When we woke up the sky was clear blue. But as we ate another storm rolled in and we could hear the thunder echo up and down the valley again. But as quickly as it moved it, it was gone again. We got geared up to hit the trails.
Over the last few days I had mentioned a number of suggestions for some first easy hikes to let Delanie get adjusted to the time zone and the elevation. Well Jo agreed that they were great ideas at the time, but as soon as we hit the trail today Sergeant Mousseau decided that she had a better idea.......hike, and don't stop until I tell you that can! There will be no reprieve for you Delanie, get a move on!
The first part of the hike from the Lauterbrunnen Valley up to Wengen is in the woods, and very steep. But there are some nice views along the way
Starting out
The view back down into our valley after gaining a bit of altitude
It didn't take long and we arrived in the town of Wengen. Even the cats have to climb here
We stopped for some lunch supplies in the town square and plotted our next assault
Up! Cried out sergeant Mousseau....there will be time to rest later. So onward, and upward, we went. It wasn't long and our valley was a distant memory.....and this is what laid ahead
The trail kept going up and up, past waterfalls, higher than the mountain train tracks.....past the Wengen World Cup Downhill Ski course. We were now in the high alp....and we were not the only ones here at this time of year
There were cows a plenty grazing in the high alp. Every one of them wearing a bell. A veritable cacophony of sounds....or a cack a phony according to Jo. Now when hiking in the mountains you must be prepared for all eventualities. We were prepared with plenty of water, first aid kit, gore-tex jacket and pants, a warm layer, survival supplies, and most importantly......gummy bears!
The trail never let up, it just keep climbing. Jo kept calling out.....left right left right double time now. At one point Delanie had heard enough. She elected for a horizontal rest
A few stiff pokes with a trekking pole from sergeant Mouuseau and she was up and hiking again. We were getting higher and higher and closer to the real mountains
We decided that we should stop and have something to eat before we got all the way to the top. We found a great spot under the shade of a few trees, with a very nice view
Then it was time for the final push. We were getting closer to Kleine Scheidegg. In this pic you can see the famous North Face of the Eiger
Soon the historic hotels of Kleine Scheidegg were in view
It didn't take us long to do the last little bit. Not a bad hike at all.....11.14 kms all uphill, with a total elevation gain of 1,527 meters....that's over 1.5 kms! When we reached the top sergeant Mousseau finally let her guard down and congratulated Delanie on her first hike in the Alps
We considered starting the 2.5 hour hike back down, but elected on taking the train instead. Delanie was chillin
Until the train police came along and gave her a stern warning about having her feet on the seats. Now we don't speak Swiss, but I'm quite certain that those weren't all polite words.
It didn't take long and we were back down in out sleepy little valley again. Some well deserved showers and a nice meal and we were just about done. But we ended up going for a two hour post dinner stroll along the valley floor as it was such a nice evening.
What will tomorrow bring.....dunno. But surely it won't blow as much as today did, lol
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