What more does one want to see?
What lies behind the cracks
Smoking Tiger...um Eiger. That's a big line up, tough act to follow.
When we left Grindelwald for Interlaken, we were a little sad following a wonderful experience, in fact, superb.
We need not have concerned ourselves because the Bernese Overland is one mountainous paradise. It is quite
staggering to grasp how much natural beauty exists and then to realize it’s concentrated in a relatively
small area.
We were taken in with the hamlet of Murren, situate 3,000 feet above the valley of Lautenbrunnen. The surrounding
slabs spout water into the valley at an alarming rate—there are at least a dozen major waterfalls. We observed
water barreling down the mountains, over the cliffs and even through tunnels from the top, middle and bottom of
the mountains as we made our way down from Murren.
A couple of waterfalls next to fields of color, on our way back
A monster, a little different from the rest.
We over-extended ourselves in a 13-miles day. We commenced from Interlaken, walked to the station, arrived
in Lauterbrunnen, gained 2,800 feet elevation to the town of Murren in a little over two hours and continued
to Gimmelbad, Stechelberg, Trummelbach Falls and back to the starting point. The climb or hike to Murren
was incredible although it 'stretched' us. Once again, we were amazed to see the train and cable system in
operation at elevation. Murren sits below the famous Schilthorn. On our next trip, which we hope to make
in a summer and soon, we plan to stay in Murren and hike up the further 4,000 feet to the peak. Actually,
after something like nine major hikes in the area, it seems every time we complete one, five others
reveal themselves.
Overpowering blocks of snow and ice, a bit of granite here and there, too.
Another monster but most pleasing on the eye
On Tuesday at Schreckfeld, we met a Dutch family while they were busy losing a telephone and backpack. After
an interesting chat, we bid them farewell and headed home. Three days later, we bumped into them again, on
this occasion at Murren, where they were waiting for the train. Coincidences like this are always enjoyable,
particularly upon meeting nice people who are keen in having a conversation.
Standing at the top, the view into the valley is stunning as we contemplate our return down; waterfalls
all over the mountains add further features.
We faced a dilemma on the trail, for a change. Without any warnings during the early stages of the hike,
after 1,800 feet gain, there was a sign stating the trail was closed because of recent rock falls. We noticed
the poor state of the trail, one of the few we have found to be more rustic and rugged and thus more challenging,
preferable, too. With a thousand feet still to climb and having come so far, we pushed on. Turning back is a
difficult thing to do. We thought the rock falls had ceased by then but the trail was in poor condition; hence, their
decision to close it. We are far more comfortable on dangerous trails than facing falling rocks. Therefore, we
pushed upwards.
We arrive in the village after, sorry to repeat, a tough climb. Train service runs parallel to Jenni.
Curling falls
Twin falls
You probably know the feeling of disappointment. We had one of those incidents on Friday and it provided
perspective, allowing for clearer definition. One meaning of disappointment is when something occurs
that does not meet expectations. We had left Murren, heading back down to Lauterbrunnen Station, thinking
the distance was only a little more than the climb—we were doing a loop. When we reached ground level and after
walking a further two miles, we were expecting to be close to the station, our commencement point. A sign came into
view indicating, at three miles per hour, we had another 50 minutes to walk. That’s disappointment. At times
like that, one thinks of sitting down and moaning. However, rational thought tells a person to face reality
and get the job done. That night was the first in a long time that our muscles did not recover by the time
we collapsed and fell asleep. In fact, the following morning, we hobbled for the first thirty minutes. The
day after, we could only recollect what a wonderful experience it had been. What's that about disappointment?
Switzerland's Pride: Eiger, Monch and Jung Frau
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
No comments:
Post a Comment