Switzerland: Guggershorn, Gantrisch in December '07

Hello again!
This is a historic day in Swiss politics: the would-be-great Christoph Blocher has been ousted from the Swiss government (cabinet) and a very capable woman, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf voted in (she wants to sleep on it and tell us tomorrow morning whether she will agree to take his place). Widmer-Schlumpf is a member of the Grisons cantonal executive and has an excellent track record.
Blocher, who was also hoping to be elected Vice-President of the Swiss Confederation, and his cronies have today been punished for an extremely right-wing political style that disregards Swiss traditions of give-and-take, a policy that disrespects minorities, and excludes those who do not toe the party line and keeps dissing the disenfranchised.
Sometimes, Swiss politics are quite exciting!

But today I want to share with you ...
... a few visual memories of a windswept and mostly chilly walk ten days ago from Guggisberg to Guggershorn and over to Schwendelberg and back down again – we enjoyed some stunning views and even a moment of sun. Some tree wrecks dating back from hurricane Lothar (27 December 1999) provided a sobering counterpoint (next post).
This is how walking trails are signposted in Switzerland. Yellow signs giving the destination and a fairly good estimate of the walking time required. Pictograms indicate whether a destination is on a postbus or train line, etc.
The Guggershorn *) is a curious outcropping of "Nagelfluh", a coarse sedimentary conglomerate that looks a little like concrete. The Swiss Mittelland and pre-Alps are full of such outcroppings and hills. Some of them carry fascinating ammonites. Not far from Bern there's an oyster bank -- fossilized oysters, of course.
The Guggershorn is a steep ascent but really easy on a dry day. Lots of steps...
The famous Guggershorn or Guggershoernli is the "peak" on the right. In the middle of the photo above is the church of Guggisberg. That's where the famous Vreneli of the ancient Swiss folk song came from.In this view from Guggershorn, high above the village of Guggisberg in the foreground (click on the photo for an enlarged view), you can just see Lake Neuchâtel -- a light-blue band beyond the darker blue hills and below the grey-blue band of the Jura mountain range.
The hill or mountain in the middle right is the Gross Schwyberg. Some people are planning to place a few wind turbines on top -- essentially a very good idea as it is fairly exposed and not a hugely beautiful bit of pre-Alp as such. But opposition is fierce. A few weeks ago, the marking posts indicating where the pylons would be placed were pulled down by a party of anonymous wreckers.
Another view of the same mountain, the Schwiberg (probably translates as Pig Mountain, above).
View from Guggershorn: Kaiseregg above Schwarzsee (not visible in this photo) and some other peaks in the Fribourg chain of the Alps. Winter has come early to these parts.

*) Guggershorn, 1283 masl

Finally, en route back to Guggisberg, we came past this picturesque house:
An amazing mix of wall coverings: vertical weatherboard that reminds me of New England houses; lichen-covered shingle slowly slipping earthward; the sun-facing front is rendering, probably on brick or stone. The top triangle above the weather brow is metal sheeting. The place looks inhabited; note the rope ladder leading up to the tree (right) -- a holiday home, most likely. Picturesque, but in need of some major tender loving care.

After the short, steep walk in the Guggershorn area, we drove back to Bern the long way round, by way of the Gurnigel pass. Here are some visual memories of what became a fairly windy, grey late afternoon:
We even ended up having to negotiate a partially snow-covered road. In the high winter season this will be part of a fantastic cross-country skiing trail. I am hoping to return later and do some proper cross-country skiing here. This photo shows the signpost to a beautiful mountain cabin that serves as a school holiday camp. The sign reads "Ferienlager Burst". It's a well-provisioned, well-proportioned house:
I'd think that not much light gets in through the two tiny windows which are, moreover, fronted by a substantial store of firewood.
Detail of the perfectly constructed shingle roof. It's a dying trade but evidently some craftspeople are still around to build such beauties. From the colour of the wood and the condition of the roof, I'd say it's no older than four or fifteen years.
Finally, some views to be enjoyed from Bursthütte:
Patches of snow on the steep alpine meadow, the four-o'clock sun trying to burn through the dense fog. A less well-known view of the Bernese Alps (above) and of one of my favourites, the Gantrisch (below, centre), the Nuenenenfluh (below, left), and Buerglen (below, right):Below, the Buerglen again (centre), and the Ochsen (right); with the "Bire", an almost perfectly conical hill, in front, just above the dark patches of woodland. I'm hoping to post a clearer image of this some other time -- these photos really have far too little contrast. But they remind me of long-ago skiing hikes and summer climbs.Come back soon!