Day 98 – 101

Km 3278 to km 3421, Grindelwald (Switzerland) to Europaweg (Switzerland).

Day 98

30/07/2022 – 28km

So I’ve had a small setback. Last night my battery bank stopped working. I rely on my phone for a lot of things so for me this comes under “critical equipment”.

I waited this morning for the shops to open in Grindelwald to see if I could find a replacement, but I couldn’t find anything adequate. I then decided to continue on to Lauterbrunnen, and from there take a train to Interlaken (the next big town).

This section of trail isn’t that long, but it packs in a lot of amazing scenery. I passed below the Eiger and the glaciated peaks around Jungfrau before descending into the Lauterbrunnen valley, possibly the most instagrammed place in Switzerland.

In Interlaken I found a suitable battery and filled up on supermarket food and then got the train back to the trail.

Day 99

31/07/2022 – 33km

The amazing views continue. Today was much clearer, and from where I woke up I had great views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

I felt like a hiking machine powering up the first big climb. That was, until the last few hundred metres of steep stairs. They certainly took the wind out of my sails and some of the steam out of my ego. The views from the top were well worth the sweat though, with seracs and glaciers dripping off the nearby peaks.

Later on, down in Kandersteg I ate way too much sugar and paid for it by feeling sick for the next hour or so. Damn that cheap tiramisu. Sugary food is just much cheaper than real food (especially here in Switzerland). Next time I just need to suck it up and loosen the purse strings.

I finished the day a little early as I came to a good camp spot and the map didn’t suggest there’d be another one for at least a couple more hours.

Day 100

01/08/2022 – 40km

A short crossing of a glacier this morning. It was mostly covered with fallen stones, so it was easy to walk on. But the channels of water cutting into it, revealing the blue Ice beneath was beautiful.

Most of the day involved a hot and dry crossing of a valley. It hasn’t rained in a while and it’s very dusty. Each step kicks up a small cloud of it.

By the late afternoon I’d joined the walker’s haute route, which dad and I hiked back in 2017. I’ll be following it until Zermatt, my last stop in Switzerland.

Day 101

02/08/2022 – 39km

Up over Augustbordpass this morning, and then incredible views as I contoured my way up the Zermatt valley.

The Matterhorn just came into view at the end of the day, and I have a great view of it from my camp spot.

On an unrelated note, the unexpected benefits of having a small bladder. Often I wake up in the night needing to pee, and if it’s clear, you don’t get a better view of the stars than in the mountains.