Dave crossing a snowfield
Day 4 of 7: July 20, 2008
After another sleepless night with multiple trips in the dark, cold, windy night to the toilet on the side of the mountain, I climbed out of my bunk around 0630. The early morning risers had already eaten breakfast and left to summit the mountain. Dave and I left the hut around 0730 in anticipation of afternoon showers, which we hoped to avoid while on the mountain.
Crossing the snowfields was perhaps the most dangerous aspect of hiking in the Alps (except for the sheer cliffs) as the snow was slippery and there was nothing to slow you down from accelerating if you slipped, except for the rocky bottom a few hundred meters away. We tread carefully across, walking in the prints of those who had gone before.
After a short descent from Gspaltenhornhütte (2,455 meters), we would ascend up to Sefinenfurgge (2,612m), which was a saddle pass between Büttlassen and Hundshorn.
Photo: Sign at Sefinenfurgge
Photo: Dave and I pausing for a picture at top of Sefinenfurgge
After Sefinenfurgge, we descended down the rest of the day, pausing at Rotstockhütte where we ordered 0.5 Liter Cokes for 5.50 Swiss Francs. This was the best Coke I ever had.
Photo: We stopped for a Coke - the best Coke I ever had - at the Rotstockhütte on the way to Mürren
The hike down was very beautiful with green fields, small Alpine lakes and scenic views of the surrounding mountains and the valley.
Photo: Beautiful green landscapes with Alpine lakes coming down from Sefinenfurgge to Mürren
In the valley, there many cows. This one apparently really liked me:
Photo: Me being kissed by a cow
As a kid, I used to have a pet newt. I always wondered where they came from. Apparently, they come from alpine lakes, which surprised me given the cold water temperature.
Photo: A newt in an alpine lake.
With about an hour to go to Mürren (1,638m), a small village on the top of a cliff overlooking the valley, Dave’s shoe fell apart – the front of the sole separated from the rest of the shoe creating large flap. With a bit of yellow rope, we secured his shoe for the rest of the hike down the mountain. Thankfully, this happened when it did and not in the middle of one of the mountain ascents.
Photo: Dave’s shoe
We arrived in Mürren at 1:30 PM after 6 hours of hiking. Our first priority was to find new shoes for Dave, so we took advantage of public transportation now available beginning with a train ride from Mürren to Grütschalp (1,486m) then a gondola down to Lauterbrunnen (800 m) at the bottom of the cliff (Mürren was at the top).
Photo: Riding the gondola down to Lauterbrunnen
While waiting for the sports store to open so that Dave could buy new boots, we drank a feet and ate rolls from a local store. After $400, we took two more trains to get to Alpiglen and the Alpiglen Berghaus at the base of the Eiger.
Photo: A beautiful rainbow near Alpiglen
After a hearty dinner of Rösti (small cubes of fried potatoes similar to hash browns), two beers and dessert, we each laundered our clothes in the shower.
It felt good to be clean again!
My adventure continues on Day 5.
Read about previous days: Day 1-2, Day 3
More photos of my Swiss Alps hiking trip are available online.
Live life richly and boldly!
David
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David B. Glover
Experiential Writer, Elite Athlete, Coach and Race Director
Author of Full Time and Sub-Nine
Personal Web: www.davidglover.net
Business Web: www.enduranceworks.net
©2008 David B. Glover
