I had an extended layover in Switzerland this week, so I decided to go and hike Mount Rigi. For those that don’t know, Rigi is close to Luzern, about one hour outside of Zurich.
It’s not an overly challenging hike, but I attempted it in bad weather in the hopes that the rain would hold off. The first part of the hike goes up a rather steep section of switchbacks, but the trail itself is in very good condition. At one point there is a rest shelter, about half way up. I stopped here when it started to rain.
Good signs on the mountain, with a view of fog in the background. The times seem to be a little exaggerated unless you hike quite slowly.
I continued the hike when the rain passed. The trail goes steeply through a field after the shelter. Unfortunately Mother Nature decided to open the heavens at this point, and since I had no shelter, I got totally soaked! By the time I reached the summit I was pretty much dripping water!
The fun part was while it was raining I could hear all these bells around me. Historically, Swiss farmers put bells around the cows to find them on the mountain. Now I think it’s mostly for tourists. Either way, I could hear the cow, but not see it until it shoved its nose into my arm! Thankfully the cows on Rigi seem to be friendly!
A nice viewpoint on the top, but a view of only fog.
Right at the top they are running a steam train for the anniversary of Rigi. I didn’t see what it cost, but I got a few pictures if it on the way down. I thought it was really neat as I have never seen a steam train in operation before.
