Having an apple am See.

To cross into the canton (state) of Aargau from our place, requires a steep hike into a bipolar universe.  Our still somewhat suburban setting morphs quickly into mixed agriculture--cows, chickens, greenhouses, orchards.  Just as quickly, as we hike higher toward the Egelsee lake, the houses become larger and more ornate; the cars become more high-priced; the views become enviable.

Our Swiss neighbors asked us once if we had yet visited the Egelsee, and we hadn't.   "A shame," the neighbors implied, with a disappointed verbal gauntlet thrown for us to venture into a dark wood to find a cherished lake.  We didn't know what to expect from Egelsee--literally  translated to "Leech Lake."  Legend says its bottom holds ruins of a castle, and its dark water has swallowed many a person.  With those warming thoughts, how could we have not yet visited the lake?

"A shame" indeed.

 But those dark, child-frightening details are courtesy of Wikipedia, so take them for what you wish.  Our aim was more to experience nature, and take a decently relaxing stroll away from concrete and the grind of life.  (Yes, even we in Switzerland are forced to cope with the "grind.")  We packed a small picnic, and I loaded our youngest explorer into the child backpack to give my calves sufficient exercise.  As all good Swiss hikers should, we followed signs and markings as well as we could, but some signs had been removed or forks left ambiguous.

"45 minutes" hiking time to reach the lake quickly turned into an hour, maybe two.  The trail was painfully steep at times, but we continued passing hikers, so we knew we were still in the right area.  I could smell the water.  I wanted to look over a massive lake, like Shasta or Shaver in California.  I wanted to soak my head in fresh clear water, like I saw in Alpine country.

Nothing to sneeze at..the view overlooking our town was refreshing.

 But if I truly wanted to experience those things, I should have either traveled to California or down to the Alps.  The views we experienced were nice, and the air clearly more pure than that in our everyday, but my expectations far exceeded reality.  

We hiked right past the Egelsee.  Even when we found it, we kept walking--I wanted to see the rest of it, and see where it opens wide.  A few minutes and the lake was gone, no larger than the pond near our apartment.  (a good-sized pond to be sure, but still..)

We ended up hiking 5 or 6 miles for the day, much of it through steep terrain--I with a little person strapped to my back.  The picnic was fine, the nature was great, but somehow the pay-off didn't match the effort.

Waaaayyyy over there are some mountains.  Really.

The Egelsee hike wasn't about true accomplishment, as much as it was a quick escape from our everyday surroundings.  Hardship, pressure, frustration--these are all relative, and I acknowledge our blessings.  But acknowledgment doesn't dampen the effects of hardship, pressure, frustration.

Egelsee got us into the open, and offered our bodies a sample of what was to come.  Because with a few hours train ride, and the small person again on my back, a few weeks later we set out for Austria.  Our new hiking shoes were laced to ensure us solid footing on the Karren.  

Audio dispatch, and photos coming soon.