Boots

These boots were brand new when we started!

For those interested in what gear was useful... We used pretty much everything we brought along. At the start we were a bit dubious about some of the warmer clothes, but they turned out to be absolutely necessary. There wasn't any time where we thought "if only we had brought xyz". Our strategy of packing things in dry bags, inside a pack liner, with a raincover on the pack, kept everything dry - and I don't think there was a day where it did not rain at some point.

I think we deserve it

... 22 days
... 15 stages
... 16 passes
... 6 cantons
... 326 km
... 18 km ascent
... 18 km descent

One country...
... Via Alpina

Watching the sunset over Lake Geneva

.... Priceless

Location:Grand Rue,Montreux,Switzerland

We made it!

After 9 hours we are at Montreux!

Location:Chemin de la Becque,La Tour-de-Peilz,Switzerland

It's all downhill from here!

Barrage de l'Hongrain

This is the beginning of the end

Setting out from Col des Mosses. Next stop Montreux!

10h later... Col des Mosses

Col des Andérets

Blattipass

What is this strange glowing orb in the sky?

Gsteig

Placemat

Lauenen

Trütlisbergpass

Ferocious wild animals

Trüttlisbergpass

Lenk

Very muddy on the way down but only 1.5 hours descent. A short one today. Tomorrow is much longer...

Glider

Hahnenmoospass

The easiest one by far!



It was raining early on but has stopped or a while. This was a stroll up a nice gentle hill to a grassy saddle.

This is apparently the biggest trottibike park in the world. We saw some people on the trottibikes and some others flying remote control gliders. This make a big change from yesterday!

Location:Endorfstrasse,Sigriswil,Switzerland

More rain...

Raining again, but today's stage is very short, so we are going to Lenk. Hopefully it clears up a bit for the last 3, longer stages!

Location:Hubelstrasse,Adelboden,Switzerland

Adelboden

After 9.5 hours and a little unexpected detour along a rundweg we are at Adelboden.

It was a great hike, more later...

Clearing up...

Bunderchrindepass

The gap we are aiming for

Food break

Raining again!

Bundchrindepass Take 2

It was the right choice to abort yesterday - rained pretty heavily the while day.

Today still cloudy, but no rain until later. So we go for it!

Location:Kandersteg

Abort! Abort! Abort!

After half an hour of walking we are pulling the plug. Too rainy and cold. Probably will be snowing on the pass, and we have had enough of that!

Tomorrow promises no rain until 14:00...

Sorry to disappoint all you APR fans :-)

Location:Kandersteg

2/3 down, 1/3 to go!

Setting off for Adelboden!

Location:Kandersteg,Switzerland

Öchinensee

Again no coverage last day or so. Just catching up as we walk through Kandersteg.

Stayed overnight in Öchinensee, and took the Gondola down this morning. Weather looks a bit dodgy again but forecast for the same tomorrow so we trying for Adelboden today.

A big adventure

When we reached Hohtürli it had just started to snow. So we quickly ran up to the Blüemlisalphütte, where we spent the night.

The snow continued all night and when we woke up there was a few inches of snow, and still falling. Absolutely no hope of finding the path down.

Luckily, one of the hut staff offered to guide us down until we could find the path. We were a big group, with a bunch of 6 Dutch students and three Germans as well.

To begin with there was sideways blowing ice and snow, and you could not see very far. But we eventually dropped down a bit and things became calmer. Still snowing but not so gruesome. We don't have any really good photos because a) it was too cold and wet and b) couldn't see anything anyhow!

The photo above is from lower down when we managed to get the phone out of the pack.

After about 4 hours we made it down to Öschinensee where we are staying tonight.

Location:Blüemlisalphütte

2778m

Setting off for Hohtürli

Sefinenfurgge

Rotstockhütte

Jungfrau and Berner Oberland

Leaving Mürren for Sefinenfurgge

Looking back on Mürren. Heading for a big days walk today... Lots of elevation up and down.

Trümmelbachfälle

Another weather induced day off... Also tired from yesterday's big walk! The Trümmelbach falls are a series of waterfalls inside a mountain, draining the glaciers of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

There is a staircase where you can go up inside and look at all the falls... At places very wet and also very loud!

Location:Lauterbrunnen

Halfway!

Woo hoo! Halfway there!

Location:Kleine Scheidegg

Eigergletscher

Up close...

Eiger from Alpiglen

Grindelwald & Gr. Scheidegg from Alpiglen

Stage 8

Here we go... Stage 8 and heading toward the halfway mark!

Location:Truffersbrunnen,Grindelwald,Switzerland

Eiger Nordwand

Spending the night in Grindelwald with a great view of Eiger from the room.

Today was a kind of rest day in that we did not actually progress onto our next stage, but we did spend the whole day walking with our packs. So perhaps we should call it Stage 7a.

We went from Grosse Scheidegg to First, and then to the Bachalpsee and back. About 4 hours walking altogether. At the end of the day we took the gondola down to Grindelwald where we are now having Älpermaccaron and Rösti.

Location:Grindelwald, Switzerland

Bachalpsee

View from First.

Wetterhorn

Höhenweg 2400

Heading off up to First. The clouds are starting to break up!

Location:Grosse Scheidegg, Switzerland

Fondue - It's cold!

Location:Grosse Scheidegg, Switzerland

Spooky!

Today we walked from the top of the Reichenbach funicular at 900m to the Grosse Scheidegg at 1962m. This is actually only the upward leg of stage 7.

We walked all day in cloud and could not see any of the big mountains that surrounded us. So we are stopping here at the pass hoping for better weather tomorrow and a good view! If it is good, we will continue on to First.

Location:Grosse Scheidegg, Switzerland