Saturday, October 18, 2008

Mt. Pilatus



I had so much fun climbing Mt. Niesen last week that Pam and I decided to climb Mt. Pilatus (2132 meters) this weekend. The weather forecast promised a nice day. Pilatus is not too far from Luzern. In fact, we were able to see the summit of Pilatus when we strolled through the streets of Luzern back in August with my Dad and Gretchen. At the time, I remember wondering what the view was like from the top. This was our chance to find out!

We didn't have the time -- or the conditioning -- to attempt the full 4-hour hike from the bottom, so we jumped on a gondola at Kriens for the 30-minute ride up to the small hillside resort of Fräkmüntegg (1415 meters). From there, we set out for the summit. It was a moderately steep two hour hike up the rocky mountainside. Fortunately, the path was well marked. Fog rolled in as we neared the top, but it was clear on the other side of the mountain and, when we reached the summit, we were able to enjoy stunning views of Luzern and the lake below (it was far better than I ever imagined!). 

Given that it took so much effort to get there, I suspect we enjoyed the view just a little bit more than those tourists who took the gondola ride the whole way up! :) 

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