Statistics: hike: 8.36 miles ascent: 3610′ descent: 1037′ descent Pass #7: Kleine Scheidegg
Today we would take advantage of the Swiss mountain transportation, ie, a gondola, a train, and a cable car, as well as walk, of course!
In order to keep on schedule and to save our knees, we took the gondola down to Grindelwald from First. Grindelwald is a resort town with many hotels, shops and restaurants. We wandered through the streets and wound our way down to the railroad station where our trail resumed. At that point the path began an ascent and did not let up until we had reached the top 3 1/2 hours later. About half way up the mountain we thought we could hear alpine music. As we walked it got louder and louder which was quite inspiring. Soon we arrived at Alpiglen, a berghaus and restaurant featuring a small, Swiss band. This was a perfect time to stop for a cold drink and a kuchen and enjoy the music!
At the pass, Kleine Scheidegg (Pass #7), we were surprised to see crowds of people, trains, souvenir shops, a hotel and restaurants, the center of a major tourist area.
We continued (downhill from the pass) and when the opportunity arose we jumped on the train instead of grinding out a very long descent to Lauterbrunnen. In Lauterbrunnen we transferred to a cable car and then a train to Mürren. On the train we met a couple from Orinda, California – very near my home! Mürren is charming with its alpine buildings, flower filled window boxes and gardens everywhere.
Our B&B was in the heart of the village and our tiny room had a full view of the Jungfrau!
It was a relief to settle into our accommodations as my right quad was bothering me. When I took off my boots I realized that about 3″ of my right boot seam was split offering very little support. I hunted for duct tape or glue to do a quick fix, but no luck. I was going to have to break one of my major rules for long distance hiking: always wear boots that are well broken-in.
The evening was very relaxing as we each enjoyed a glass of wine while gazing at the alpenglow on the mountains. Then we splurged and gobbled up a yummy fondue for dinner!
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