6 Days Hut to Hut in Switzerland 2012

“Alpine Hike - Oberland Travers, August 24th � September 1st, 2012

We were five hikers. Three from the US:(Jackstraw), (Timberwolf) and Swampy, all which I had previously met at the FYAO in the Adirondacks. Then there was Michael from Australia.

So, the folks from the States arrived early on Friday morning at Z�rich airport and traveled by train to Bern. Their hotels were very conveniently located right in the town centre and they had all afternoon to explore the town and rest a little from the flight. I had told them I would meet them around 2 pm. Jackstraw send me a message that he and Timberwolf were taking an afternoon nap. Nevermind, it was a beautiful, sunny day and I went into town. As I strolled around I spotted, amongst the many pedestrians, a guy sitting on a bench near the Starbucks. He sat with his back to me and was busy with his mobile. I stopped. ....mmm, didn't he look like an American? Maybe? I went in a wide bow to the corner of Starbuck, to get a look at that guys face. Short, red hair, fit looking and the right age group...could that be Swampy? I had seen him only once, over two years ago on FYAO and we wore hats, balaclavas and enormous down jackets all the time, which made us all look like colourful Michelin men.

The guy put is mobile back into his bag, got up and turned to go. I quickly moved from the corner right into his way, so he would have to pass me. I stood there and looked straight at him. He came towards me, looked at me, looked again and....yep, a big smile from him, as he recognised me. It was Swampy.

I showed him a little around town and within the next hour or two the others, Jackstraw, Timberwolf and Michael met up with us. We walked a little around town and then had dinner at a restaurant.

The next day, Saturday, everybody had a chance to see and explore Bern. I gave them a fully guided tour and told them what I knew about the historic and cultural sights and attractions of the town.



Sunday morning we met at the train station. Checked in some luggage, to be transported to Lauterbrunnen, the end point of our hike and took the train to Kandersteg, the starting point of our hike. We started our hike right from the train station of Kandersteg. First it went through the village and then 15 minutes through the fields. The weather was perfect. Sunny, but not too hot. Near the valley station of the gondola to Oeschinen Lake the trail splits. I send Swampy and Michael to take the short, steep trail and took Jackstraw and Timberwolf the long, flat route, because Timberwolf didn�t seem too fit this morning. Whereas �flat� is relative here and the hike to the lake is a 1:20 hrs walk with 400 meters ascent. Only half an hour into the trail, it was obvious Timberwolf was struggling. She was nauseous and not looking good at all. We were probably at just 1400 meters altitude, but I know that the first, mild symptoms of altitude sickness, nauseousness and headach, may actually start to affect some individuals at altitude as low as this, particular if there are other health factors come in, such as jet lag, lack of sleep, dehydration and others.

I convinced Timberwolf to turn around with me, hike down and take the gondola to the lake, while I told Jackstraw to keep hiking on and meet us at the restaurant at the lake. It took me and Timberwolf only 20 minutes to the gondola and she visibly recovered and quickly felt better. We took the gondola and from there it was an easy 10 minutes hike to the beautiful Oeschine lake. At the restaurant we meet up with the three others, who had hiked it. Despite a little rest at the restaurant it was pretty obvious it wasn�t a good idea to try and make Timberwolf hike up to the hut, which was only another 40 minutes, but a steep uphill hike on narrow trail, with a steep drop off to its side. I convince her to stay with me at the restaurant, which also offers bunk bed rooms for hikers and told the gentlemen to resume their hike to the first hut. I wanted to have Timberwolf stay a night at this altitude and see how she was doing the next morning, after she had rested.

Next morning Timberwolf was looking somewhat better, but again, it was obvious she physically wasn�t in any condition to make this high alpine trail, that required strength and stamina for hours of steep uphill hikes to altitudes nearing 3000 meters and sure footedness all along the trail. She was totally crushed. She made this trip to Switzerland, had been looking forward to it for months and now she had to turn around at the first day if this multi-day hut hike.

I had already decided, when I saw her struggling yesterday, I wouldn�t leave her alone or send Jackstraw and her back. It was better to turn Timberwolf around as long as we were low on the mountain, where there is a gondola to get us down if we can�t make it under our own power, rather than having an emergency higher up on the mountain. So, Timberwolf�s trip was kind of ruined, but I saw no reason why Jackstraw should give up his chance to finish this really wonderful mountain hike. This and because I know this area so very well that I am able to figure out an alternative plan for Timberwolf and still get her a nice vacation in Switzerland, was why I convinced Jackstraw to leave Timberwolf with me and keep hiking with the other two guys, Swampy and Michael.



Monday morning I took Timberwolf down with the gondola and back to Kandersteg. Timberwolf assumed that she had been so unlucky to catch a stomach bug, which really upset her stomach and added to her misery. From Kandersteg we took the train to Lauterbrunnen, which was the end point of our hike. Either Timberwolf and I would meet the others there in a few days, or, if timberwolfs�s health improved, we could try to hike and meet the others at Rotstock hut, which was the last and the lowest hut on this trip.

It took us most of that day, to get down to Kandersteg, take the train around the mountain ranger and then find a double bedroom at a pension higher up on the mountain, above the village of M�rren in the Lauterbrunnen valley. That night we stayed at 1900 meters altitude and I had some faint hope that it might help timberwolf to adjust further to the altitude, so that I would be able to hike her in two days to Rotstock hut.

Despite Timberwolf must have felt that her long anticipated hiking vacation was ruined and she was feeling terribly sad, she was able to keep her spirit up, most of the time. She wasn�t #&%!$y or whiney at all and I did admire her for her good sportsmanship in that situation. In fact, I did enjoy my time talking with her. She is just such a reasonable and very pleasant person to talk to. I had hiked this precise route across the mountains last summer, so it wasn�t exactly like I was missing out on a trip of a lifetime. Instead I was getting some nice, easy walking in the valley with Timberwolf and I showed and shared with her an area of the Alps that I loved so much and knew so well. I was at ease with the unexpected turn this trip had taken. I also knew that the rest of the team in the mountains was able to take care of them self and enjoy their hike. They all had maps and although it is possible to get lost hiking on a trail in the Swiss Alps you have to try very hard for it. Today would be their hardest day, hiking to Bluemlisalp hut on 2855 meters. If they made this, they had the worst behind them. If one of them needed to bail out after Bluemlisalp hut he could hike down to Griesalp the next morning and take bus and train to Lauterbrunnen.



On Tuesday Timberwolf and I did a hike above M�rren. It was a pretty level hike, with only very gradual ascent, but on an altitude near 2000 meters and slightly above. Timberwolf seemed to improve. She was still slow, but generally doing better than the first day at Kandersteg. I started having hopes that we would be able to make it to Rotstock hut the next day and spent at least one night with the others at a hut in the mountains. From the trail we had some great views across the valley and saw the white summits of Eiger, M�nch and Jungfrau glisten in the sun. Below was the beautiful valley, where the vertical cliffs dropped down and we saw the village, green meadows and dark forests. It was such a pretty sight. The ultimate stereotype alpine scenery.

We were half way in our hike when my mobile phone rang. I saw Michaels number in the display, wondering what he was calling for. I answered the call. Michael told me that he and Jackstraw were considering to bail out from the trip. What? Well, it seemed Jackstraw had problems with his �quads� hiking down the very steep trail from Bluemlisalp hut. I know that trail well and indeed it is a very steep and long decent. Nevertheless, when they had reached the �bail out� point, where the trail splits to Griesalp and to Gespaltenhorn hut - this days destination - then they had the descent behind them. From there it was mainly ascent if they kept going to the hut. To go down to Griesalp though was another long downhill walk for them. In my opinion it would have been easier to keep going on to the hut then hike down to Griesalp. I didn�t argue about Jackstraws�s decision though. Obviously he felt the hike was bringing him to his limits. It was better to trust his judgement to bail out there, where he could relatively easily access a settlement with public transport, rather than having problems the next day, further up the mountains.

It was awefully nice of Michael to decide to accompany Jackstraw down the mountain, rather than leaving him alone. There were certain health issues to consider, so it was saver to stay together, if one team member was having difficulties.

Now the only person left on the mountain was Swampy. Last year I had done this hike alone on my own, therefore I wasn�t really worried about Swampy being up there in the mountains. He is by far the strongest hiker in our group. He has a map and all the training to navigate and take care of himself on these trails. My only worry now was to contact him and give him the message that he was on his own from now on, that the other two had bailed out, but otherwise were uninjured and okay. He had been hiking so far ahead of Jackstraw and Michael that he didn�t know they decided to bail out.

timberwolf and I quickly turned around and went back to our pension. We had planned to stay there for two nights, but now we wanted to get down to Lauterbrunnen, meet up with Jackstraw and Michael and stay at the Valley Hostle near the train station, which was a much better location for the next days. From Lauterbrunnen there were a whole lot of activities and hikes we could do.

As soon as possible I made a phone call to the Gespaltenhorn hut, to cancel our reservations and tell them, instead of five person only one person would come. The lady was awefully friendly, despite she got a last minute cancelation for four guest. I asked her to be so kind to forward a message to Swampy, to make sure he knew he was alone and everybody else was okay. Just as I talked to her on the phone Swampy turned around the last corner to the hut and the lady went to bring him the telephone onto the terrace.

As Swampy later told us, it was one of the most bizarre experience he had during this trip. After a high alpine hike - including crossing a glacier and taking a wrong turn on the trail, ending him to scramble over rocks until he found himself in a dead end and was forced to turn around - he finally reaches the hut and while he is sitting at one of the picnic tables on the terrace, the hut warden comes out of the hut, telling him there is a call for him and, to his great surprise, handing him a telephone. He described it as a very unreal experience, as if he were in a James Bond movie.

I talked with him on the phone, told him that everyone was okay and asked him whether he wanted to hike out the next day, which he could do in a long day hike, by passing Rotstock hut. But Swampy � and I had expected that � was too happy hiking in these wonderful mountains and much rather wanted to stay the next night at Rotstock hut then come down a day early. I was very glad for him. There was no reason to worry about Swampy.



So, later that afternoon we met Jackstraw and Michael at the train station in Lauterbrunnen. Jackstraw and timberwolf were happy to be reunited. There was much talking about our different adventures since we had split Sunday noon at Oeschinen lake, to go in separate direction across the mountains. And it was a quite happy and cheerful reunion.

Wednesday I suggested a nice, scenic hike for Jackstraw and timberwolf for their afternoon. In the morning they want to check with the travel agent at the station to get their travel itinerary for their trip to Milano, Italy. Then they want to go shopping at the Coop to buy groceries for the dinner they plan to cook for us tonight. Michael and I take it easy and later walk to the Tr�mmelbachfalls, which is a pretty spectacular series of chutes deep inside the mountain, which are accessible by tunnels and stairs.

Thursday, the weather changed completely. Suddenly it is overcast, the temperatures have dropped and it starts to rain. We all do a little hiking and shopping and spent time at the internet cafe, while Swampy is on his last trail down the mountains. He arrives at the hostle in the afternoon and there is much �hello� and happy talking about our various adventures. In the evening we have our Fondue Dinner. It is our last evening together, because Jackstraw and timberwolf are leaving us tomorrow morning, travelling to Lugano and Milan.

Friday. Jackstraw and Timberwolf are gone. Michael decided to take a train to Jungfraujoch and try to hike to M�nchsjoch hut. Swampy and I took the train to Kleine Scheidegg and hike the Eiger Trail. I wasn�t too keen on going hiking this day. It was grey, dreadful day. Low clouds in the valley and it was raining and didn�t look like it will stop. Higher up on the mountains the rain turned into snow. I wouldn�t mind spending the day hanging out with the crowd of young international travellers and base jumpers at the local internet cafe, but I saw Swampy was like a puppy that had been too long in its crate - he goes nuts if he doesn�t get out and moving.

Somewhat reluctantly I suggested the Eiger Trail. We take the train to Kleine Scheidegg at 2061 meters. To my great dislike the snow came down to Scheidegg. We had to hike 200 meters further up through slush and then thickening snow. The clouds were so low, we didn�t really have a view and I was sorry, because I really wanted Swampy to see the Eiger Northface. Our trail was skirting around the base if the 2000 meters of rising cliff and rock of the Northface. Which is a totally awesome and impressive sight, but unfortunately we could only guess the Northface as a large darkening shade in the otherwise grey clouds above and around us. Nevertheless, now that I was on the trail I was kind of happy being here and actually started to enjoy the hike, despite the several inches thick, fresh snow, which completely obscured the trail markings and the path. I let Swampy go ahead and find the trail for us.

Saturday we packed our bags and got ready to return to Bern. The weather was again dreadful and rainy. We went on one last hike, a short one, nothing too wild, but at the end there was a ride with the Monstertrotti, a sort of massive, downhill scoter, which was exciting and good fun. In the afternoon we arrived back at Bern train station.

I hope everybody had a good time, despite the hike going everything but as planned. I myself enjoyed this trip and would go with everyone of them on another hike, anywhere, anytime.”

“great TR!”

“Thanks for sharing this story. I would love to hike & climb in Schweiz. I've read that the French will keep going for it until a helicopter is involved, so you must not be French. It sounds like you were a wonderful host.”

“Awesome and thank you for sharing”

“Thanks for sharing. Never hiked in der Schweiz... Maybe one day.”

“Wow, Karin, thanks so much for putting into words our great adventure. It will always be one of my favorite trips. It didn't go as originally planned but the ability to adjust and the absolute versatility and gracious hospitality that you demonstrated as well as the awesome attitude of the group made it more than I had hoped for. The Alps were worth every minute of discomfort!!!!!”

“Great TR. Thanks, Karin.”

“Wow, I am surprised how long this trip report is. Maybe I should have shortenend it a bit.
Toe, I have never heard that, but I remember an incident I witnessed while staying at a hut. The helicopter was called in to get a family with very young childrens (the youngest a toddler) down. They were French.
Timberwolf, as long as everybody had a great time that's all what matters. I had a great trip.”