Uf forest - rock mountain

Pius and Miriam with Gypsie and Mia (from 02.06.18):

This morning at 9.10am all our things are packed and we start our today's daily stage to Felsberg in sunshine and clouds. The trail leads us at the beginning through the forest and over meadows steadily uphill. Again and again we can admire the beautiful views of the other side of the Schanfigg valley. Across one meadow we follow a path which is hardly to be recognized, only the red and white markers show us the way. Up through the forest we reach a cow pasture, which we have to cross. Mia is uncomfortable with this situation and she barks at the cows. Here we also meet Tim, a farmer single addicted candidate from 2016, who points out that we have to avoid lying cows with a barking dog in order not to disturb them. Normally we do this too, but since the pasture exit is right next to the cows, it is not possible.

The last 2 kilometers before Tschiertschen we follow a little tarred road. After exactly one hour since departure we finally reach the charming village with its beautiful wooden houses. Meanwhile it is very humid and we need a break. At the Alpine Lodge we therefore sit down at a table on the terrace. Actually the restaurant does not open until 14.00 hrs, but we get something to drink anyway. Until now we have always been treated very hospitably on the Way of St. James. From the restaurant it is only about 5 minutes to a lookout hill that we do not want to miss. At the top there are four benches, one in each direction, which invite to stay. For the short ascent we are rewarded with a great view of Tschiertschen and the valley Schanfigg.

After we have recovered a little, we continue our way. For a short stretch we follow an asphalt road, then we turn into the Butterfly Path. Here we get an overview of the varied life of butterflies. In addition to portraits of the native species, the boards along the path also provide a lot of background information. The path also leads us through a pasture with mother cows, with dogs you should always be careful here. Shortly before Praden we leave the butterfly path again. We walk through the small, cosy village and then follow the main road for about 1 km over species-rich meadows until we reach the forest again. We take a break at a bench and enjoy the view through the trees to the village Maladers on the other side of the valley. Freshly strengthened we start the short ascent followed by a partly quite steep descent on a narrow path with many roots and stones down to Passugg. A certain amount of surefootedness is required here to avoid stumbling. This path is also a mountain bike downhill stretch.

Passugg became famous for its Passugg mineral water. The 5 mineral springs with different chemical composition were first mentioned in 1562 and rediscovered in the 19th century. Since 1951 the mineral water has been bottled and sold here. We walk around the former spa hotel, pass the post office square and from now on we are on an idyllic natural street, which leads us in zigzag down to the Plessur. We share this route with mountain bikers. We now follow the Plessur, first on a forest path and later along the main road until we arrive in Chur. Chur is the capital of the canton of Graubünden and the oldest town in Switzerland. In the old town is the cathedral Santa Maria Himmelfahrt, which is part of the bishop's see there. It was built on the foundations of a Roman fort and is the oldest bishop's see north of the Alps that is still occupied today.

Near the Obertor we treat ourselves to a drink in a restaurant. The dogs are also happy about this break to recover from the sultry heat. Half an hour later we are already on our way back towards the Bündner Oberland, also called Surselva by the locals. We walk up the main road to Rosenhügel, where you have a wonderful view of Chur. We continue on a gravel road through the forest, over fields and meadows first up and then down until we reach Felsberg. Unfortunately, the Jakobsweg is not very well signposted on this stretch, so we take the wrong turn a few times. In addition, the path is currently being diverted to the village due to a landslide, which means an additional walking time of 20 minutes. Once we arrive in Felsberg, we follow the signposting to Biohof Danuser, where we will sleep tonight. The family offers sleeping in straw, which we definitely want to try out. We are happy when we finally arrive at the farm at 17.45. Right next to our room with 15 straw beds there is a common washroom with toilet and shower. We can also use the common room with kitchen.

For the overnight stay we pay Fr. 30.00 per person including breakfast. We don't have to pay for the dogs.

Today we have covered 20.2 km with ascents of 720 m and descents of 1'243 m. The sultry heat caused us some trouble. During the previous stages we were mostly above 1'500 m.a.s.l., which was more pleasant in terms of temperatures. You should also take enough water with you for the dogs, as the smaller streams at the current altitude carry less water or have already dried up.