After roaming around Yosemite with friends for four summers, we wanted to explore some grand peaks abroad and learn the ways of other backpacking cultures. This time, we were excited to meet some new friends on the trail. Below you’ll find some of our stories, but also info about our itinerary and which huts we stopped at on our 9 days in the Swiss Alps.
Before heading out to the mountains, we spent two beautiful days on the river in the city of Zurich, wandering through art museums, enjoying shots of espresso and croissants at tiny coffee shops, and taking in the pulsating downtown night life of the narrow cobblestone streets.
Day 3: Once we got tired of the crowds and loud noises of urban life, we hopped on a countryside train to Interlaken with big smiles and restless legs, ready for those famous steep Alps. Comfortably wedged between two lakes and massive mountains, Interlaken finally appeared to us through the cloudy storm as our train pulled around the curve of landscape. Still miles and miles away, we could see through the train windows these divine rays of sun peaking through the clouds over Interlaken. We looked at each other in excitement at the overwhelming beauty and got our packs ready for our next stop: the small Interlaken village of Wilderswil.
Day 4: Grabbed a quick coffee in downtown Interlaken on the river, squeezed through the tourists, and grabbed a train to Grindelwald to get the epic hike started. It was very cloudy and drizzly in Grindelwald, but no worries. We just wanted to be up in the mountains and away from all the noise and commotion of town. We walked up and up to our beautiful hostel hut called Berggasthaus Marmorbruch, and we seemed to be the only guests. After a private aperitivo and delicious desert with the hostel owners, we explored Grindelwald and prepared for a good sleep before our next big ascent. While drinking a glass of wine on the porch at night, another travel couple had arrived all the way from Portland. It was sweet to pass the night under the stars with some new friends.
Day 5: Woke up early and waved goodbye to Grindelwald. Next up, a delightful hike to the small village of Gimmelwald. The climb was very tough and made us realize how steep a mountain really could be. We picked flowers along the way, gazed at some of the highest snow white peaks I’ve ever crawled past, and found a charming, convenient restaurant nestled in the mountains where we ordered sandwiches and my favorite drink: the Italian Spritz.
We made our way by train to an elevated breathtaking village called Wengen with incredible panoramic views of the whole Jungfrau mountain-village region and adorable little cafes where we guzzled more shots of espresso. Once we made it to Gimmelwald, we went to the only hostel-bar in the micro-village and enjoyed delicious beers while the sun went down over the Alps.
Day 6: At the crack of dawn we were off again! We first descended into a valley with another hip village called Lauterbrunnen that looks eerily like Yosemite valley with its sheer granite cliffs jutting into the sky around us and waterfalls pouring over the tops. We were happy to be reminded of home. After walking through the peaceful streets of Lauterbrunnen, lined with wooden cottages and small, bustling hole-in-the-wall cafes.
After stopping by for a coffee and sandwich with our new friends from Portland (that we serendipitously ran into!), we rode a cable car up to ANOTHER village called Murren (yes, Switzerland is very charming like that) and then hiked for a couple hours up the mountain in the beautiful sun, passing through small farms with cows and sheep all along the way. Off to our next hut: Obersteinberg, where we would meet a wonderful Interlaken-native named Hilde who pored over maps with us, giving us the best routes and advice for our intense trip toward over Sefinenfurgge Pass to Blüemlisalphütte over the next few days. We love you Hilde!
Day 7: After a relaxing afternoon meeting hut guests from all over the world and a magical night with a 4-course meal and delicious red wine by candelight (the Obersteinberg doesn’t have electricity), we set out yet again for another adventurous hike toward another lovely mountain hut called Rotstockhutte! Roaming through endless breathtaking landscapes and a run in with many more sheep and cows, we made it just in time for 2 giant steins of crisp, life-giving beer and (what has now become a tradition when we arrive at every hut) a celebratory fruit or nut tart with a dollop of whip cream on top. We meditated with our feet in the nearby river and stretched our tired limbs in the meadow.
For dinner we met 2 other traveling couples and enjoyed another amazing 4 course meal, chatting about Swiss life on the German side versus the French side (where each of the couples hailed from). Watching their hilarious, sarcastic rivalry play out over spaghetti and wine was one of my favorite parts of this whole trip.
Day 8: Waking up after a night in a massive room with 30 other hikers made us feel like real trekkers who belonged in the challenging Alps. We had to leave around 5am to beat the sun on our next difficult hike, but as we snuck out, we noticed Simon, the hut warden, left us a delicious breakfast of oats, fruit, croissants, yogurt, coffee, and of course, cheese. I can’t say enough about the hospitality you will find at these mountain huts. Our hearts were filled to the brim and our stomachs were ready to take on our 9-mile hike & 5,000-ft ascent.
This was hands down the most challenging and breathtaking hike of my life. We hiked immediately up 2,000 feet along green, dewy meadows with marmots racing up and down the mountain sides. We made it over intensely steep rocky, volcanic-like crags and spotted an Alpine ibex from afar! We descended immediately another thousand feet along a snowy narrow trail on the side of a mountain. Things were getting a little scary, but we were too excited for this adventurous, unpredictable terrain to care.
After miles and miles of hiking down rocky peaks, we finally made it to green meadows, cows, and sheep again, only to find ourselves at the foot of the steepest part of the hike. We fueled up on crackers and tuna, prepared our hiking poles, and began the summit! Mentally exhausted, physically exhausted, spiritually exhausted, we ran out of water halfway up. We could see the hut, but the trail never ended. There was always more; it got steeper and steeper, the mountain got snowier and snowier, and we got thirstier and thirstier. I’m not sure how I didn’t give up, but it was probably the thought of that ice cold beer and delicious nut tart that we knew awaited us at the hut. And that was the best beer and desert I have ever consumed in my 27 years on this earth.
Here at Blüemlisalphütte, we met tons of new friends, had an enormous feast with the coolest people and shared delicious shots of mountain spirits, and spent another comfortable night nestled in a 20-person cabin for our last night in the peaks of the Bernese Alps. Til next time, Switzerland!
Trails with Friends 