Hiking – Mark Pospesel (Coding and Other Stuff)

After a green Christmas and New Year’s, snow is back! Went for a snowshoe hike up at Raten in -7°C temps on a foggy morning. I was the first hiker of the day, so I had to break trail the whole way. Tomorrow is forecast to be even colder.

A leafless tree covered in snow on a foggy morning.
A snowy field bordered by conifer trees covered in snow on a foggy morning.

No view at Bellvue today. This was the destination / viewpoint of today’s snowshoe hike. It’s supposed to be a view over to lake Zürich. I’ve attached a photo from the same spot I took on a clear Fall day back in 2019.

Fogged over
Lanscape view of green farm pastures interspersed with small woods. Lake Zürich, long and skinny, runs left-to-right in the distance. The sky is blue with a few white clouds.

First snowshoe hike 2023/24

First snowshoe hike of the season (possibly first in two years). It was raining heavily down in the valley, so I wasn’t even sure I should go, but up at the Raten pass there was fresh wet snow. We’re going to the mountains in two weeks, and I need to get some practice in.

Snow-covered pasture bordered with evergreen woods. Heavy wet snow is falling and visibility is limited.
A snowy path leads between two evergreen trees. The sky is overcast and it is snowing.
Selfie of middle-aged white guy in glasses, red ski jacket and an olive Florida Trail baseball cap. He's a bit covered in snow.
Point-of-view photo of my two snowshoe-clad feet standing in snow.

This morning was not a great time to be outdoors. I didn’t mind the cold and rain so much as the wind (which rendered an umbrella useless). As I ascended out of the valley, the rain turned to sleet and snow (and back into rain again when I descended).

Landscape view of rolling farm fields mostly covered in snow leading down to a gray lake and a fog-shrouded valley.

Unterägeri, Switzerland

The town of Unterägeri in Canton Zug, Switzerland as seen from a hill on its northern side looking south. The valley is lightly covered in snow. The town is tightly clustered in the foreground with farmland in the distance giving way to forested hillsides that shape the valley. The sky is filled with puffy white clouds and a bit of blue.

View from the White Cross, now actually white with snow. It’s been a month since I’ve done this walk (I’ve been trying to do it weekly). The other photo is of a sheep barn halfway up.

View from the Unterägeri White Cross on a day with snow on the ground. View of a lake surrounded by partially forested hills. The sky is filled with puffy clouds.
Dark wooden barn on a snowy slope halfway up to the White Cross. The landscape is a mix of pasture and forest. The barn is part of a sheep farm.

Our valley got light snow overnight (our second snow of the season). It made for a very pleasant walk this morning. Now it’s time to cook a belated Thanksgiving meal. I’m thankful for the snow! (among many things)

View of somewhat snowy valley with a gray lake. Some green is poking up from the grass. The sky is mostly cloudy with a small clear blue patch.

Rigi (left, closer) and Pilatus (right, more distant) in the early morning light

View across a green valley with two mountains in the distance, both illuminated by early morning light.

Sunrise hike up to the Weisses Kreuz yesterday morning. Today I went to the gym after a 2 week hiatus (I was in the U.S. for 10 days for Fall break).

View of a lake surrounded by hills and mountains at sunrise.

That viewpoint I hike to is on a ridge overlooking the north side of our valley, which also means I get to see the next valley over. It’s basically just farmland.

View of the rolling Swiss pastures of Hinterwyden with green grass, cows, and some farm houses.