Interlaken and Gimmelwald Day 1

This is how I felt about being in Switzerland.

 

The next few days were my favorite days of the trip and some of the best of my life.  

After our late night train (and almost missing our connection in Bern, luckily the train waited for us!) we made it to Interlaken, Switzerland. We walked around the city for a good long while trying to find our Hostel. We finally made it at about 2:30 am and the guy checking us in asked if we wanted some shots (no thanks! just a bed). Luckily our 4-person room didn't have anyone else in it. And we woke up in the morning to MOUNTAINS out our window!

 We decided we wanted to get up to Gimmelwald asap so we walked back to the train station then took a train to Lauterbrunnen, then a bus to Stechelberg and then up the tram to the most perfect village in the world, Gimmelwald - set high on the mountain with the a 360 degree view of the beautiful Alps.

This picture is not posed. It is my real life love of the mountains.

After we got checked into our hotel and met Tim, the manager, I told him we were thinking about doing a hike that Robbie and Angie Irion had told me about. He said he could rent us the equipment and so off we went up the mountain to Mürren where the hike begins with some very vague instructions. 

We walked around Mürren while we waited for the Co-op (grocery store) to open (because every restaurant that was serving lunch was $20 a plate!).
We ate a picnic with our groceries at the trail head and I wrote in my journal that night that it was the best picnic I'd ever had (food, view, and company).

Now, the hike we were doing was the Klettersteig from Mürren - Gimmelwald. I have no words to describe this hike besides INSANITY.  This pictures shows where we were eating lunch looking down on Gimmelwald (where our hotel was). See how Gimmelwald is on a cliff? Well this hike takes you back to Gimmelwald along that cliff.

We were suited up with a helmet, a harness, and two carabiners - the reason you have two is so that you can always be hooked on, even when you are going over a bolt on the cable. The cable went the entire way of the hike and was literally our life line. 

Here is the trailhead map.

And without a guide, off we went. These re-bar posts are throughout some of the hike as footholds.

 

The first wire bridge was pretty scary. But beautiful with the waterfall below.

We came across a base jumping platform (to my left in the picture below) which informed us that if we jumped off we would have 9 seconds of free fall before we hit the ground. Straight down 2,050 feet!!!!!

I wouldn't even get on that platform (you had to unclip, so Paul is crazy to have unclipped and taken this picture of the edge.. eek).

If you think this part is scary... it got much worse.

The cliff walk, where the only thing between you and your death is a wobbly piece of rebar and a rented carabiner that you hope holds. I have no idea how Paul took a picture, I was literally talking myself through it ("you are brave, you are strong, you are safe"), it was the most insane thing I have ever done.

 

We took a second to let our legs stop shaking and take some pictures before we started the next part, the bridges.

 

Then a waterfall to walk across.

 

A series of huge ladders that were wobbly, wet, cold and slightly inverted. Plus, if you fell, your carabiner wouldn't really help you, it'd be quite a drop before it caught. 

 

Just a reminder that the view was incredible the whole time.

More bridges.

And then the biggest bridge of them all, traversing a HUGE canyon. Though it had a wider platform for your feet, it only had a wire you could hold on one side (where the other bridges you could use two hands). Plus, since it was so huge it swung in the wind. I wouldn't let Paul get on it until I was off because it shook so much. 

As I was crossing the tram came up the mountain and I could see all the people in it staring at me (in horror) as I walk on this tiny little bridge across a huge drop off. I waved to them and they waved back. :)

Paul at the start of his walk across

And a view of the height.

 

I couldn't believe it when we finished. It was amazing and exhilarating and I loved every terrifying second. We got back to our hotel and enjoyed reading, writing, and having a snack on the front porch.

We had some time before dinner so we went on a walk around the village and it was the perfect time of day where the mountains were in fire and waving good night (Heidi reference). I took the chance to photograph our neighbors, who are the luckiest cows I know to live the most beautiful place.

(You get a peek of the tram in the background here).

 (We hiked that Angel's Landing-like-peak the next day on our way to the top of the Schilthorn!)

More lucky animals.

Cow bells!

We stopped at The Honesty Shop for some Swiss Chocolate. There is no one there, you just take what you want and drop the money in the box. :)

At our hotel, the 90 year old owner, Walter, makes his guest dinner every night. It was just us and another couple from Canada that night, and Tim (the manager) joined us too. We had soup first then rice with shrimp and carrots, and a dessert. It was the most delicious meal for hungry hikers. 

Then Walter came out and sat by the fire to help his legs and told us stories about owning the hotel and his life. I loved it.

And then we fell asleep with this view of the mountains peeking out our window.