Before leaving for Switzerland, I did a bit of research on the web and found out that one of the most recommended scenic hikes to do in the Bernese Alps is known at the 'Eiger Trail'...
The trail starts at a place called Kleine Scheidigg which is deep in the heart of the alps. From there you hike up approximately 300 meters to the base of the Eiger Mountain, known as Eigergleister. The hike then continues along the foot of the Monch, Eiger, and Schrekhorn mountains and you slowly descend down to the village of Grindelwald. Total hike time, with breaks, was approximately 6 hours. I travelled from Gimmelwald to Kleine Scheidigg via cogwheel train, and upon disembarking, was absolutely blown away... three of the highest peaks in Europe were on one side of me, and green, but rocky landscape beckoned from the other. I spent a few minutes admiring what I will probably never have the chance to experience again, and then decided to commence with the first part of the hike upto Eigergleister.
300 meters... not even a single lap around a standard running track. Now I like to think that I am a person who is in pretty good shape. But let me tell you, when you are breathing the thin mountain air, and carrying a 30 lb pack on your shoulders, you suddenly realise you are not in as good shape as you think you are... it took me a solid hour to make this elevation difference, and by the time I reached Eigergleister, I actually was ready to pass out. The only thing that kept me going was the sight of two elderly Swiss women who had actually passed me as I was hiking up and were now happily chatting away and looking at the summit. Of course neither of THEM were carrying a 30 lb pack and had probably been doing this as soon as they popped out of their mothers wombs, but I shall conviniently digress...
The rest of the hike was strenuous but enjoyable... I simply put on my headphones, stayed in tune with the music (Lucky Ali is really good hiking music for the Swiss Alps by the way...) and took in the sights around me... Every so often I would stop for a water break, snap some pics, and chatted with my fellow hikers. I was also continuously seranaded by the light clangering sounds of cow and goat bells from the animals which had come up to graze on the cliffs. 5 hours later, I found myself descending into the village of Grindelwald...
Have you ever had a meal which fed not only your body, but also your soul? Well, this happened to me in the village of Grindelwald. I spent the night in a farmers barn there... (hey, it was cheap, and how often do you get to sleep in straw?) but was running low on cash. Realising that an ATM was not easily accessible here, I ended up going to the local Aldi supermarket, and bought a loaf of Pumpernickel Bread, a hunk of Cheese, some Swiss Chocolate, and a liter of Milk. Total cost? Only 8 CHF... :) I took my bag of food up to a field beside the barn and proceeded to have myself a little picnic... The meal? Well, I just described it previously... My dining mates? Two goats which were grazing in the field... The setting? An unobstructed view of the Schrekhorn mountain... I happily gorged myself on the contents of my bag of food, and proceeded to watch as the mountain turned from the color of granite, to a hue of pink, and finally, as the sun bid me adieu, it became darker and darker, and faded from sight.
Every so often the mind reaches a place which is difficult to describe. Tagore wrote a famous poem, the opening lines of which are "Where the mind is without fear, and the head is held high"... The Bodeans wrote the song for the 90's TV show 'Party of Five' known as "Closer to Free"... poets, musicians, and scholars have described this place using various words, but whatever that place is, as I lay in a farmers field on the other side of the world, body aching, but stomach full, I think my mind reached it, and I had a peaceful nights rest after a long, long time...
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