The Confident Hiker

September 2024

Upon returning from this hike I wrote the first note down for the blog post: a hike like poetry. And this sums it up pretty perfectly. From the gently falling leaves and the fluttering sound they made, to the countless colors in the trees and the tender gushes of wind pulling us with them it was a love letter to autumn. A celebration of change in all its joyful colors.

I’ve been exploring this area before on my own while out a spontaneous hike on a Wednesday afternoon that threatened to become one of those tiring just-sitting-around kind of afternoons. The kind that tires you out, almost more than a very packed busy day does. What started as a short walk just outside of the village ultimately turned into a five hour walk that gave me the kind of tiredness that I appreciate. A rewarding tiredness so to speak. Since I came across some beautiful spots, I wanted to show them to Sam and so I created a new shorter version of my previous hike.

We drove the car to an unofficial parking spot above the village of Erschwil at the foot of the Hesliberg. A familiar area that we often visit for a quick Sunday walk rather than a hike as well as a frequently passed through part of many hikes in the past. And a spot whose view never stops to amaze me. We followed the hiking sign direction Oberbergli with a vast view to our left over various mountains, the Hochstelleli, Dürrberg, the Hirnichopf and more.

The early beginning of autumn is a time of vibrant colors. The grass is often still green, the trees are wearing their most joyful outfits of yellow, orange and red and the skies create a strong counter backdrop in various shades of grey and blue with the sun giving everything an even more intense brightness with its gleaming golden light. It makes some of the trees almost seem on fire.

Having passed the farm at Oberbergli, we started our short climb up to my favorite meadow Gringel and the often passed Welschgätterli. From here we began walking right on the border between Solothurn and the Jura; I don’t know which side we were officially on and of course it didn’t really matter to us. All that mattered was the narrow rocky and adventurous trail ahead of us, guiding us over the ridge of the Stierenberg in between the impressive stoic trees, all the while offering glimpses in between the tree branches into the far distance. While narrow and leading over the backbone of this approximately 900 meter high mountain, I didn’t really face any challenges in terms of height or exposedness. That being said, it is one of the more daring hikes to attempt with a fear of heights. In a few places there are rock walls falling off on one side but it can absolutely be avoided to stand close to the edge, which makes it possible to enjoy this daring section.

Being up here felt a bit like falling out of time. The trees looked like they would have long fascinating stories to tell if we spoke the same language. Even the rocks, the thick moss growing over them, the blades of grass moving gently in the wind appeared to be old storytellers, witnesses of history from long ago. The bright silvery sunshine drenched everything in this almost glittering glare, as if someone changed the filter on the camera settings.

We reached the viewing point of Hoggen, a ledge where a tall cross throned over the meadows and forest below. We’ve seen it often down from the trail and I’d never realized that there is an actual hiking trail passing it by. Sam immediately climbed up and it was too intriguing for me not to go up there as well. The ledge is wide, there is even a fireplace and a bench so I encourage you to have the faith in you to go climb up and enjoy the breathtaking view.

Standing on those rocks, I felt powerful and confident – a range of sensations that I had never been able to associate with height before then. It was touching and most likely more of a milestone than I realized at the time and whose extent I maybe still don’t fully grasp today.

After giving ourselves enough time to absorb all the beauty as much as possible, we continued the trail, soon reaching the meadow at La Combe. “Combe” is the french word for valley and this was a broad valley, offering a view down to the village of Montsevelier. A peaceful herd of cows and some fellow hikers crossed our path, before we entered the forest again and went back on the ridge of the Stierenberg.

The trail continued to expose some impressive views and guide us next to rock walls and formations, sometimes barely showing us a path to walk on. It felt like a venturesome stroll through the woods, a mission to find the next adventure around every bend, behind every tree.

The forest floor was littered with various mushrooms, branches with glowing red leaves and soft lush green moss. We started to slowly descend until the path took a sharp right turn off the ridge and into the Stierenbergweid, a peaceful meadow between the forest and beneath the rocks we had just crossed.

It felt like calming down, slowing down after our rocky adventure and maybe also slowly – but only slowly – coming back to our time, for lack of a better term. Remembering where we actually were and how to make our way back home. We crossed the long grassland and quietly admired the vivid colors around us. Sometimes in moments like these, it feels like visiting a museum with someone. You can, without having to communicate, take your own time and tempo to admire the artworks and a glance alone is enough to share that admiration. I believe it takes a certain intimacy and bond to be able to enjoy in silence – apart but together. And the beauty is, that even if your companions experience is a completely different one, tailored to their life and their emotions it still is a shared experience.

The pasture got broader and with that opening came the biting cold wind. Happy to have brought enough layers we wrapped ourselves in jackets and hats and hoods for the last two kilometers.

We were offered one more beautiful panorama view over the Baselbiet and its hilly landscape, gently descending back towards Oberbergli, from where we took the same road back to the car.

And just like that we were back; not much more than three hours after we started from the very same place. The poem was complete and it was a masterpiece.

I talked many times about trails, sections of hikes, places along the way that one doesn’t want to leave. This here initially felt almost like receiving a new life that I didn’t want to let go of. I don’t know if this is something that I can explain any better than that. It certainly doesn’t mean that the life I have outside of this hike is lesser. It is just that maybe sometimes a walk like this allows us to forget everything that overwhelms us in our daily life. It doesn’t erase anything or turn us into a new person; we pick up exactly where we left off before putting on our hiking boots and at the same time it allows us to take a giant step forward, away from where we left off, by learning to understand us and our challenges in life better. And maybe that walk in this pure, judgement free, ever so welcoming, safe place called nature can provide some sort of catharsis.

Those profound hiking experiences are not more beautiful, breathtaking or better in any way than what I – in lack of a better word – call “ordinary hikes” but they are the ones that might just allow us to heal. And the magic is in the fact, that not every hike has that effect; they are not always what we, subconsciously, call for – this release, that moment of catharsis. But for me on that day it was, maybe without me realizing it I called for my steps to bring me solace and reassurance within nature and this season of change. To allow myself to welcome the change ahead in my life.

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Click here to see this hike on SchweizMobil

Looptrail Stierenberg

Difficulty: T1 (Hiking Trail) Length: 8.90 km Duration: 2:41 h Ascent/Descent: 405m/404m

Some more useful facts about this hike

• There are no restaurants, in case you feel like taking a break and have a picnic. But there are many beautiful places to take a rest and enjoy some homemade snacks. My two favorite ones being the viewing point at Hoggen and the valley La Combe.
• If you don’t come by car, you can add a little extra time and distance either from Grindel or Erschwil. Both villages have access to public transportation.