Day 8

We slept in a little this morning and had breakfast at the guesthouse from supplies purchased yesterday at the co/op. I came downstairs a little earlier than the rest of the crew and met a some of our fellow guests both of which were from the US. I gathered some good hiking intel from the couple from Eugene, Oregon. They had hiked the Mountain View Trail and the North Face trail a couple of days before and said the views were amazing. They cautioned that the start of the Mountain View Trail was quite steep but was worth the work overall. Once the rest of the family joined me, we discussed the game plan for the day and decided to take the train from Mürren to Lauterbrunnen to get some Swiss Francs then do the Mountain View Trail from Grütschalp to Almendhubl - once there have some lunch and decide from there what to do. After

cleaning up our breakfast, we collected our things and headed off to Mürren.

Once in Mürren we walked down to the train station and took the 30 min ride to Grütschalp. A short Seilbahn then took us to Lauterbrunnen where we were able to secure currency and top off our water. Then it was right back up to Grütschalp to begin our hike.

Our friend from Eugene were not kidding about the steep accent at the beginning! Most of the trail's

1500 feet of altitude gain were in the first mile. The weather was sunny and warm and it was pretty slow going for all of us as the heat sapped our energy. The views however, we’re absolutely stunning. Every few hundred yards there was some new view of the mountains that warranted a picture.

Once we reached the high point of the trail the going became easier and the weather became more unsettled. Fairly soon it was apparent that a thunderstorm was rolling in and we might be getting wet. As the storm clouds began to accumulate more and more, the concern was not just precipitation, but the much more concerning possibility of lightning. We heard a good deal of thunder and at

one point a bright flash of lightning immediately followed by a very loud thunderclap. We were at a part of the trail that was in a wooded ravine with fairly low exposure so we hunkered down beneath a tree and waited for the worst to pass. Within moments of sheltering the rain came, and not just a little rain. It poured! Several other intrepid souls were hiking near us and they too sought shelter in the trees. After about ten minutes the rain abated to a light drizzle and the thunder moved noticeably to the south. We continued our walk and soon arrived at Allmendhübel and a much needed rest and some food.

The cafė at Allmendshubel featured a nice selection of hearty alpine dishes and we were all able to get something to fill the tank.* The beer, Rugen Brau from Interlaken was a really good lager - classify it as the beer of the day; it really hit the spot after a long hike.

*Editor's Note - I had one of the most satisfying meals on the trip here - a salami sandwich. Tavis had amazing mushroom soup as well.

Discussion around the lunch table was what to do after lunch. The boys were in favor of a return to Gimmelwald and a nap. Cindi and I were more in favor of continuing the hiking and checking out the North Face hike which was recommended by Rick Steves. Eventually the hike plan won out and we set off to hike the North Face Trail.

By starting at Allmendhubel we were already near the top of the trail which alleviated a lot of the climbing. The trail wound across the North face of

the Schilthorn, over and through a number of ravines. Again the scenery was amazing. We now had a completely different perspective of the mountains than the previous trail. Eventually the trail began to descend and we made our way to the lower slopes outside of Mürren. We had thought to hike all the way back to Gimmelwald, but the trail down was very steep and our legs were already feeling the strain of a full day of hiking. Instead, we elected to continue on to Mürren and ride the Seilbahn back to Gimmelwald. A cup of gelato as a treat and a short rest in the room and it was time for dinner.

For our last night in the Berner Obland we decided to have a nice dinner in Mürren. After perusing

several menus as we walked we selected the Hotel Blumental. They had a nice selection of German and Italian dishes and the ambiance was perfect. Meals eaten were - Schwein Schnitzel, beef medallions, beef stroganoff, and Schnitzel Cordon Bleu. All were very good. The journey back down to

Gimmelwald was a bit of a challenge. We missed the Seilbahn by seconds and had to wait another forty minutes for the next one to come. While we waited, we met a nice family from Springfield Missouri who were staying in Grindelwald. They had come over to this side of the valley to explore for the day. They confirmed that we had made the right choice in selecting the Lauterbrunnen area over that of Grindlewald. The crowds were apparently much greater and the views on this side were as good or better. It was already almost 10:00 pm and we didn’t envy their trek back to Gimmelwald. Our beds were waiting for us at the bottom of the Seilbahn. The final ride down was punctuated by several

flashes of lightning that lit up the entire valley. We made our way to Ester’s Guesthouse and bed. Guten Nacht von Gimmelwald.