The Alpabzug tradition

You took the last walk in the mountains before winter, in autumn, when the slopes of the Alps are colored with yellowed larches and bare birches. There is a strange silence compared to summer, but you don't understand what it is about until you find the first electric fence open, and then it gets clearer: you don't hear any bells in the background, no bellowing disturbs or cheers up the quiet of the alpine walks, the fences around the huts or the gates that sometimes interrupt the paths to confine the herds in a specific area have disappeared. The cows, the undisputed queens of the Swiss Alps, those gigantic creatures with their grey and unlikely shiny mantle who watch you perplexed by ruminating grass while you cross their pastures with your backpack, are no longer there.

In the Swiss Alps, the cattle herds are taken to the mountains to enjoy the sunny, cool summer pastures at the end of spring, and remain between the wooden huts and the cool mountain streams for just over four months.

At the end of the summer, the whole of Switzerland celebrates the herd's descent into the valley before autumn. This tradition, called Alpabzug, or Alpine transhumance, involves not only shepherds, but also the people of the village where the herds return, who welcome them with festivities and festivals.

For hikers who have the good fortune, or the intention, to be in the valleys where the herds descend, this is a real attraction. The cows are decorated with flowers and ribbons, with giant cowbells hanging around their necks to ring the soundtrack of their walk, and parade in large groups along the mountain roads.

Each valley or mountain pasture has its date, and online you can easily find information about the weekends (different in each Canton), between September and October, and the places where you can observe this nice event.