I'm on a Swiss kezboard. Please excuse the tzpos.
Trip Start
May 25, 2007
1
47
73
Trip End
Oct 29, 2007
Gimmelwald, Switzerland
Monday, July 30, 2007
Aside from the constant cloud, there were several things that one couldn't fail to notice:
One, the cows. Or more specifically, the cow bells. Those lazy looking bovines were really the only wildlife anywhere, and they all had on these huge bells that could be heard from a long way away. Even when you couldn't see anything or anyone, you could hear the cow bells. Christopher Walken would be ecstatic.
2) The only other wildlife around were the same brown slugs I saw in France, and these little black gecko looking salamanders. Unlike the geckos, though, they were really slow and easy to catch. Funny difference between hiking in the Alps vs. the Rockies: In the Rockies you have to be watchful for elk, bears, and mountain sheep. In the Alps, just try not to slip on the slugs.
C) The trail was steep. Really steep. I mean whoever picked this trail pretty much forgot about using switchbacks to make it more manageable...they pretty much went straight up. Needless to say, it was slow going.
IV) Finally, the weather didn't co-operate, and we couldn't see anything. I mean not a damn thing past 30 feet in front of us. For a while the rain gave way to hail, but as we ascended we were just in the middle of an ice cloud. Martine, from Texas (now of L.A.), was not impressed. Not too many ice clouds in Houston, you see.
By the time we neared the top, it was clear (pun intended) that the clouds weren't going to break, and the fabulous views the postcards promised were not going to be ours. The Chalet at the top offered us a 10 min clip of the James Bond movie that was filmed there (On her Majesty's Secret Service) and an overpriced restaurant, but nothing to look at. We would have to be content with a job well done, but nothing but a big white blur to grace the photo albums. The silver lining, should you choose to see it, is that we all now have another reason to go back up there (paying more attention to the forecast ahead of time).
As 5 of us took the cable car down, James, the looney from B.C., decided to run down. We had climbed for 5 hours and gone up 1700 meters. He made it down in an hour. Three days later, his ankle was still bothering him. Hmmmm....
As we stopped for groceries on the way down, Grant found out that you can't really just buy one clove of garlic. We all thought that was really funny.
Since you asked, yes, we did make use of the hot tub after the climb. For about 2 hours. We were cold and tired...what did expect us to do?
The evening concluded with beer, scrabble, and the most intense game of Jenga you have ever seen. We had people from other tables watching us. I pulled off a move that was said to be impossible. I lost the game, but everyone was still impressed.
But as much fun as today was, tomorrow would get even better...
