What was one of the best gifts you have ever given to someone?

Last year for Christmas I gave every family member (it’s only 3 people) a gift card for a day/activity with me. First I was a bit insecure about it, because gift cards are always a bit of a thing… you don’t find the time to do it or simply forget about it. But I was determined to make it happen. For some of the gift cards we agreed on a date right when I gave it to them. For the other ones I asked from time to time if they had time to spend a day. Like that I was able to do all 3 of them!

My dad and I cooked an incredibly delicious meal. (Sorry about the self-praise) My mom got a gift card for a day in and around Baden, Switzerland with me. She got the choice between a delicious brunch, a bike tour to Baden, shopping, a spa day or a hike to Baden. She chose the latter and so we went:

The Hike:

After a nutritious breakfast at home with chia-fruit pudding and bread we left Buchs ZH at 11:15AM. Straight from there we walked uphill all the way to the restaurant Hochwacht. Luckily most of the hike was in the forest and because it was a hot day, shade was very welcome. We enjoyed the view of Furttal up by the restaurant. We continued walking at a good pace through the forest, past a lot of pretty flowers, and soon we reached the ridge. After a while we got warned by a sign about the exposed path and it stated you’d have to be an experienced hiker to continue. Coming from the mountains, this was no problem for us though. After a short break on a bench we continued. The path got rockier and we had to focus on our steps. Some short passages were a bit exposed on both sides of the ridge but manageable. (some pictures below) Shortly there after the path started going slightly downhill, all the way to Schartenfels and Baden. We enjoyed our home made chicken-sandwiches on a bench shortly after Schartenfels with a great view of Baden. After we’ve reached the town, we walked along the river Limmat to Café Kajüte and enjoyed a refreshing drink. Later we took the train back to my home. What a successful day!

Summary:

Start: Regensberg, Dielsdorf or Buchs ZH
End: Baden (You can also walk the hike in the opposite direction)
Duration: ca. 4 - 4.5h
Food: Restaurant Hochwacht, Restaurant Schartenfels, Baden
Difficulty: Stated online as T3, but it’s only a very short passage which can also be skipped by a detour.
Length: (from Buchs) 12km (7.4 miles)
Height: (from Buchs) 500m uphill, 600m downhill (1640 ft up and 1970 ft down)

Lägern Hike: Stunning Views and Challenging Trailsv