The Via Engiadina hiking trail in Switzerland is a 12-stage 165 km long-distance hiking trail along the entire length of the Engadine high alpine valley in the eastern canton of Graubunden. For several years I have wanted to hike the entire trail, but have only managed six stages (and never more than two stages on consecutive days).
This summer I plan to finally hike the entire trail. I will do it in two sections: four stages in mid-June over the Corpus Christi long holiday weekend, and the remaining eight stages either in July or August.
For the first four stages I will spend three nights in Silvaplana (my destination after the first stage). It might be more fun to spend each night in a different hostel as near as possible to the stage endpoints, but I have a few reasons for staying in Silvaplana:
- I was too busy/lazy to book three different places.
- I really like Pappa Lou restaurant on the lake in Silvaplana and won't mind eating there every night.
- When you stay more than two nights in the same place, you receive a regional travel card that also works for the mountain railways. I would really like to go up from Corvatsch one day after I've hiked my stage to visit Fuorcla Surlej.
I bought a new lightweight rain jacket (I've worn my previous one until it's rotting away), new trekking poles (I slipped and bent my old ones several years ago), and a pair of field binoculars, and I resoled my hiking boots. I'm really looking forward to this.