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Sargans to Weisstannen:
Distance: 14 Km 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 hours This is one of the shorter days of the trek, gaining a little over 500 meters in about 4 hours. Sargans (482 meters), an ancient outpost in the Holy Roman Empire dating back to the 8th century actually has older origins as ruins from ancient Rome were discovered in the 1960's. Sargans is in the canton of St. Gallen along the Rhine. Leaving the Bahnhof (train station) in Sargans walk north/northwest towards the town center until you reach Hotel Ritterhof taking the footpath walking between rows of houses with views of a domed church and Schloss Castle on a hilltop in town. At the end of the path, walk towards the road & make a left towards walking under a railway bridge and keeping following the winding road towards Mels, a quant village with three story quintessential Swiss houses, & a church dating to Medieval times surrounding a fountain. Head towards St. Martin & Vermol crossing the river Seez. Out of Mels you climb steeply up the Burggasse on a path that crosses a winding road a few times passing St. Martin. You essentially follow the Weissetannental River after St. Martin passing a chapel and taking the left fork in the road where you get a lovely view of vineyards below & Mels and Sargans in the distance. Although you follow a path crossing a winding road for about 30 minutes you will make a left shortly before Vermol. At the next sharp turn (before Vermol) leave the road and enter the hiking path to your left climbing up the wooded slope which intermittently crosses a winding road to a junction (Tchess). There are two paths leading to Weisstannen however we took the left path where it gently descends, passing signs to Hundbuel where you keep going straight towards Schwendi eventually passing a timber mill, taking the lower path through a forest and passing steep hills before coming to the tiny hamlet of Schwendi. As you come to the road turn right and either continue on the road about 45 minutes to 1 hour to Weisstannen (1003 meters) or a wooded path following meadows that eventually brings you to your destination. |