Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Day 4: Wengen (hiking to Baregg)

Day 4: Wengen




Weather:
-         30s and snowing when transferring trains in Kleine Scheidegg
-         mid 40s and serious wind chill in Baregg (so felt like 20s)
-         50s
o   clear,
o   in mist,
o   drizzle,
o rain (maybe ¼” to 3/8”) while hiking and walking in Grindelwald and Wengen


QOTD:
Well, my heart's in the highlands, wherever I roam
That's where I'll be when I get called home
The wind it whispers to the buck-eyed trees of rhyme
Well, my heart's in the highlands, I can only get there one step at a time.

Stats:
-         Left hotel at 8:30am and arrived back at hotel at 5pm
-         Hiked for 2 hours 45 minutes
-     Walked between 1-2 miles in getting to and from transfer points
-         Walked over 18,000 steps total
-    Saw a lot of Japanese tourists and a fair number from Muslim countries (women wearing burqas)


Transportation: All included as part of our regional 6 day pass, total of around 4 hours
-         Tram (cable up the mountain)
-         3 gondola rides
-         2 train rides, with a transfer on three trains




Note stylish purple ear muff


No, we did not take a toboggan ride


Food:  Breakfast (included), lunch ($57), mid-afternoon sweets (treated), dinner (to be split up later)
-         Frosted shredded wheat
-         Yogurt
-         Toast with jam, 2 slices of white bread, part of a baguette roll
-         Trail mix (cool berry from Berkeley Bowl)
-         Fancy hash browns
-         Nespresso decaf, decaf cappuccino
-         Two smoked sausages
-         Shared small draft beer
-         Shared slice of apple tart (“apple pie”)
-         Shared scoop of vanilla ice cream
-         Amuse bouche of soft boiled egg with parmesan foam
-         Fillet of fish over an excellent version of sauerkraut
-         Filet Mignon and mashed potatoes with cooked radishes
-         Mini chocolate molten cake
-         Sauvignon blanc and a taste of local and excellent pinot noir

Our lunch spot, right around noon

What it looked like at 10am?





B, co-organizer, enjoying a brewski at the lunch hut in Baregg


Hot chocolate: hot steamed milk with mix-it-yourself packet


Apple pie = Apple tart

Towns:
-         Wengen
-         Grund
-         Gindelwald
-         Baregg (for lunch)
-         Pfingstegg
-         Kleine Scheidegg




Clothes THB wore while out during day: Not all worn at once, though tempted when weather got really cold and wet)!
-         Climbing pants, semi-water resistant
-         Lightweight jacket, water resistant
-         Poncho
-         North Face polartec vest
-         Hiking socks
-         Waterproof walking shoes (not high tops)
-         Hiking hat (with flap to protect neck from sunburn)
-         “Neck warmer” in a great shade of purple, used to keep ears warm
-         Long sleeve all weather turtleneck style shirt
-         Along and not worn: extra pair of socks, bandanna
 
Before the weather turned south




Vistas:
















Hiking: A few more shots of our group on the trail (both on the way up to the hut). The uphill hike was mostly in mist ("in the cloud"?), took around 1 1/2 hours. The downhill portion was much faster, a bit over an hour, and mostly in light rain and much better visibility (almost bright, the flowers looked more vivid on the way down).





Oddities:


Yes, the cows do wear bells, we heard them from the gondola

The sign says: while reading this sign, start running if you also see rocks falling on you

THB captures a beach pick-up regular





Flowers: Feels like just a bit after absolute prime time, still a ton of wildflowers





















































3 comments:

  1. Loved all the flowers. Glad you had all the right clothes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The flowers were so good we decided to repeat the experience today! thb

      Delete
    2. The flowers were so good we decided to repeat the experience today! thb

      Delete