When I came back to the trail, I found myself arriving in Zug on a cloudy morning. A low mist hung over the lake, but it didn’t deter me. I was confident that the mist would burn off later and that I would have a fine day in the end. I made my way along the lake shore, past the boats at the local sailing club, with their forest of masts, all idle on that morning.
That hour of the morning seems to be the time for dog owners to walk their pets, and there were plenty of them out and about. I greeted each one, and they greeted me as we passed. It continues to be one of the pleasant aspects of Switzerland that people do greet strangers in this way. I continued on around the lake shore, going inland a little, before coming to Cham. The trail does not exactly go into the village, but threads its way between the village centre and the shore of the lake. As I was leaving Cham, I came across a regatta in preparation, with people unloading boats off trailers, putting on their rowing gear, and checking their equipment. I did not hang around, but went on, passing a little island with its bridge to the shore.
After Cham, the trail goes slightly inland, away from the lake shore, though it was still visible at some points. The route winds its way through gently rolling countryside, occasionally passing expensive estates on the way. And so I came eventually to Buonas.
In Buonas, I would leave the Zugersee behind me, but only after I came to the St. Germanskapelle. This little church dates back to the sixteenth century, when a rich local landowner, German Wetzstein, left a portion of his money for its construction. In his lifetime, he renounced his wealth and joined the Franciscan order. The bequest in his will was, he said, so that the people of Buonas would always be able to hear mass locally.
From Buonas, the trail turns south-westwards, soon reaching the village of Meierskappel. I had no reason to stop there and simply went straight through. After Meierskappel, the trail goes uphill gradually, and then does a kind of semi-circular loop so that it can reach the Kapelle Michaelskreuz. I made the short detour to visit this little chapel, but there was a service in progress inside, so I did not go in. Instead, I took a short break while I listened to the music of the service, and then re-joined the trail to go on.
I passed Schiffmannshof and went on down into the village of Udligenswil. But it was only as I was on the way to Adligenswil that the great bulk of Pilatus was clearly visible through the haze. But with every step, it became clearer and more impressive.
I didn’t stop in Adligenswil, but went on, and going over the hill after the village, I was able to see the Vierwaldstätter See for the first time that day.
From there, it was all downhill into Luzern. As I passed the Kloster St. Anna, the route became steeper, but I had good views of the lake now. I reached the lakeshore and joined the strollers out for a walk in the sunshine, and there were many of them. Then, it was just a walk along the shore, passing the Kapellbrücke to reach the railway station and my train home.
My total step count for the day was 47,868.
Walkingman 