I had to burn my last bit of vacation time for the fiscal year ending in mid June, so I worked out with my office the best time would be the week before Memorial Day. I only had a few weeks to schedule something and lots of possibilities came and went. I had hiking in Switzerland near the top of the list, but it looked less likely, and then it was the best option. I booked a trip through Exodus International, who appears to contract through Headwaters in the UK for this schedule: 6 days of hiking, all from the town of Kandersteg, staying in the same hotel the whole week, with all meals included. What could go wrong?
Here are the links to the youtube videos:
the slideshow: https://youtu.be/P_bqJF4pqNA (great photos, with my commentary and Andrew O’Rourke soundtrack)
The video: https://youtu.be/wzJl0b4P2nY (less than 10 min video, roaring rapids, great views, commentary and soundtrack).
The DRAMA!: I have had plenty of things happen to me traveling, but there were way too many things to deal with on this one. 1. I booked my incoming flight the wrong day! I thought I booked it for the 20th of May, to arrive the 21st, and didn’t notice until a week before I was to leave I had booked it the 21st, to arrive the 22nd! I couldn’t believe it. I guess somehow the dates got changed in the Orbitz search without me noticing, as the flight schedule was perfect for me to work the 20th and get to the airport. Exodus would not refund the money for the first night’s stay (the contract I signed said no refunds for travel problems). 2. I LOST MY WALLET! I had just paid for the train tickets from the Zurich Airport station to Kandersteg. There were three train changes, with one of the trains leaving right away. I rushed down to the platform and then had to wait a few minutes. I got on an almost empty car with a guy from the US and sat by myself, never taking my backpack off and sitting awkwardly in the seats. I jumped up and hurried off the train to get out and try to get something to eat before the connecting train. I had to go up an escalator with a few people, but no one near me. I wandered around and went into a deli type place. I ordered a tofu salad and while they heated it, I reached for my wallet and it wasn’t there! I searched everywhere 50 times, feeling that sense of dread and failure everyone has felt at a time like that. It was horrible. Gone. I frantically rushed around the station to find an information booth to try to figure out if I could go back to the Airport to look or find the other train I’d been on, but there was NOTHING! Switzerland, so disorganized! I ran up and down a bunch of steps to various platforms looking for my prior train, which I thought didn’t leave for another ten minutes, but I could not remember the track. I finally found a tourist information office after about an hour, and they told me there was a lost and found office outside and around the back of the station. I went back there, and there was one guy by himself in a warehouse like room. He called the Airport station to see if anyone found it, and they had not. He gave me a paper with the web address and phone number to make a claim. 3. I PUT OUT A FIRE in a garbage can at the Zurich main station! I was walking back to try to find the next train to Bern and noticed smoke coming out of one of the trash bins: three different containers attached. The one burning was the regular trash. I looked around for someone to report it, and there was not an employee in sight. I took my nalgene water bottle, with the only sustenance I had now that I was walletless, poured about a third of it into the bin, and the fire stopped. 4. Allergies/Injuries: Before a hiking trip, I try to be fit but not injured, yet I have repeatedly hurt myself within a week of departure. I was feeling fit and sturdy a week and half prior to this and had been lifting weights harder than usual, sprinting faster than years, and then I woke up with a with sore back that only got tighter. It was the worst my back has ever hurt. I could barely get through the day for two days, but then it eased and I was able to join some of my family for a weekend of work at our summer house. On the next Monday, my calf suddenly twinged while doing a slow jog to test out my back. I had to walk back. I took a few days off and tried again - couldn’t even run two miles. The Wednesday before I left I noticed a severe itch on my left calf. I pulled up my pant leg at lunch and I had a terrible red rash on my calf that looked like shingles or a contact dermatitis, with the latter more likely due to the long, thin steaks on part of it. I was also getting multiple bug bites a night in my apartment after they put screens on my sliding doors to my balcony that Monday. So I was dealing with all of this before I left. Then, the Monday after I got there, my nose started to be super congested and runny. I could hardly sleep despite nasal spray, and Tuesday it ran all night. I thought it was allergies due to the abundance of tall grass in the lovely meadows all around, something I am allergic to. Then, on Thursday, after a long day of hiking, I started to feel tired and achy. It was likely the combination of sleep deprivation and stress, but I felt a need to at least check for covid since several patients had terrible runny noses. The hotel was kind enough to find a test kit on a national holiday, and it was negative. 5. I was locked out when I got back at 11:15pm after a long day of travel! Before I left, the lock had not been closing properly, but when I got back the door would not open at all! I had my key card in my lost wallet, but the office had sent me a special code to get in. The door tried to open but wouldn’t, and it did the same thing with the codes the on call service guy gave me. He had to come in and could not get it opened! Finally he got a bag of keys that are the back up to the back up and on the 7th try found the right one and I was in. At 12:15am. Beat. 6. The Weather: As the trip approached, I was checking the weather at least daily. Rain was forecast every day. The on the day of departure, for two of the days the weather changed to SNOW and sub-freezing temps in the town, heaven knows in the mountains. I packed all kinds of extra layers and traction devices, only to find two hours later than it was back to rain only. The week itself was fine. It rained when I got there, briefly during the first hike, was gloomy one whole day (I found a way out), and not on any others. Sigh.
Bright Spots: 1. The people I hiked with were fantastic company and excellent people. One of them loaned m a large sum of money and bought my return train tickets as well as tickets to get to another area to hike on the rainy Tuesday. All I could give them was a dose of my charisma and story telling, and they took to it like a dream. They referred to our dinners at the “Terry Show,” laughing at all my best stories. One of the Davids had a very impish sense of humor, and we played off each other like old pros. 2. The loss of my wallet made me reach out to others much more. It made the trip better in a sense, as I was touched again and again by the sincere kindness of almost everyone I came across. People are awesome when they see someone in need of help. 3. Switzerland is stunning. The steep cliffs tower over everywhere, many still with snow all over. The rushing water was the soundtrack to every moment. As I say in the videos and slideshow, the water in Switzerland is in a hurry to get everywhere. 4. The FOOD. The restaurant in the hotel, Nico’s, was very good, and they had excellent vegetarian meals every night. Usually 4 courses, though not very large portions (I lost about 4 pounds for the trip). The breakfast buffet was also quite good. Could have used more soy milk.
Funny Moments: 1. PARKING! I paid in advance to park at a hotel near the Newark Airport, the Wyndham. If you’ve ever driven around at Newark, it is a crazy maze of on and off ramps, and I missed the hotel the first time as it was only a narrow entrance along a fence (I had taken a wrong turn before getting to that point as well). When I finally got back again, I rushed to the office to get whatever I needed to keep my car there. There was a lot of construction, and it was very noisy, with a gang of bikers out in the entrance way and a wedding reception. My car didn’t lock right, either. I got the thing to put in the window after a lot of waiting and rushed out trying to catch the 6pm shuttle. My car wouldn’t lock after I got my bags out! I was shouting and using what little profanity comes out of my mouth for several minutes before finally realizing, in my rush to get out the first time, I had not turned off the engine! Thank goodness I realized it or I would have come back to a total mess! Of course, as I rushed back, the shuttle left, and I had to stand around in all the noise of the bikers and loud guests. Never again parking there. It was hard to get out and back on 78 from there as well. I also had to wait 35 minutes for the shuttle to pick me up at the airport when I got back. 2. When I arrived in Kandersteg, penniless and stressed, I had to walk from the train station to the hotel. Exodus was going to charge me 10 Francs for a taxi, but I didn’t do it in advance. It turned out to be a half mile walk, manageable, but within minutes of starting, the clouds darkened and a thunderstorm rolled in! I took cover and then moved out again when it slowed, only to have to run for cover again in a minute as it started to HAIL! All in a 10 minute walk pulling my bag! Welcome to Kandersteg! Then there was no one at reception when I checked in. I found some papers on their desk with my name on them and the key, managed to get the elevator to take me to the 4th floor to my room, locked my credit cards and submitted my lost and found request for my wallet before going to dinner. 3. The funniest event, at least to me, took place Tuesday, after my hike. That day we had taken a train through tunnels to the other side of the mountains as we heard the weather might be better there, and it was. The hike was from one train station to another, over ten miles. When I found the train station to leave from, there was no one around, and the station itself was tiny. There were two tracks, with a small station on each side. The track I arrived nearest looked like it was going the other way, so I crossed under through a tunnel and waited on the other side, which had a nice bathroom and a bench but little else. I pushed a button I noticed to let the train know it should stop there and had a snack. It was about 3:20, and I was pleased with how I’d hustled to get there. The train went through once an hour, at 43 minutes past. At the correct time, I heard the train coming and got up to wait right long the edge of the platform in plain view. There it was, and it was …on the other track and stopped at the other side! As soon as I realized it, I sprinted back under the tunnel and up the ramp to the train. The first car wouldn’t open, so I went to the next one frantically, and it opened before the train left and I was able to get on! I was out of breath and had hurt my calf running, but it was worth it to not have to sit at that station another hour! I couldn’t stop laughing at how silly I felt, thinking I had done everything correctly. 4. After a long walk Wednesday, I’d heard nothing about my wallet, so I got online and cancelled my credit cards and ordered new ones. As soon as I got that done, I checked my email and I got one from the Train Lost and Found. They had my wallet! I regretted canceling the cards, but it was for the best - I got the cards activated on google pay before I left and used them on the trip back, and the wallet didn’t get back to me until two weeks after I got home, as Thursday was a national holiday and nothing happened with the wallet that day, so it arrived in Kandersteg 5 hours after I left. 5. On our way up the gondola for our Thursday hike, I saw the mountain roller coaster I’d seen mention of. I had to go on! David agreed to try it as well and paid for me. It was a siily ride, bumpy, not very fast and took a while to figure the brake, but I couldn’t stop smiling. My second mountain coaster! 6. On Thursday evening I was not feeling well, with a runny nose and some aches and fatigue. I was pretty sure it wasn’t covid, but just worried enough I talked to reception and they found me a kit. on the holiday(!). My nose was still running in epic fashion, so I kept blowing it before doing the test. Still, when I was sampling the left nostril, I couldn’t help but sneeze, and there was still an unbelievable amount of snot in me! It flew all over the instructions, my t-shirt, sweatpants and the floor!
THE HIKES: Monday: The Gasterntal and Klus Gorge: We rode a small minibus through town and then up a marvelous road along cliffs and through tunnels. It is supposed to be one way for about half of each hour and then the other way for the second half. We were dropped at a small restaurant. There were 6 people from Headwaters and me. We started up the hill to see the views, but turned around shortly. Two went on further. Two left us earlier and stopped for coffee at a small cafe a bit down from where we were dropped off. The hike, once we got going, took us down the trails following a glacial fed steam that roared the whole time. We passed through some beautiful meadows and entered the Klus Gorge, which was spectacular. We stopped for lunch short of a farm. While passing through the farm, we stopped to look at the cattle and goats. From there we were right along the roaring rapids until we came along the road again after crossing a shaky suspension bridge over a quite explosive set of rapids, I left the others (they walked back on the road) while I descended a steep section of steps and followed the water back to the main road to town. It started to rain for about twenty minutes during that part and then stopped.
Tuesday: The Sudrampe: It was a gloomy, drizzly day in Kandersteg. We had heard the day before that on days like this it was often much nicer on the other side of the mountains, an area we could reach by train through tunnels. David and Ethel went on a sight-seeing day to Zermatt, but he paid for my train ticket to the other side and we rode together. I planned to hike with two other members of the party, a mother and daughter from the UK, but they were way too slow, so I left them behind early. It was a great hike; most of it was spent on cliffs and ridges with sharp drop offs to the right, and there were a few bridges to walk on. It was on the trails used to build the train route on the hills above the Rhone River valley, including many longish tunnels. Part of it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I hurried to make the train back _ see funny stories. It was a lovely day there the whole time, but still cloudy and drizzly back in Kandersteg. The other two didn’t return until 3.5 hours after I did, having missed the train as I almost did.
Wednesday: The Allmenalp.
This was a gloomier day up high, but this hike seemed like the best plan. It was over a mile from the hotel to the cable car that takes you to the Allmenalp. I had paid in advance, and an older couple from the UK was also going up. They had been there before and wanted to go across through a high pass and walk back down. Once up there (it was a short but pretty ride, going up at a steep angle), it was warmer than I thought it would be, so I switched out some layers, letting them get ahead. Once I got rolling I passed them and followed a 4 wheel drive track to the high country, passing a small lodging. From there a faint trail carried on up the hill. I was trying to get to the clouds, but they seemed to recede. I passed two women, looked like a mother and a daughter, resting. It was entirely uphill from the cable car, a good test of anyone’s fitness. From them I went to where the trail crossed into a snowfield before disappearing into the clouds. I didn’t feel like walking in the wet snow, so I started down, stopping to chat again with the women about what I’d seen (they decided to try to cross over the snow). They took a few photos of me and I took some of them before we parted. The walk down was only interesting for a possible alternate route that looked like I would have to cross a rapidly flowing stream, so I went back the way I came, meeting a couple who’d tried it from the other side and gave up. I went up a little way on the way they’d come down, and then walked all the way back to town along a very long route. This was the longest of all the hikes. Some of it was along a mountain bike race course, and that followed another loud, roaring stream.
Thursday: Daubensee. Daubensee is one of the prettiest alpine lakes in Switzerland. I rejoined the group, at least the two Davids, Lynette, and Ethel. We walked through town and then on a walkway. There was a nice old church along that way, so we stopped there and took a quick tour. It was not too far to the gondola that took us up to the plateau. We had also paid in advance for this. As we got near the top, I saw the mountain roller coaster. I got excited and it rubbed off on David Walker, so as soon as we got off, we walked over and he paid for both of us to do it. I got on a sled in front of him, and it took me up a hill, like a regular roller coaster. There was a dad and a child in front of me, so I gave them a good lead and then started down. It didn’t go very fast, but I eventually figured out I had to push the brake down to my feet to get it completely off. The metal tube was not that smooth, but it was still fun and not very intense. Kid friendly, not like one I did in the Canadian Rockies. From there we walked on the main trail. I think there was a higher, harder one, but we missed it. We arrived at the lake, and the rest wanted to sit a spell, so I went out the trail partway up the slope from the lake to the end on that side (not an easy hike at all!), where there was a lovely view from a meadow with rocks to sit on to eat. That trail went on up to some restaurants and then on to mountain huts, more or less as far as one wanted to walk. That had been enough for me, since I was going to walk all the way back down. I stopped by the lake shore, and then walked down the fairly steep road and trails to the village. I felt sorry for all the people trudging up that trail to try to get to the lake. It would be a rough go, and the children especially looked miserable, though no one seemed to be enjoying themselves. I was surprised to come across my group on the way down, and David and Lynette and I went the rest of the way together. This was where I started to feel tired and achy.
Friday: Blausee. I was on my own again. I tried to run in the morning and did a little better, but still not well. This hike was the shortest, only 10k, down trails from the village to a very touristy lake. It was a nice walk on a lovely day. I stayed at the lake only long enough to eat and take a few photos. They “organically” raise trout in the lake. It has a network of trails, but they don’t amount to much. I had passed on a more challenging hike because the guidebook said it would not be open yet due to snow, but the mother and daughter from the UK went up there and had a nice day.
The trip back via trains was fine and easy. The flight back was not crowded and relaxed. Of course, Newark had only 4 people checking passports, so hundreds were waiting in line and it took over 40 minutes to get through that, then 35 minutes for the hotel shuttle to pick me up. I ended up having to pay $95US to get my wallet shipped, getting back $143, but then I found out all my calls and data use cost almost $200. Sigh.
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