Nice food at the campground in Geneva
Not bad for a tent ! Notice the "window panes" and curtains ..
Joana enjoys the view
In Geneva, posing by gigantic water jet
A closer view of the water jet
Admiring sailboats in the marina
One of our standard "self-posed" shots, w/Lake Geneva in the background.
Oops! This was the excursion boat that we'd intended to catch.
"Montreux" took us the entire length of Lake Geneva.
We disembarked in the city of Montreux.
View of the city w/Lake Geneva in the background.
We were just about the only ones in the hotel
Very beautiful woodwork
Time to get up!
In Kandersteg, ready to start.
At the start of the trail, we're treated to a number of magnificent waterfalls.
Signposts were very helpful, though we had good hiking maps.
A pleasant day for hiking, though a bit misty.
Hiking on a misty day
They wouldn't dare cause trouble..
1,000 foot cliffs rise up out of the lake and into misty-covered glaciers.
The photo doesn't begin to convey the scale of the lake and cliffs behind it
We had lunch on this rock before continuing our hike
Definitely not a good spot for those afraid of heights !
Oeschinensee can be seen far below
The path just kept climbing
This hut was perched on the top of the cliff overlooking Oeschinensee
Taking a well-earned break from the rainy weather
Joana in her huge raincoat (which I thought made her look like a super-hero).
The cold and the light rain that fell all day really wore us out
Cpt. Snowplow is undeterred and full of energy.
We took one smaller hike from Grindelwald, but our all-day hike also ended up being the most grueling of the trip. From Grindelwald, we took the Pfingstegg tram, which short-circuited the first 1,000 ft of the climb. We then followed a trail that was carved into the side of a cliff up a bit to a mountain restaurant where we stopped for lunch. After lunch we continued the hike up to a point called "glacier corner", from which we could look out over a spot where three massive glaciers converged. The hike back down to Grindelwald took several hours, dropping roughly 2,700 feet.
Hiking up to the youth hostel, eyeing the world's longest chairlift.
Perfect weather for hiking..
Still on the way to the hostel.
We couldn't resist..
We took a short hike up the mountain behind the youth hostel
We stopped for lunch at a little place that faced the North Face of the Eiger
Spectacular view after a medium-length hike.
A table with a view..
Heading back to the youth hostel after first Grindelwald hike
A bit wary.
Cable cars are not Joana's favorite thing..
View from the top of the Pfingstegg
She makes it to the top!
At 1391 metres, we start our hike.
There were quite a few people on the first part of the trail, but they thinned out after a while
Note path cut into the side of the cliff!
Brief rest for photo-op
Hard work climbing
Our favorite trail-snack by far
Still early, not yet exhausted.
Couldn't beat the view or the food.
Shepherds and dog brought the sheep down from much higher up the mountain
Note the sheep dog working at the back
Looking back, we can see the trail that we took to get here, cut into the side of the cliff
On the way to glacier corner
Hiking up to the youth hostel, eyeing the world's longest chairlift.
Glaciers are still impossibly far away.
A great spot to view the glaciers!
Glacier far below us, coming down out of the clouds
Note "Spike", the very-useful walking stick.
Heard distant thunder that turned out to be mini-avalanche on dark area in between the two glaciers.
Taking a well-deserved rest
The best seat in town for glacier-viewing!
After a long day of hiking
Tripping would be a dangerous thing at this point!
Grindelwald is very far below us, in the background.
Saas-Fee is also interesting in that no cars are allowed within the town--the only form of transportation is via small electric vehicles. The town was crowded, but we found a cheap spot in a small hotel, actually staying in the hotel's bomb shelter! We took a very long cable car, followed by an underground funicular, to the top of Mittelallalin (3500m) where we had lunch and took a tour through a series of ice caves cut into the Fee Glacier.
The trains weren't quite as regular here.
Note the pole in place for holding snow.
Joana examines a very secure door to our room (a series of bunks).
Enjoying a beer.
We prepare to board the cable car, on the way to the top of Mittelallalin.
Climbing up through the clouds..
As we climbed, we ascended up past the snow line.
Approaching the top
We reached the top--a building containing ski lodge and restaurant--after a 500m underground funicular ride.
At the top of Mittelallalin, plenty of snow, even in the middle of the summer!
Posing with Spike
We didn't hike from the top, but enjoyed the scenery
Sunglasses were crucial
Posing on the Mittelallalin
Dressed warmly
We toured a cave cut into the Fee Glacier.
The main part of the cave was 10 metres below the surface
Quite chilly in the cave, but interesting to be inside a glacier!
In Zermatt, Matterhorn can be seen in the background
On the way out of Zermatt, headed for Findeln
The first part of the trail worked its way up through the woods
Looking down on Zermatt
As we got above the tree line, we got some nice views of the Matterhorn
We've already hiked for several hours and gained a lot of altitude
We carried plenty of water
Just above the tree line, we get a nice view of the Matterhorn across the valley
A small mountain hut with a great view
Findeln was a collection of huts and a cafe, just above the treeline and about a third of the way to the highest point that we reached.
Note the directional signs to Mounts Everest and Fuji
We took a bit of a break before heading higher.
Swiss chocolate was our favorite snack during the hike
Pose inspired by a certain Austrian bodybuilder (and possibly a little exhaustion)
Getting a little bit silly at this point
An absolutely perfect day!
(We though we'd lost it)
From Findeln, we crossed a small valley, which required descending a bit and climbing back up through the trees.
As we come up out of the trees, we get another view of the Matterhorn
Spike was absolutely essential for the hike
Nice view of the Matterhorn
Joana heads up the trail
Waking up the neighbors..
Narrow path on very steep slope
We turned left to follow a ridge above the Gorner Glacier.
We were treated to a great view of mountains with their peaks in the clouds
Not a bad spot to take a short break
The Matterhorn was always in view
The Matterhorn seemed to generate its own cloud, its North face steaming
The Gorner Glacier is far below us
Happy, though tired, couple
As we neared the highest/farthest point of our hike, we had a great view of several glaciers coming out of the mountains.
Joana takes a break, great view of the glaciers in the background
Flat stretches like this were very welcome after lots of climbing
Great view of the gaciler
View from the top of the Companile
