We arrived in the Alps via Meirigen, a little town at the end of a long glacial valley. Remote and very quiet which might explain why our hamburgers were $30 each the first night. Welcome to Switzerland.
The first morning we had our luggage taxied to the next village and we walked to Grosse Scheidig where we were planning on meeting our friends the Cartee’s from Liberty Lake. I am always astonished to see friends half way around the world and this time did not disappoint. It was like we were meeting in Spokane - they got off the bus said hello and we grabbed a cup of coffee before headed out for a hike. Strange but beautiful.
The first day was probably the easiest day - hiking cross country to First where we picked up Trotti bikes and zoomed down the hill. It was super fun to be with friends and chat the whole way. Paul and his wife have become really good friends of ours over the last two years with their daughter and Anna getting to know one another also. Their son Ben, 15, and Sam, 18, hung out but for the most part hung out with the adults, which was great.
In Grindelwald we got a suite of rooms so that the boys had their privacy with single rooms, Perrin and Anna shared a room and the Cartee’s and Stricklers had a suite with 2 bedrooms and a living space. It was perfect. The first day of hiking, Perrin had caught a cold so decided to stay back and get some sleep. Her kind friend Anna stayed with her and I think they enjoyed having a down day together. The rest of us headed up a very steep climb from the valley floor to a very high cliff where the Bareg hut stood waiting to serve us beer and cake. Switzerland did not disappoint. It was a heck of a slow climb but everyone did it.
The next day the Cartee’s took off so just the Stricklers headed off to hike the base of the Eiger. It was a spectacular day, logging in over 8 uphill miles. By the end of the day everyone was tired and there were a few blisters forming. We gathered the troops the following day and made it to Rockstockhutte, which had a steep and demoralizing climb, but again everyone dug deep and made the climb without tears. Unfortunately our hut was overcome by the stench of spreading cow manure on the fields, which was indeed memorable, just not the kind we were hoping for. Balin and the kids decided they wanted a little extra mileage and vert so they headed up to the Schilthorn - 3000’ straight up. Balin rewarded the kids with French fries and the gondola down the hill. It was a perfect day for him.
Oh Switzerland - you bring out the Swiss in my husband. Uphill. Fast. Be on Time. No complaining. By the end of our time there we were all hoping to see the Pura Vida Balin back. I swear Balin gets legs of steel when he sees a mountain and apparently my children have taken after their father. Other than the first day when Perrin was sick, the kids hiked without complaint up every mountain with joy in their hearts. And when asked what was their favorite part of our trip they all say without hesitation, Switzerland.
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