Chamanna Paradis

...or Paradise Hut in English. It is named for its heavenly location and views and was the 2nd stop on my hike today. The first one was a little lake, Lej Languard, in a valley that's alive with marmots. One of their "guards" is included in the extras. The Languard area is famous for its ibex, but I didn't see any. I spotted a golden eagle, though, but was too slow to get a photo.

I am still getting accustomed to the 1800m elevation of the Engadine valley, so I didn't climb to the (800 m higher) lake all by myself but used a chairlift for the steepest part. The lift starts in the ski resort Pontresina, which still retains some traditional charm (extra 1).

The path between the lake and the hut goes through a huge grazing area for a herd of cows, including calves and a bull. They had chosen to rest exactly on the path, exactly when I came along. (extra 2). Walking through the middle of the herd was probably my least favourite part of the hike, but everyone remained calm and peaceful.