Gitschen

I only have Saturday morning available for a hike, but plenty motivation for a decent tour. The result: a 3.20am alarm and a 5.10am start at the end of the Chlital (Isenthal). A large traffic sign lists the times when the Postauto uses the narrow road from Bauen to Isenthal. It might be advisable to wait a couple of minutes, rather than come face to face with a large bus. Thankfully this was not an issue for me this early in the morning :).

From Neihüttli, I hike up along woods and meadows until I reach the crest of the Schartihöreli-Gitschen ridge at Hinter Wang. Higher up, farmers and dogs are already busy at work at Oberberg, gathering the sheep together. Beyond Oberberg, the hiking path currently follows a slightly different line than on the map, passing directly by the Rinderstöckli. Until here, the path is sometimes muddy, but generally easy. Things get more interesting as the white-blue-white path traverses through the Gitschen east face. Ideally the rock would be a little bit dryer, but the route is still enjoyable. There is a signpost at the junction where the route reaches the Gitschen south ridge. The ascent from the signpost to the summit is the most challenging part of the route (T5). At one place, I deviate from the markings, avoiding some smooth plates, instead scrambling up to reach the final summit ridge slightly earlier than the official route.

I scramble back to the signpost and then follow the other white-blue-white path in the direction of the Musenalp. After a little scrambling along the ridge, the path makes a long curve around the Chlital through scree slopes. With good hiking boots and no snow, this is a relatively pleasant and quick descent. There are only a couple of places where the path gets steeper and/or more technical (especially around P. 2165). The crossing of the Firnbach waterfall (fixed chain) is a final highlight before I reach the Musenalp. I'm quite hungry already, but it's still too early for lunch, so I have so settle for an apple pie. The descent with the cable car costs 8 CHF, which is a bit much for a 300m descent, especially since the hiking path is smooth and direct as well. While I am walking down, I watch an empty cable car cabin descend past me... If they had just offered a cheaper price to me, it could have been a win-win for everybody...

More details about the routes on the Gitschen can be found in the numerous other reports here on Hikr. The two most recent ones by Tobi and ossi (through the east face) and by Fico are particularly entertaining reads.