waterfall. It adds a few altitude meters to the tour. We weren't too excited about it, there being almost no running water today, but we are perhaps a little spoiled with waterfalls. For those who aren't it might be worth the extra ups and downs.
Leaving the waterfall behind, one gains some altitude under the pleasant shade of the forest. It isn't long before the terrain flattens and opens up to a landscape that fills us with awe. These flat plains with extensive precipitation store lots of water in the ground, creating rich and beautiful mires dotted with cotton grass, orchids and other delicate flowers. Unusually many rare and protected species can be found on these wet grass plains. And the vague footpath skirts right through it.
Unfortunately but expectedly, the last distance over the mires is trodden to muddy ruination by cattle. We know they are important for fertilizing the land and keeping it open - but just as one hops from a pool of mud into a cowpat, the benefits of the temporary putrefaction is all but forgotten.
The path at last becomes comfortably dry as it climbs again towards Piesenkopf. Alpenrosen adorns the lush slopes, and the soft ridge provides a generous view over the valleys all around. A few cows have settled on a soft knoll right in front of the summit - proud sumiteers on a well-deserved break. We stop briefly to admire the panorama. But regrettably, all too soon we need to hurry back down over the springy tufts of the mires.
