Day 4 Mürren Hike
Our first morning waking up in Lauterbrunnen Valley was like a dream. The view from every angle was mesmerizing mountains of trees, waterfalls and white peaks. A girl from Iowa we met in Nyon hostel Lausanne met us for breakfast. The food is overpriced but very high quality.
We started our hike from the floor of Lauterbrunnen. Every corner we turned was breathtaking for the entire hike. We met a women on the way who was an obstacle course racer and shared her hiking insights with us. Midway through we sat and ate a small picnic we had packed. Every single turn on the longest hike I have done was an unbelievable view.
But of-course, with us, something offbeat had to happen. Some how, we had fallen off the series of trails we had been connected. Around another corner and a pack of cows were walking over to visit us. There were signs before the start warning that the cows can get aggressive if we approach their calves so we tried our best to keep some distance. Soon afterward there were free range horses following us as well. Alex even was able to pat one on the nose.
Soon we realized we were off track but saw some trails lower in the distance. We decided to try and reach those trails by manoeuvring down a steep hill. At one point I slipped and caught myself on my bum, only standing up to feel something moist and squishy. Cow feces. Alex and I tried our best to wipe it with the napkins and hand sanitizer we had packed and then we continued back to the main trail. Finally we were walking across a bridge where there was shallow running water trickling from a waterfall, so we sat down in it and cleaned the remaining of my leg. The water was fresh and cool and I was very happy to have a clean leg. Something strange always needs to spice things up with us.
Eight hours of hiking later and we were back in Lauterbrunnen.
Day 5 the Valley
This morning Alex spontaneously decided to go paragliding. We took the gondola up the mountain and in a matter of time she was off. I couldn’t believe how smooth the take off was. Her bravery inspired me to take a step and book one for myself (that will be for tomorrow).
Our legs were rather sore from the hours of uphill trekking yesterday so decided to have a more easygoing day. We walked along the valley and viewed some of the seventeen waterfalls that flow off the cliffs edge into the village. We stocked up on grocery’s and rested in the hostel yard.
Later we made a point to get the most out of our groceries and prep food for the next few meals as tomorrow we leave to our next destination(s). We took up the whole hostel kitchen prepping hearty salads and sandwiches. Two older Chinese women were gasping wondering how we were going to eat our entire salad between the two of us. We were glad to walk back into the kitchen with an empty bowl.
We finished our day with a sunset walk viewing the valleys waterfalls.
Day 6 Interlaken
We took the morning train to a neighbouring valley called Interlaken. Interlaken was more populated than Lauterbrunnen and had beautiful crystal blue rivers running through the city. I met Twin Paragliding in a van near the train station and before I knew it I was on top of one of the mountains. I got out of the van and was looking for my pilot. When I asked the pilots for Rolf all of the male pilots came and put their hands out and introduced themselves as Rolf. Once the real Rolf and I were ready with the chute bag I was nervous as I helped him stretch out the parachute, and buckled up. “You must run fast” he told me. The parachute rises and I sprint down the mountain side and suddenly my feet are no longer touching the ground. We glided over the mountains as I learned how the pilots use the warm air pockets to lift us up and prolong air time. As we moved over the village we did loops that went so horizontal that the parachute went below us. As we approached the landing field we did corkscrews to lower us down. The landing was much easier than I would expect as I placed my feet and walked a few steps forward so that the parachute landed behind us.
Alex and I then walked into beautiful old town and ate our pre-made egg sandwiches by the bright blue water. This was followed by a steep 2 and a half hour hike up Harder Kulm. This hike was much shorter than our last one, but fairly steep for the entire hike. We took the gondola back down from this one as to make our next train.
Sure enough we missed our planned train and took one later to Luzern. Then we missed two buses due to language barriers and finally made it to the Bellpark Hostel by 10pm.
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