#22 The trek to Mordor

Now I know how Frodo feels.

Over 12 grueling miles Veronika and I hiked through a Lord of the Rings-like landscape filled with boulder fields, alpine lakes, shards of rock, mossy outcroppings and melting glaciers. We didn’t find the ring, but it was one of the best days. Ever. (See all the photos below)

Our journey started out in the Swiss town of Grindelwald. The village sits at the base of the world famous Eiger Mountain. All around are 13,000-foot peaks, sheer rock walls and hanging glaciers. In other words, just about the coolest place on the planet.

You know how some people feel more at home in a forest or on the plains or in a city? Me? I’m most at home in the mountains. I love the spectacular views and all the possibilities for hiking and skiing.

We left Grindelwald around 8AM and took a short ride up the First chairlift to the start of our hike. The lift takes you a short ways above the village to where the serious hiking begins. It’s funny, but on my first ever trip to Europe 24 years ago, we visited Grindelwald and rode this very same chairlift. Talk about coming full circle.

The hike we choose was a 6-hour leg-burner that passed by Bachalpsee (the first of three glacial lakes), through the Hiendertellti (a high-alpine rock field), to the top of Wildgarst and down to Grosse Scheidegg at the base of Wetterhorn Mountain.

The whole trip was awesome, but for me the biggest goal was getting to the top of Wildgarst. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been enthralled with mountaineering. If there’s a book on Everest, I’ve probably read it. I’m both fascinated and terrified by the thought of scaling the world’s highest peaks.

A couple hours into our trip, we got our first view of 9,488-foot Wildgarst. Even in the shadow of the taller Schwarzhorn Mountain it looked quite impressive – and relatively easy from a distance. Ha! We sure were in for a surprise!

At times it felt like we were hiking in Iceland, Scotland, Nepal or on the moon, as the landscape kept changing as we went higher and higher.

After a power lunch (bread, cheese, tomato, trail mix, pretzels), it was time to take on the Wildgarst. Good thing there were a few others on the mountain at the same time because finding the trail was nearly impossible. The whole route is filled with shards of rock that make a sound like broken glass with each step. The precariousness of each foothold combined with a 500-foot drop off added to the excitement!

After 50 minutes of near vertical hiking we made it to the top, though! I had such a wonderful sense of accomplishment. This was one of the things on my list that I knew would be the toughest to accomplish. Getting to the top of the mountain with V made it even more special.

At the summit we had a spectacular view of the Jungfrau region and snow-capped mountains in nearly every direction. After snapping a bunch of photos and celebrating a bit, we decided to start the long journey back down.

Following a mini-glacier crossing and yet another trail filled with shards of rocks, we made it to a spectacular, crystal clear high-alpine stream. Ahhh. Veronika and I decided to stop for a while and rest our weary feet in the ice-cold water. It felt great, but it was also a bit of a challenge to see who could keep their feet in the water the longest! Such a perfect, perfect location.

After a couple more hours of hiking downhill (and then uphill a bit for good measure), we finally made it to the end of our journey – Grosse Scheidegg. Sipping coke and ice tea on the patio while waiting for the bus back to town never felt so good!

Back in Grindelwald that evening we indulged in pizza, cake and ice cream (because we earned it!). 🙂

So, Frodo, I feel your pain (especially in my legs), but I’d do it again in a second. What a terrific, amazing, spectacular, wonderful, great day!!

Photo: Happy at the start of the journey.

Photo: Bachalpsee / Lake Bachalpsee

Photo: Color coordinating with the landscape.

Photo: Starting the long trek into the Hiendertellti.

Photo: Still so far to go (Wildgarst is the peak to center-left).

Photo: Mountain rocks and lichen.

Photo: Climbing through the boulder field (Wildgarst in the distance).

Photo: Looking back where we started across one of the alpine lakes.

Photo: Starting the hike up Wildgarst.

Photo: The trail! (Yes, it was this steep, too)

Photo: The summit!

Photo: Schwarzhorn and the high Alps of the Bernese Oberland in the distance.

Photo: The descent. Can you spot V? Hint – look to the bottom right.

Photo: The mini-glacier we partially slid down (not on purpose).

Photo: Crossing through a lunar landscape.

Photo: Ahhh…..

Photo: Our perfect little spot high in the Alps.

Photo: The last leg with the Wetterhorn looming ahead.

Photo: Swiss cheese?

Photo: Happy at the end of the trail.

Photo: Time for dessert!