In my last posting here, I mentioned going to the Raffeisen Skywalk at Mostelberg last weekend. Well, the bridge was not the only reason for my going there. I had decided to walk from Mostelberg to Rotenflue, taking in the mountain called Mythen. Mythen is a massive rocky peak in the canton of Schwyz. It is not particularly high, but it is well separated from other mountains, so it offers commanding views of the surrounding countryside.
My route followed the regional trail number 63. So I left Mostelberg following the waymarked route to the southwest. The weather was cloudy and damp, deteriorating into rain not long after leaving Mostelberg. From Mostelberg, the route goes into the woods and gradually descends to a low point of 1149m, before slowly rising again. It circles around Engelstock to reach Mostelegg, and then heads across open mountainside to reach Haggenegg. From that low point of 1149m, it takes three kilometers of gradual ascent before getting to Haggenegg at 1414m. I had lunch at Haggenegg. There is a small restaurant there which does an excellent bratwurst lunch. By then the rain had stopped, so the time to eat lunch was also time to dry out.
After Haggenegg, the route descends slightly again. It goes into the woods just east of Haggenspitz and Klein Mythen until it reaches a low point, this time at about 1270m. Those two peaks of Klein Mythen and Haggenspitz look inhospitable: massive lumps of rock with no clear route to the summit. But then the route rises again, skirting close to the steep sides of Gross Mythen, until it reaches the alpine meadows of Holzegg at 1405m. From there, there is a defined route to Gross Mythen. It is a long ascent, clinging to the side of the mountain and zig-zagging upwards. In places there are cables and guard rails to provide assistance, but most of the time, there is just a steep slope to either side: upwards on one side and downwards on the other. A fall would be dangerous, but thankfully, falls seem to be quite rare here. The route was crowded too; it is a popular trek. I met one man who was doing it for the second time that day. Altogether it was his 120th ascent of Mythen in 2017. But for me, it was just a case of steady going, constantly backwards and forwards on the zig-zags, always upwards, until I reached the summit at 1898m, almost 500m above Holzegg. There is actually a small restaurant at the summit, along with the mandatory cross. Switzerland is a Christian country, and a cross is common on significant summits. While I was there, some people unfurled a huge Swiss flag, but mostly I was concentrating on the views. As I mentioned, Gross Mythen is a free-standing summit separated from its neighbours, so there are great views in all directions on a clear day. And by then it was a clear day, so it was worth taking some time to view the surrounding countryside.
Then it was a rapid descent back again to Holzegg and on to Rotenflue where I was just in time to catch one of the last cable cars down the valley. The cable car stops running at 17:30, but there were a few extra ones after that to allow for stragglers
All in all this was a wonderful day of walking, taking in two things worth experiencing: the Raffeisen Skywalk and the ascent of Gross Mythen.
And the step count for the day was 31000.
Walkingman 