Monday, May 27: Engelberg

Swiss country with Alps

Swiss countryside

My sister and her family had to get back to work/school so Jenny and I set off on a 2 day trip on our own to the Swiss Alps.  We went through Lucerne which, judging from the multiple ornate and large hotels, is still a major meeting area for world leaders.  From there we caught a train up to the base of the Alps in Engelberg.  Then onto a cable car for a ride about 2/3 of the way up the mountain.  The last leg was by chair lift, by which time we were above the tree line and riding over snow.  Luckily it was not windy or it could have been quite the trip! 

Starting the ride up the cable car

Engelberg

An odd chess piece

 They take there chess seriously here!  This was at the point where we switched from the cable car to the chair lift.

And up we go!

And still higher...

We arrived at a place called Brunihutte.  It is a Swiss alpine hut – one of the few accessible by other than only a hiking route.  It often serves as a base camp for climbers who scale the surrounding peaks, but also offers a variety of day hikes from here.  It has a restaurant and sleeping arrangements for up to 40 people.

S.A.C. = Swiss Alpine Club

Jenny and I arrived kind of in the in-between season: snow skiing was done for the year and it was still too early for the summer visitors.  As a result we were the only two, besides the couple who own/run the hut and one other worker to spend the night there.  It was quite the experience knowing we were the only 5 on the mountain!

Wall of cabinets with extra blankets, etc.

bedroom

The bedroom was a group of foam mattresses on the floor with a feather blanket and pillow.

During the day we did a couple of hikes.  On the first trail it was covered with about 3-4 inches of slushy snow and in some places it was 12-18 inches deep.  But it was sunny and hiking along kept us plenty warm.

Looking up from trail

Looking down from trail

As we hiked along we thought we were hearing thunder on the other side of the peak but eventually realized they were small avalanches as the snow was beginning to melt on the slopes.  We were not too concerned because the area above the trail we were on did not have large patches of snow and seemed just fine.  We did stop and turn back once we reached the area where we saw small avalanches occurring and where the trail seemed to have been covered by sliding snow.

This was about where the trail faded away beneath the snow and rocks that were sliding down from above.  We figured it was best to head back since the snow was getting deep and there was a significant drop-off to the left.






We returned to the hut to change into dry shoes and socks and sat on the patio enjoying the sun, the German music they had playing (felt a little like being in a German beer garden), and the spectacular scenery.  The pictures here do very little justice to area, but help show the lucky weather we had (this was the first sunny day since I arrived).

Wow!

This is spring??

Once we were recharged we headed out on a hike in the opposite direction, taking a wide trail/narrow road.  Again we continued to hear and see numerous avalanches across the valley.  It would look like a spray of snow suddenly appearing at the edge of a cliff and arching down in slow motion to the rocks below.  It looked like a short distance but must have been hundreds of feet down judging by how long the leading edge of the snow took to reach the bottom.  Then maybe 30 seconds later the sound would reach us like distant thunder.  It always happened too suddenly to catch a picture of it but it was a unique addition to the already awesome scenery!

That evening we enjoyed a wonderful dinner and the complete relaxation that comes after a day of sun and hiking.  It seemed to take forever for it to get dark – probably the result of being up so high from the valley and the abundance of snow all around us.  We drifted off to sleep under feather blankets with the faint sound of the German folk songs still playing in the background.