...and here's what we hiked:
In sum, 15 days from Rorschach to Gündlischwand (3 miles north of Lauterbrunnen), 170 miles, 42,000 feet ascent, 47,000 feet descent. (We ended 850 feet higher than we started, but incorporated more lifts up than down.)
Ominous weather forecasts twice had us devising backup plans involving buses, but in the end we managed to stick with the Rules of Walking:
1. No wheels allowed (no cars, no trains, no bicycles, etc.), except to return home at the end of the trip or in emergencies.
2. No elevators. You just hiked 15 miles: you can take the stairs.
3. The Acrophobe's Exception: means of transportation that might unnerve acrophobes are allowed, specifically ferries, funiculars, and ski lifts.
We availed ourselves of 5 gondola lifts (3 up, 2 down) and one funicular.
We stayed in 4 huts, 1 youth hostel, and 9 hotels.
I planned our route on Komoot. Much of the time we hiked along the Via Alpina, which runs through the Alps from Trieste/Slovenia to Monaco. This wasn't intentional on our part, but we're eager to learn more about the 2000-km trail. In addition, we met someone just below Grosse Scheidegg who recommended the Via Francigena, a 3000+ km pilgrimage route from Canterbury to Rome. Lots to mull for future hikes.
We tweaked our route as needed, occasionally going around when through was blocked, sometimes trading paths through fields for paved roads on hot days when the horse flies were at their worst (mosquitoes : Bavaria as horse flies : Switzerland), finding gentler descents when our knees needed them, and being intelligently cautious when thunderstorms loomed at higher elevations.
We had three days with trail sections that were quite exposed, unnerving the acrophobe--but she lived to tell the tale.
Our highest elevation was 7,475 feet, near the Jochpass above the Engstlensee, on a cold and graupelig day.
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| Heading up up up through pelleting snow... |
Our lowest elevation was 1,300 feet in Rorschach, our starting point on the southern shore of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) on a toasty sunny day.
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| Already up hill... |
Items schlepped were similar to last year:
From left to right, more or less:
Source 2L water bladder. Last year I thought we should have water purification drops on hand, but we forgot to buy a bottle, and we never needed them.
Sun hat, fleece jacket, Patagonia rain jacket. Last year we also brought down jackets and never used them. This year, even when we were hiking in snow showers, we were fine layering up without down.
Carly the Travel Chicken, Carly's duck feet and deflated bubble pack; compact umbrella; second pair of socks. Last year I had a third pair of socks that turned out not to be needed, so I cut back this year--only to discover one of the socks I brought had a big hole in it. Lesson for next year: check for holes before packing.
REI hiking pants with zip-off lower legs, long-sleeved 32-Degrees Warm shirt, wool T-shirt, sports bra, underwear, sleeveless polymer T, thin fleece mittens with water-resistant tops; Komperdell hiking poles with tip covers, toiletries bag, Anker charging battery. The clothes were to alternate with the set (not shown) that I set off with: Lowa Renegade GTX MID women's 42 hiking boots, another pair of REI zip-off-calf hiking pants, socks, underwear, sports bra, and 32-Degrees Cool T-shirt. The wool shirt proved great alone and for layering.
First-Aid kit, mylar emergency blanket, bivy sack, Cliff Bars, rain pants, Hüttenschlafsack, backpack rain cover, Kula Cloth, comb, sunscreen; sneakers. We were careful not to overdo the snack bar quantities this year.
Not shown: women's Deuter Speedlite 28SL backpack, cellphone, Garmin Venu 2 watch, charger and charging cables, passport, wallet, two dehydrated laundry detergent sheets, and a few iterations of salted mixed nuts, new-to-us Swiss hazelnut Staengeli, and apples. S did not carry micro spikes this year, but given the snow we encountered, they'd probably be smart to have on hand.
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