A nice hike up the Uetliberg

If you want a really nice hiking route up the Uetliberg, start from the train station called Schweighof then head up past all the allotments towards the shooting range just at the edge of the forest.  After a hundred metres of gravel or so, there is a series of steps leading up the hill and this is the route I took today.

The route is fairly steep and is for able bodied people only, owing to all the tree roots you need to step over as you ascend.  There are a few places where it is quite muddy and at the same time steep, so you need to grab hold of something to pull yourself up, like a small tree.  It is not at all scary though, and even if you have a fear of heights I cannot imagine you would have any problem on this path.  The path goes alongside the large meadow leading up to the antenna that you can see when you look up at the Uetliberg from Zurich city.

There were a few points when Negrita looked at me as if she wanted me to pick her up, but I decided to continue and see if she followed.  Sure enough she found a way to get to the top without any help.  For a larger dog it would be quite easy, but with her short legs some of the natural steps are very high for her.  She loves a challenge though, and once she finds a way over the obstacles her little tail wags like crazy.

I was wearing my VFFs and it was really nice to feel the branches, tree roots and squishy mud beneath my feet.  I have done the same route a couple of times in the past wearing normal trainers and I did not enjoy it half as much as I did today.

On arriving at the antenna, we went to the viewpoint at the top for a couple of minutes to take in the stunning panorama, and then we took the train back to Zurich HB.  Below are some photos from today's hike.