Growing up, people used to throw around the expression "just a walk in the park" implying that something was going to be easy or effortless. Well, after spending a weekend in the Swiss National park, I can assure you that a walk there doesn't really support this notion!
 |
| This picture was taken looking into Italy on the way down from the summit on our last day in the Swiss National Park |
The GF has long realized that I'm like a dog....if I don't get walked regularly I create havoc at home. So, she thoughtfully planned a trekking weekend to the Swiss National Park near Davos. The plans were straight forward. Drive down to Zernez on Friday and park the car. Walk to a mountain hut for Friday evening, walk to the only hotel in the park for Saturday evening and then drive home on Sunday. Just a walk in the park...right?
Although this was our first visit to the park, it was certainly NOT our first time walking in Switzerland so we should have known that there are really only two directions for walking...up and down. We knew that it was only a short distance (approx 3 hrs) to the mountain hut but failed to appreciate that the first two hours were straight up and only the third one was down. Normally, this would be welcomed with open enthusiasm but when carrying the entire kit for the weekend through a thunderstorm, it seemed more than what we had bargained for.
The next morning was fantastic! The skies had cleared over night revealing stars like I've not seen before. It was also the day that the GF learned the value of reading topographic maps. You see, the hike she had planned for day two required us to climb up and over the mountain range. Again, usually not a problem but this particular walk involved gnarly switch backs pretty much straight up from the doorstep of the hut.
 |
| I like this picture for two reasons. The first is it is an example of the hours of switchbacks that we walked in the morning of day two. The other reason is that you can see the trail from day one traversing across the mountain in the middle ground in the centre of the frame |
I pretty much giggled to myself the whole way up because it was the first time that I could enjoy an uphill climb without feeling guilty because she had chosen it! After a long, grueling ascent the view that awaited us in the pass was breath taking.
 |
| This photo was taken a few vertical metres from the top of the pass looking in the direction we were traveling. The mountains in this part of Switzerland look like an uncomfortable cross between the Bernese Alps and the Dolomites |
 |
| As we descended we got views of this stunning lake. The colour was a strange milky turquoise that reminded me of glacier milk in Argentina |
After a quick, steep descent into the neighbouring valley and another 4 hours of walking we arrived at the Hotel. Fortunately, not only was the beer inexpensive (relatively) but the food was fantastic!
 |
| This photo was taken towards the end of the hike on Day 2 looking back in the direction from which we'd come. In fact, we had climbed up and over this mountain passing through almost directly above the tip of the small tree in the middle of the frame |
Sunday morning again greeted us with perfect conditions for trekking. The decision had been made the night before to summit the mountain overlooking the hotel. An early start and we quickly found ourselves walking up again. However, this was probably the most enjoyable hike of my time here in Switzerland. We were walking through one of the most beautiful larch forests I have ever seen. It reminded me a lot of my ski season in Lake Louise. Because of the early start, there was nobody else on the trail and so we were able to enjoy the tranquility of the moment.
 |
| The mountain in the background was the one that we had gone over the day before (almost directly above the house). This is a rangers hut that we stumbled across just above the tree line on Sunday's walk |
 |
| This monument greeted us at the summit. We had an almost perfect morning to make this ascent. We were extremely fortunate to have beaten the crowds giving us a few minutes alone to take it all in |
 |
| It's pretty easy to understand how one can get lost in thought when looking down and across this scenery. The lake here is in Italy with it's higher snow capped mountains in the distance |
We made excellent time and were on the summit of the 2590m mountain shortly after 10 am. The panoramic views of the Swiss/Italian alps were amazing. After 3 years of trekking in Switzerland, it was here that, for the first time, we came across edelweiss in the wild....and yes, I couldn't help belting out a few prose of the song made famous by Christopher Plummer!
 |
| After years of looking we finally came across edelweiss in the wild. Once above a certain altitude, the alpine meadows on the final day's walk were full of it. |
Although this experience didn't support the idea that a walk in the park is something easy or to be taken lightly, it was some of the most enjoyable trekking that I've done in Switzerland. As you can imagine, in a country that is 225 times smaller than Canada but with a population that is only 4.3 times less it's not easy to find true wilderness; however, this is exactly what the Swiss National Park provided. It really is a special place to visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment