I had been to Grindelwald with my German class when I was a middle schooler. I was a typical young teen, it was hard to find anything in the natural world that could really impress me. My school group spent a day there. Some kids were able to go skiing and the others had a free day in town. Skiing was beyond my means so I spent the day with a few friends bumming around the town. One of us thought that it would be fun to ride a gondola to the top of one of the mountains, only because I had nothing else to do I agreed to the plan. We shoved the four of us into a stuffy, little, red, sardine can and ascended to the mountain top. We exited our ride and walked to see beyond the familiar valley below to the view of the opposing cliff. All that I could see was magic. A switch had been flipped within the indifferent teen. I had no experience that prepared me for that moment and that moment stuck with me ever since.
I have had a few times throughout my life where a solitary experience was so powerful that I longed to experience the moment with someone whom I had the deepest of connections. This was one such experience which could fortunately be duplicated and I needed to share it with my Beth.
When we arrived at Grindelwald and the sky was filled with raining, grey clouds which covered half the mountains. We made a dash to our hotel and dropped off our luggage then walked around town and grabbed a slice of pizza. Hope was still in the air.
I booked a canyoning trip the day after our arrival. We filled up with a great breakfast at the hotel and caught the train to Interlaken. There we joined our co-adventurers, geared up and hopped in a van to the drop-off location. The trip took us through a mountain river that had been cutting out a ravine for a millennia. We rappelled, swung on a rope like Tarzan, jumped into pools filled by waterfalls, and slid down natural waterslides. Canyoning was exciting, almost too exciting for Beth. After a quick peruse of nearby souvenir shops we jump on the train back to Grindelwald.
The day finally came that our friends Eric and Jenna were joining us on our adventure. The skies had yet to clear, but Beth and I decided to take the cable car up one of the mountains and go on a shorter hike before our friends arrive. Aboard the cable car we ascended quickly into the clouds where visibility turns to a few feet in a short amount of time. The weather report was looking hopeful with clear skies the following next few days, but I still had my doubts. Even with the visual limitations the clouds played with our views adding mystery to the mountains pumping the plants with extra emerald greens. The end of our hike found us at another cable car that would have normally gave us glances of the Lauterbrunnen valley, but the clouds continued to obscure the grandeur and I prevent Beth from viewing the sub-par view. Eric sends me a text of their imminent arrival and we scurry down the mountain and meet them at the bus station.
Our group had two priorities with our visit in Grindelwald: 1) Get to the top of the Jungfraujoch glacier. 2) Go on a long hike. Visibility was an important factor when visiting Jungfraujoch. If the clouds settled in there would be nothing to see, which meant we needed to gamble on which day would grant us the clearest skies.
The weather told us to hike on our first day together. Clouds encased the top of the mountain as we exited the cable car. Even with our limited views we were able to keep our spirits high and started out on the day’s adventure. In a moments time our fortunes began to change as a glimpse of blue sky scratched a hole through the clouds. A few meters further we catch mountain peaks framed by variously shaped puffs of cotton. The clouds gifted us with views of infinite variations, every step was a new photo opportunity. Our hike was moderate over all, there were definitely steep climbs and descents, but the majority was very relaxed. Along the hike we are greeted by the locals - marmots that inhabit the rocky terrain. We came across mountain lakes and grassy fields full of flowers.
On our first break we came across Faulhorn which rests on top of a mountain peak. Faulhorn offers the weary traveler a cozy hotel and restaurant services. The clouds’ engulfed the restaurant as we approached making it difficult to fully see the structure from afar. As we came closer the clouds did their dance and slid to the side so that we could appreciate our resting spot. We sat down for a hearty meal with glasses of beer and a dessert of Apfelküchen (apple cake) and stared out over the sea of billowing clouds. As we begin to ready ourselves for departure I take a short detour to the summit just above the restaurant. The entire restaurant gasped as soon as the clouds separated and again exposed the most beautiful views framed by the clouds.
The clouds again gave us a variety of views as we continue our hike. Our next stop brought us to a mom and pop establishment Berghütten Männdlenen. Like Faulhorn this quaint building offered food and accommodations. The hosts were kind and humored me as I practiced my German.
By the end of our hike we were worrying about time and uncertain of when the last train was going to leave from our destination and we did not have the energy to hike another 10 miles. We picked up our pace and as we neared the station we saw a train pull in. I run ahead in hopes to hold the train for everyone else in our troupe, but as I arrive I find out that the train’s departure was delayed and we had some time to catch our breath. The train ride took us down mountain cliffs with dramatic views.
The day we arranged our trip to the Jungfraujoch glacier the sky was finally willing to gift us a blue backdrop with plums of dynamic clouds. The views from the cable car was completely clear and we could view the entire Grindelwald valley below. We transferred to the train that completed the assent within tunnel through the mountain. The final destination was a bustling building with a variety of souvenir shops, stores and restaurants. We had to wrestle our way through the crowds to the top of the observatory where the glacier could be seen in all it’s grander. Just outside the observatory was an observation deck that wraps around the station and provided picturesque views. We took a quick elevator to the base of the observatory and exited out onto the glacier. When we booked our tickets we had to pick a departure time we didn’t know what to expect and picked a departure an hour and a half after we arrived. We could have spent more time hiking around the glacier. However, I was feeling the impact of the altitude and it was probably good that we made our way back down the mountain. On our way out to catch the train we had to jump over the discharge from a little boy who did not fare well at the altitude.
We departed our train and started off on our hike which would ultimately find our way to Lauterbrunnen. Our hike took Beth and I on a familiar route that Beth did not recognize. Since the clouds had cleared the views were practically new. We caught a train to a near by mountain town and began our descent to Lauterbrunnen. The forest gets more dense as we near the valley it continued to obscure the view and my excitement increased. With every switchback we got a different glimpse of the valley until the forest finally opened and presented Lauterbrunnen in all it’s beauty. Our visit to the fabled city from my youth was short. We strolled the main road and stopped in some stores then had to make away back to Grindelwald before the last cable car left.
