Traveling Forward in Time - Day One

As the hiking bug bit me almost two years ago, so did the desire to hike one of the most beautiful places on earth, the Alps.  Not just any old Alps, but the Swiss Alps.

For the geographically challenged, the Alps mountain system runs through much of Europe, with the more commonly-recognized ones being the Bavarian Alps,

the French Alps,

and the Italian Alps.

 

Maybe it was because "The Sound of Music" has always been my favorite movie  (filmed in the Austrian Alps) and I could relate to how Maria finds solace in the mountains.

I  had heard about Alpenwild, a top-rated Swiss Alps touring company based in Provo, Utah, from fellow hiking animal, Sheryl McGlochlin of Liveandthrive.com, who had raved about their tours.  Her contagious enthusiasm for beautiful mountains planted the idea in my mind that we NEEDED to do one of their hiking tours.  So, two years ago I met with Greg Witt, owner of Alpenwild, to find out more...and after carefully saving and planning, our trip is becoming a reality as of today.

We spent months gathering up the proper hiking gear:  high-quality hiking boots (Lowa Renegades), trekking poles, lightweight daypacks, rain gear, base layers, mid-layers, and outer shells.  Not to mention the physical conditioning including year-round hikes each week in our local Utah mountains to various lakes, waterfalls and peaks.  Over the past six months, I added in a power hike up to the block "Y" above BYU with fellow hikers to get a short, fast steep climb a few days a week...even in winter!   Mark began his conditioning in the spring, and can hike up to speed, even on the steep inclines.

Soon the big day arrived and we boarded our flight to Zurich, Switzerland leaving Salt Lake City at sunrise.

My only apprehension about this entire trip was wondering if I could sit still on a plane for 13 hours. Mark has no problem sitting still anywhere...he is just a laid-back kind of guy, married to an Italian wiggle-worm.

The first leg of the journey was a five-hour jaunt to NYC, and then an eight-hour trans-atlantic flight to Zurich.  Thanks to those handy inflatable neck pillows, in-flight movies, and a couple of bags of peanuts, we survived the flight with only a slight crook in our necks.

Interesting to note was the fact that we moved rapidly forward in time.  We were able to see two sunrises in only 16 hours (how's that?) and watch the sun set after leaving NYC only to watch it rise five hours later over France!

Switzerland has to be the most on-the-ball country....their airport is spotless, organized and highly-accomodating, even with signs in English.  They even supply luggage carts for FREE so you don't have to haul around this much luggage by hand:

By this point we were feeling the jet lag, having somehow missed our night of sleep in a comfortable bed.  We landed in Zurich early in the morning and took a Swiss train into Zermatt, a region in the southern part of the Alps where our hiking would begin.  It would have been tempting to sleep on this train,

but one of us overcame the temptation so we could enjoy this:

and this:

and this:

The Swiss Rail system is the best in the world, and when they say your train will be arriving at 40 minutes after the hour, they land it with precision...like their Swiss watches.  Switching trains on the subway in NYC was so complicated, but not so over here in Switzerland.  They have everything so organized that you would have to be a dummy...

to get on the wrong train...:)

A man from Austria was sitting next to us on the train and told us that this large landslide thirty years ago, knocked out the railway into Zermatt, Switzerland (home of the Matterhorn and a key tourist area), but the Swiss are so organized they had rebuilt a new rail in no time.

Immediately after the rockslide we saw the edge of this huge glacier, just hanging over the edge of this glacial valley, as if someone had sliced it with a knife.

The Swiss Alps are literally the water tower for much of Europe...supplying it with mineral-laden, pure, spring water...which is why we don't even have to bring a filter for this trip...just dip and sip!  Couldn't get any easier!

Pulling into the Zermatt Train Station is a feast for the eyes...beautiful Swiss Chalets everywhere, each balcony window box laced with a profusion of colorful flowers...so pretty that we couldn't pass up the chance to photograph several of them....

We arrived at the City Hotel Garni, after a 5-minute walk through Zermatt with four heavy pieces of luggage (a taxi offered to drive us for 10 francs, but we said "no, thank you", and besides, aren't we here to "hike?")

A view from our balcony...of course with its own window box of flowers.

Our Euro-styled hotel room at $170 a night is on the low end...decor is reminiscent of the older days.  Mark laid down for a three-hour nap...totally wiped out by losing a whole night of sleep on the plane.

Euro-styled bathroom, lined in tile on the floor and walls.

Our tiled balcony.

Took a walking tour of Zermatt this evening...saw this old Church...

Saw this unique cemetery in the center of the village...each grave has a place to set or plant flowers...their signature.

There are many wonderful restaurants in Zermatt, but some had hefty price tags:  99 francs for a Chinese meal, 35 francs for a salad, and 20 francs for a plate of spaghetti.  We opted for the cheapest, and healthiest fare we could find....at McDonald's...a place I avoid in the states.  Had a healthy salad (shredded beets, greens, bacon and chicken with balsamic vinegar) for only...get this...9.70 francs...cheap when compared to the normal fare.