Large round Uster-East

23.4.2017
Grosse Runde Uster-Ost

On this Sunday, at 10 o'clock I decided to go for a hike. The weather was beautiful and there was no hurry. I didn't really have a plan where I would go to. Just wanded to find out how far I could walk in one day.
As there are plenty of hiking guideposts as well as bus and train stations, it's not nescessary to check a map in advance.

I left home in an eastern direction, passed Uster train station and walked up to Wermatswil. Sometimes I followed the edge of a forest instead of walking on the hiking path. It's such a joy to walk throug flowering meadows in this time of the year!

After lunch in the public bath at Pfäffikersee, I continued hiking to Römerkastell, a well restaured ruin of a roman fort. Unfortunately it was not possible to enjoy the view, as there was a man mowing the lawn with a professional, very noisy garden tractor. The man wore ear protectors. It seemed to me that he was payed per turn (on a Sunday) as he drove to and fro on the same spot. There war no grass anymore, actually.

I followed the guideposts in direction to Rosinli, a popular hill with a restaurant.
Below Platte, a view point, I met a farmer who told me about his goats. His farm is run according the Demeter standards. They breed Walliser Schwarzhals-Ziegen, black and white colored goats from the region of Valais. The farmer told me that these goats were popular pets - people keep them as lawn mowers, for example.
I thought that it would be a good alternative to the nerve-racking lawn mower I had met two hours ago at Römerkastell.

At Rosinli there were plenty of people. I studied the guideposts and decided to hike in direction of Kemptnertobel, passing Atetswil.
In Adetswil I bought a snack in Volg (a small supermarket).
I had seen pictures of the ravine Kemtnertobel with its waterfall but I had never been there before.
The industrial history of the ravine is told on several information boards. The creek is called Aabach in its upper part. Further downriver the name changes into Chämptnerbach. (I prefer "Chämtnerbach" as "Aa" is just an old word for creek. Thats why there are several creeks called "Aabach", meaning creek-creek.)

Like everywhere in this region, the water of Chämtnerbach was used to produce energy. The main branche of trade in this region was spinning and weaving of cotton.

Kemptnertobel is a very beautiful ravine and it's worthwhile to visit it.

I thought of taking a train or bus when I would arrive in Kempten. But then I changed my mind and continued walking in direction of lake Pfäffikersee and Seegräben.

Shortly before sunset I arrived at the forest of Oberuster and I got startled by a sign warning of aggressive wild boars!
It was the hour when the forest springs to life. There was a buzzard gliding from a tree and a little mouse eating some plant beside the path.
How beautiful!
I sincerely hoped that the boars were somewhere else! (Though I would be curious to see them.)
I was very tired and I imagined myself surrounded by boars, climbing up a tree and calling the rescue service...
It took me about half an hour to cross the forest.
Fortunately no boars appeared!

I arrived at home at about half past eight in the evening. All in all I made about 30 km.