Eight Boots Abroad

Our travel day from Paris to Zermatt included 1 subway ride, 6 separate train transfers, and a bus (portions of the journey re-routed due to recent flooding and landslides in Switzerland). It set our new record for most consecutive transfers, and was definitely a challenge with all of our gear. The crazy travel day was worth it though, because when we arrived in Zermatt it immediately felt like coming “home.” This small mountain village is where Howie and I got engaged, exactly 20 years ago. Our 2005 wedding in Colorado included a wedding cake shaped like the Matterhorn, my bouquet filled with mountain daisies, fondue for our guests, and our 1st dance was a waltz to “Eidelweiss” – all nods to this very special place.

Sadly, even though we love Zermatt, it’s a ridiculously expensive location to spend much time. In the summer of 2004 when we got engaged we were both in graduate school and living on a pretty thin budget – to the point where we couldn’t even afford to pay to stay in the campground in Zermatt. Instead, we would find secret bivy campsites and camp (perhaps less-than-legally) near mountain trails outside of town. Twenty years later we’re happy to report we can now afford to pay for a legal camping spot in an official campground. Hooray! But, to offset the campground “splurge,” nearly all of our meals were still supplied by the local discount grocery store.

We spent a week in Zermatt, hiking along our favorite trails and showing the kids the exact spot where Howie proposed. We also did some alpine routes, including a scramble up the lower ridge of the Matterhorn to the climbers’ Hörnli Hut. It was fun to encounter so many climbers attempting/returning from their summit bid on this iconic peak.

Our family all agrees the most challenging (and rewarding!) alpine route was our journey to the summit of the Mettelhorn. We took 3 days to complete our 37km circuit – beginning from the valley floor in Zermatt, spending 2 nights up high in the mountain hut at Trift, and returning via the scenic Höhbalmen traverse. The kids thoroughly enjoyed their first experience using crampons and a rope for our glacier traverse just below the Mettlehorn summit!

We also love Zermatt because it’s a pedestrian-only town (other than electric golf carts which serve as hotel shuttles), and the only way in and out of town is by train. This set-up meant we just let both kids roam and explore freely with a walkie-talkie to reach us if needed. It gave them a sense of independence and adventure and meant that we had some down-time as well. Win-win!

Unfortunately, mid-week we had a bit of a (very avoidable) disaster. It was perhaps the most “Swiss” of all potential Swiss injuries. We were having some grocery store fondue (which was actually quite tasty) for dinner at our campsite, using 2 thin-walled titanium pots stacked as a DIY double-boiler to prevent the delicious, cheesy goodness from burning. Unfortunately, this DIY double-boiler was then precariously balanced on a gas canister and tiny backpacking burner (you can probably tell where this is heading). Sadly, the whole set-up got bumped, spilling boiling water and causing burns and blisters on H’s right foot and ankle region. A bit of chaos ensued, and it was at this moment we learned that a majority of our fellow campers happened to be wilderness medical specialists – all rushing to help. We spent the evening tending to the burns with a team of medical helpers and 1st aid supplies/bandages from all corners of the globe. Most memorable was the moment when one mountaineer/emergency medicine physician from Korea reassured us that everything was going to be ok by removing his shoe and proudly showing us that all of his toes had been amputated after severe frostbite on a previous mountaineering expedition.

Following the Swiss fondue burn incident, H was unable to comfortably wear any footwear other than flip-flop sandals – so, our previous level of hiking and climbing intensity had to be dialed waaaaaaay back. We spent 2 more days in Zermatt with H in full-on chill mode, keeping the burns covered in antibiotic ointment, trying to minimize risk of infection. Howie and I did some short day hikes while the kiddos became “base camp managers” at the campground (don’t worry – they had food, excellent wifi, walkie-talkies for constant contact with us, and were a-ok with some downtime).

After a few days of rest, the pain had improved and H was able walk pretty efficiently in sandals. So we said our goodbyes to charming Zermatt, packed up our camp, and headed by train into the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. We were turned away from multiple campgrounds filled to capacity, and ended up finding a lovely quiet spot at a small campground outside the town of Grinderwald. Note: the Lauterbrunnen Valley area of Bernese Oberland is definitely one of those “Instagram vs Reality” places. We stopped at 3 campgrounds in the Lauterbrunnen Valley and everywhere was packed to the brim, crawling with heaps of tourists. However, as with many frequented places, there’s a legitimate reason the area is so busy – the steep glacial-carved valley walls of this UNESCO World Heritage Site are incredibly beautiful and unique; where quaint Swiss mountain villages cling high on the valley walls.

Luckily, with our quiet camping base outside of Grinderwald (one valley over/adjacent to Lauterbrunnen), we were able enjoy some peace and quiet while still having easy access to a network of cable cars and trains to explore the area. This network of easy transport was imperative for accessing beautiful places while helping H hobble around in flip-flops.

We spent 4 days in the area, using our family travel pass to ride all the gondolas, trains, cable cars, furniculars, and busses… flip-flopping for shorter distances on well-groomed mountain paths. Howie and I were able to sneak away one morning and do a via ferrata route, high on valley wall between the mountain villages of Murren and Gimmelwald. Yay!

Our next stop in the Bernese Oberland area was the quaint town of Kandersteg. We had spent time in Kandersteg 20 years ago – the only thing Howie and I remember about that visit was setting up camp and then hiding in our tent as it poured rain for over 100 hours straight. This time around, mother nature did dump some occasional rain, but overall the weather was much more cooperative.

A highlight of our stay in Kandersteg included riding one of the steepest, most amazing (and primitive) cable cars in all of Europe. The best part of this cable car was the fact that as a rider, you were also in charge of running the cable car. We were instructed by a woman at the base on how to lock and unlock the door, which buttons to push, and then off we went! Arriving at the top was like a step back in time; a small dairy farm and guesthouse the only structures.

By the end of our time in Kandersteg, H’s ankle and foot had healed to the point where hiking boots could be worn once again. Yay!!! We were able to spend a day hiking on the mountainside above Oeschinen Lake. We discovered abundant waterfalls along the way which we hiked over, beside, and through… all cascading into the glacial lake below.

So, our time in the mountains of Switzerland has come to an end. Howie and I really enjoyed being in places we had visited decades prior, and we loved sharing these special places with our kids! It was amazing to watch our kids learn and grow during these couple of weeks… from independently wandering the streets of small Swiss mountain villages, to challenging themselves on high alpine routes and glacier traverses. Now, on to the Dolomites! ❤️

Switzerland – Howie’s Addendum

This country has long had a special place in our hearts, so it’s somewhat hard to narrow down a narrative to just the highlights. Nevertheless, here they are!

The greatest joy I had during this section of the trip was the opportunity to have the kiddos see and experience many of the sites and adventures that were formative in our early relationship. From the Zermatt mountainside where Sonya and I decided to get married to the numerous glaciated peaks we climbed across the Monte Rosa massif, the kiddos encountered so many places we love and added new memories that will become part of our family lore. We found the same bratwurst stand where twenty years ago my dreamy bride-to-be, half-starved from three extra days of rationing oatmeal while stuck in a tent during a snowstorm that had trapped us on a climb, declared upon return to town that she was so hungry that she was no longer a vegetarian! We even found the very same game of Snakes and Ladders in a campground warming hut in Kandersteg where Sonya, against ridiculous odds, defeated me ten times in a row while we waited out a week of rain. This still seems suspiciously improbable to me.

The other major highlight of this section of our adventure was undoubtedly the scenery – the mountains have always been my home, and the Swiss Alps are about as idyllic as it gets. If possible I would spend every day hiking beneath the impossible glaciated spires, through the misty larch forests after a storm, and across grassy fields surrounded by delicate alpine flowers.  I feel so lucky to have been with my family in this place that I love.

Other quick highlights: 

Finding my first edelweiss in the wild … A rediscovery of the best yogurt known to mankind in Kandersteg … Eating forest berries on our hike to Oeschinensee, where we would later enjoy a leap into the ridiculously picturesque glacier and waterfall-fed lake … Feelings of exhilaration as we looked down on nearly 2000 feet of space below our feet to the valley floor on the Lauterbrunnen via ferrata … Family races through a shifting water maze in a playground near Murren … Eating all the fondue humanly possible … The kiddos’ first real crossing of a glacier on our way up to the Mettelhorn summit … All the hiking, but especially traversing from the Mettelhorn across to the Höhbalmen beneath the Matterhorn, and through the high meadows above Oeschinensee.

Thank you Switzerland, you have our love!