An Extended Hike

                                                 A Long Hour

     Standing in the clouds at 10,627-feet up,  we played in the snow for a bit, like a bunch of kids, at the top of a glacier in Switzerland.  It was not as cold as I expected, but after a while we went inside and visited a 427-foot long ice cave.  Built between 1974-’78 the temperature is constant at 30-31 degrees. The ice  is 15-50 meters deep and there are several rooms in the cave. This is where it was cold and when we were done a visit to the café provided us a chance to drink a hot liquid of our choice.

     Warmed up, we rode the gondola down to the first level where we hiked a well maintained trail around small Lake Trubsee. We stopped several times to learn the names of the many alpine plants in bloom.

    About three-quarters way around the lake a path led off to the right and the sign said Engleberg. The Swiss do not mark mileage, instead  they talk about  the time needed to make a destination. This sign read one hour.

    Five or six of us decided to be smart and take the shortcut.  It didn’t take long to realize the foot path was a cow path and very muddy in spots as it wound around large boulders. We climbed up and down over slippery rocks sloshing about in the mud.

    A few hundred meters into the path I seriously thought about turning back as I really wasn’t into playing mountain goat. But it looked better up ahead so we trudged on---for the next 2 ½ hours.  The trail alternated to fairly decent in areas, then turned mucky again. When we finally hit level ground,  as in a narrow paved road, several of us were ready to pay some farmer to get us back to the train station. Since there was no farmer or motor vehicle of any kind  in sight we had no choice but to walk on.

    Rounding the last turn in the road I could see the gondola station. I shouted, “There it is! I can’t believe we all safely made it with no mishaps.” 

     The two who had elected to ride the gondola to ground level were sitting at a picnic table waiting for  us smart-alecks who took the sign as gospel!

    It was really rugged, and it was obvious our guide had not hiked that trail in a very long time.

In hindsight a few years later and after many more trails, easy and tough, it was probably not as rugged as we thought at the time as much as it was a surprise and the realization that we hadn’t been so smart after all!

RAINY DAY HIKE

                                              First Swiss Hike

      My first day in Switzerland to hike the Alps was a misty dull one. The 15 of us were just getting acquainted. On a previous trip I had had a great time traveling via gondola up the 6000-foot Mt.Strassahorn. The view of the valley below on a clear sunny day  was vivid in my memory. So I was looking forward to the next couple of weeks in the Swiss Alps

     One can’t do much about the weather, so we took off to catch the cog railroad, the steepest in the world, going up Mt. Pilatus. With a 48-degree incline, it took a year to build the three-mile track in 1889.

     We couldn’t see much on the ride up, but by the time we reached the top of the 7000-foot high mountain the mist had developed into a heavy drizzle and visibility was zero. The plus side was that the quiet was wonderful. The only thing breaking the silence was the tinkling cow bells from the  valley below. I couldn’t  see the cows but knew they were there. There were less than a handful of people on the mountain.

     The hotel had packed lunches  for us which we all had in our packs. Trying to eat in the rain on the trail wasn’t very appealing to  any of us. There really wasn’t any suitable place on top of the mountain to squat and eat either, as the patio was closed.

     Our guide seemed to know everyone and his brother in the country so he entered the large restaurant to see if he could talk the management into letting his  American charges eat their lunches in the restaurant. Another example how nice people around the world are. Most of us ordered hot soup and tea to  accompany our lunch. We were very careful not to dirty the tablecloth and to pick up all  our mess and carry it out with us. Most of us tipped generously before we left to ride the gondola down to 1451 feet to start hiking.

     By then it was raining pretty hard but the thick canopy kept us from getting soaking wet as we hiked down the well-kept packed path. My rain jacket served me well. Some people had umbrellas and put them up. I got the giggles watching this bunch hike downhill with umbrellas. It just seemed so ludicrous  to me.

     That first day and hike was wet, but it was the only day we had any rain at all. The weather cleared and we hiked in beautiful weather and had a grand time. Those beautiful mountains and part of the world called me back again for more hiking and adventures.

A MEMORABLE CUP OF COFFEE

                                  THE BEST CUP OF COFFEE

     It was an incredibly clear warm day when I boarded a gondola for a ride up to the top of Mt.Strassahorn in Switzerland. The panoramic view of the valley below was fantastic.

     Once at the top, the first thing I did was walk a footpath around the summit of the mountain. The many wildflowers in bloom were a surprise. Suddenly I stopped to listen to the stillness. To my delight a serenade of tinkling cow bells from the alpine valley was all that broke the silence. It was a sound I’d hear again on another trip to the Alps. Every time I hear tinkling bells I remember that first Swiss experience.

     After my stroll among the wildflowers I was back on the large patio in the sky and the gift shop proved irresistible. As I entered the chalet shop/deli I spotted a hot plate with a carafe of hot coffee on one burner and  one of hot  water on the other burner. The young man behind the counter confirmed that I was truly hot water so I excitedly said, “I’d like a ½ cup of coffee and then fill the cup with hot water.”

     “No, no. This coffee is made to add liquor to. It is good.”

      “Just the coffee please as I asked.”

      “OK, if you insist,” he reluctantly conceded.

The young man did not know it was my very first trip across the pond and that for over two weeks I had given up on Europe’s strong coffee and been drinking tea.

      After paying for my special request coffee I took the cup and saucer---no mugs, or Styrofoam here---and went outside to the sunny terrace 6000 feet up a mountain to sit at a round picnic table. I savored and enjoyed that cup of coffee as I listened to the cow bell serenade.

      It is a sweet memory!

SWISS ALPS

                   Villars, a Small Mountain Village

            We expected to see snow in Switzerland, but in June really weren’t thinking of hiking in snow and slush! I’d hiked part of the Swiss Alps a few years previously, but this trip was full of surprises. Of course we were in a different part of the country.

 In Villars everyone spoke French and few understood, much less spoke, any English. We got creative with language, but the time we asked 4 different people for directions to a grocery store we got four different answers. Finally my daughter asked about a market---ah the magic word! No one understood grocery.

            Villars is full of grape vineyards; running up the terraced hillsides they occupy every available space. An hour and a half from Geneva, Villars-sur-Ollon is situated on a sunny south-facing terrace high above the Rhone valley in the heart of the Vaud Alps with breathtaking views of the Dents-du-Midi and Mont Blanc. With traditional chalet-style houses and hotels, Villars, at 4100-feet has the charm of a small village, which it is.

            This huge ski area has 45 ski lifts. There are 300 km of sign-posted footpaths in the area. Hiking signs are posted in time, not in distance; as is true for much of Europe. Mountain biking also is a popular sport. Population of the area increases seven times in winter! One can imagine what a traffic problem such an influx of people would present.

            Throughout this trip all hotel rooms had balconies with fantastic views. What a surprise to learn that we could fill our water bottles from any fountain in town. The fountains were not fancy but certainly useful. The water from the faucet was cold as it comes from the mountains.

            In Villars we had an orientation walk around town to learn where everything was located. We also rode trains through lovely wooded uphill areas, buses, and a cog train up to a summit. We hiked in snow & slush a couple of days and hiked along rivers. We passed several small lakes and took a break by one fairly large one, We also hiked through a couple small villages when we arrived for lunch, a wine tasting or a museum.

            We learned about Rivella, a carbonated drink made from milk serum, which after much discussion we decided must be whey. The drink comes in bottles and is a creamy-champagne color. I likened it much to a crème soda. It was delightfully refreshing and is unique to this part of Switzerland.

It was a surprise to see hundreds of crocuses popping out of the ground and blooming right next to a big patch of snow. Although there was a lot of snow in June it was melting very rapidly. Ice on the lake in the morning was all melted by late afternoon.       

            One day after a medium hike we stopped at our local guide’s summer cabin in the mountains to learn how to make fondue. It was yummy and we enjoyed 2-3 hours of good eating and camaraderie.

We told stories and learned much about the Swiss mountain culture.

            Our local guide was a delightful woman. Since I often lagged at the end of the crowd she was most attentive making sure I heard all of her explanations. Our weather was clear, warm and sunny—really ideal for hiking! It is hard to surpass the Swiss landscape. It is simply gorgeous and we had a great time enjoying it while walking along. Photo ops were plentiful! It was a wonderful few days!

GORGEOUS SWISS ALPS

Murren and Schilthorn

Another day in Switzerland we took a train to Lauterbrenner to pick up a delightful hiking trail to Murren. It was a cool cloudy day so about half way we stopped at a new restaurant for a famous hot Swiss chocolate.

Murren is a quaint little village at an altitude of 5390-feet and situated at the edge of a cliff with a sheer 600-meter drop-off. Monks founded Murren in 1133. Between 1849-1914 the Grand Hotel operated a horse-drawn railway transport system and it was the only way in or out of town.  The village remains car-free today. Murren means many fountains. We passed many of the 72 waterfalls in the area including one that was 1170-feet high.

We were dubious about the weather as we approached the cable car station. Would it be misty and fogged in at 10,000 feet?  The station had a TV monitor which relayed pictures from cameras at the top of Schilthorn. The TV indicated it was clear, so we hurried to get our tickets for the cable ride up. At 8783-feet we  changed cars at a platform station for the rest of the upward ride.

When we broke through the clouds we feasted on breathtaking views of the Alps. At the top we could see 200 peaks!. It was so clear! We walked around the 360-degree viewing platform, took pictures and couldn't stop exclaiming about the amazing beauty that lay before our eyes. My windbreaker jacket was all I needed as it really was not very cold on top.

Eventually we found our way to Piz Gloria, the revolving restaurant, for lunch. The James Bond movie In her Secret Service was filmed here in the late 1960s. The restaurant was built in in 1967.

We had a good meal at a surprisingly reasonable price. We by-passed the gift shop and simply absorbed the incredible beauty before us. Just as we were ready to catch the cable car down to Murren clouds started to roll in and when we reached the bottom the TV showed the entire area completely fogged in. How lucky could we be!