Considering I was heading straight to Switzerland from NY and had really only packed city clothes (and my city girl attitude), I had a lot to do to both physically and mentally prepare myself for the adventure. First things first, I needed a proper hiking “outfit” (aka hiking boots, socks, and pants…thankfully Martin was able to supply the rest). With the help of Anna and a lovely sales clerk (who took the time to explain everything – a first for me in Zurich) I was properly equipped with a properly matching outfit. After buying my shoes (which I thought was enough) Martin encouraged me to walk around in them throughout the week to ward off the chance of blisters... Embarrassed with the unfashionable outfit, I spent about 40 minutes on a walk//hike around Zurich feeling somewhat ridiculous.
And finally, with the outfit sorted out and shoes somewhat broken in, Martin and I prepared and packed the lunches and snacks for the two days (dinner and breakfast was provided by the hut). In total we packed five sandwiches, 4 wiener schnitzels, 1 kilo of trail mix, 3 apples, 8 meat sticks and 14 granola bars…some might say we over packed on the food, but given our past experiences of me getting tired and hungry, I still feel it was not overzealous, but rather properly prepared….a according to my mom, a girl scout is always prepared.
Saturday morning arrived and we were up before dawn to catch our train down to the Alps. But first Martin had to tape up my heel to protect my already existing blister from getting worse… unfortunately I had gotten a blister the day before, not from my hiking shoes, but rather the ballerina flats I had worn to lunch. I was definitely the rookie in the group and it was already showing. Thankfully, that was my one and only blister…the boots fit great and I had no additional problems.
We began our hike at the Schynige Platte and ended the day at our hut at Berghaus Manndlenen approximately 4 hours away which included a 450m climb. To avoid an understatement of the scenery, below are some photos from the first day.
We arrived at the hut earlier than expected and enjoyed our first (of many) hard earned beers on the sun deck. In all honesty, beer had never tasted so good. Dinner was served early, so we spent the remainder of the evening in a more-competitive-than-necessary game of Sorry…we were all exhausted from the days hike, but no one wanted to quit without a proper winner. The game finally ended at 10pm, after Braden claimed victory, and we were in bed, fast asleep before 10:30.
We awoke early the next day, ready for the final leg of the hike to Grosse Scheidegg, approximately 5.5 hours away with a 350m vertical climb in the beginning, followed by a 790m descent. The first portion of the hike was straight up the side of the mountain ridge, sometimes closer to the edge than comfortable, so I was thankful for the dense blanket of fog that prevented our views of the steep drop off. Again…snapshots of Day 2.
Stunning views aside, the highlight of the day was not only hearing, but seeing a large avalanche come off the north face of the Eigor (one of Europe’s most famous mountains). Thankfully we saw it from a safe distance.
We ended the hike with another beer before hopping on the bus/train home. The ride home was quiet (we were completely dead after the hike), but I felt a sense of accomplishment after the two days. And while I still don’t consider myself a hiker just yet, I would love to do another hut hike next summer (although in hindsight, I probably wouldn’t do it the second to last night with Martin for 5 weeks…sleeping in one room with 30 strangers is a different kind of romantic).
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