Adventures in Zurich: Gone Hiking

Last weekend Gina and I financially committed to acquiring a four month GA permit. This is a countrywide transportation card that lets us ride almost all public transportation in Switzerland. The idea was that if we spent the money in advance and also reduced the inconvenience of always having to find this or that special ticket price, we would be more apt to explore the country. So far it is working.

On Saturday we boarded a train to Braunwald, a small resort town in the Alps about an hour and a half from Zurich. After transferring trains at Ziegelbrucke our new train wound its way through one of the most incredible valleys I have ever seen. The Alps are special. Our route followed a crystal clear river flowing in the opposite direction: fast, clean, blue. The floor of the valley was a patchwork of cultivated fields interspersed with the occasional farmhouse or isolated village center. I don't know all the details regarding how the Swiss regulate land use, but they clearly operate with a different set of principles than in the U.S. As our train headed deeper into the valley the mountains grew larger and more impressive- green and brown covered hills eventually giving way to massive snow covered peaks. Upon arriving at our second stop, we took a short walk to the funicular service, again simply showed our GA and were immediately admitted onto the cog train. And then we went up. And up. And up. Soaring ever higher through long, precisely hollowed out tunnels and over raging torrents of rushing water we headed to our final destination. After ten or fifteen minutes we arrived at Braunwald, a quaint and quiet village perched on the ledge of a mountain in the heart of the Alps. After visiting what I can only describe as the village general store we began our hike.

Having done a fair bit of hiking in the states, the first thing that I noticed about trekking in Switzerland is that there is always a sign. Whether you need to know where your destination is, whether you are looking for the closest B&B, or if you simply want an afternoon espresso, there is always a sign. There is no wilderness in the Alps. It doesn't exist. The mountains in Switzerland are a primped and coiffed wonderland of pines, granite, and five star dining.

However different hiking in the Alps may be from the Western U.S., there is no denying that the terrain is stunning. To begin, the scale is enormous. As we hiked from one ridge to the next we were able to look out across the valley floor at an endless vista of snow capped granite. The vegetation was green and vibrant and healthy. Wildflowers were in bloom in every field and glade we came across. The water was clean and clear and cold. After hiking for two hours we stopped to have lunch at a lake being filled by numerous waterfalls. Sitting in the shade of a huge granite slab while eating lunch with my wife and daughter it was impossible nod to feel a sense of contentment. After finishing our food we hiked down to an aerial tram, boarded and flew back down to the valley and headed home. Next weekend we are planning a visit to Lucerne. Purchasing the GA was a good idea.