This map (we really love these Swiss signposts and large photographable maps) only shows the 4,982′ downhill portion of today hike, which starts on the far right as Surenen Pass. It was 2,925′ getting up to that point and that didn’t include the two gondolas just to start the uphill. We avoided the 3 hours and 3,000′ prelude to today’s hike because it would have meant over 11 hours on the trail and 6,000 up with 5,000 down. As it was we racked up 14.25 miles and felt not a twinge of guilt. Our destination, Engelberg, is on the far left.

What amazed us was watching a farmer family of eight drive their herd of cows over the same pass we were ascending. They looked like ants when we first saw them crossing over the summit. We could hear the “ya oops” from more than a mile away.

Once we reached the pass we were surprised to see these two “downhill” mountain bikers coming up from the 5,000′ side. We’d only seen Swiss mountain bikers riding the gondolas up to ride their armored downhill rides. These guys actually had to work for it.

Here’ same couple more photos of Stanna checking Kev’s guide book on the iPhone to see how much further or where we should be watching for a course change.

Dinner in Engelberg was super by the way.

Zero Day is what thru hikers call a day when they don’t log any miles down the trail. Our rest day we only walked between two towns and back. Even though it was probably five miles, it was different as it was totally more urban with town sights to marvel and ponder. Seeing those domestic and cultural “slices of life” always prompts plenty of palaver.

But before I tell about Tell city, let me mention a bit about getting sea water consumė served in a specimen jar. It reminded us of experimenting with cooking spaghetti in sea water on the boat, but in this case I could have floated the spoon if the jar was larger. We needed lots of water to hydrate the salt crystals, which was a problem because when you only ordered tap water to drink they brought out a liter flask and post card saying poor folk in Zambia don’t have clean water, so this restaurant is collecting money for your water to give to the Zambian poor. I didn’t want to drink too much because you didn’t know if they were raising money by the ounce or by the milliliter.

Following on the marine theme, the main meal was a delicious modicum of turbot served on partially cooked rice with diced beets. The fish and beets were great but again you needed more of that precious African resource to swallow and digest the rice. It’s hard to complain because this is a four star restaurant with more cutlery and glassware on the table than is understandable, especially when they keep removing and replacing spoons and forks before you even use them. I did, much to Stanna’s chagrin, ever so delicately tell the owner/server to tell the four striped chef should taste his rice before he serves it again. As we were laying over in the same hotel we were afraid they’d be serving that rice again as rice pudding just to get even. It should be known that they did redeem themselves the next night with a stuffed pork cutlet and new potatoes. The water was still a hassle but we hope our 3 Swiss franks gets down to Zambia.

Back to tell about Tell. Altdorf is the town where William shot the arrow thru the apple on his son’s head. The town square has a mammoth bronze of Wiiliam with crossbow and young son. William Tell is known in Switzerland as the first of the hero’s that stood up to the Habsburg lords and led them country into independence and confederation. The story of his feat, his arrest and his escape are chronicled with edifices, plaques, plays and music, however in the tower supporting his statue the museum tells a different story about how this myth was imported from a Norwegian folk tale. Hopefully the throngs of visitors to the various “historic sites” don’t read the fine print.

Following upon the second nights dinner, we couldn’t help but laugh aloud when the young server announced as part of the pretentious service, that, “you will eat pig tonight”. It was delicious and the only other minor complaint one register was getting the caramel creme out of tiny glass box with a soup spoon.

Our hotel was in a very large alp along with hundreds of milk cows and directly across from one of the ubiquitous milking barns. It was pleasant to hear all the cows coming in, each with their own genuine Swiss cow bell clanging under heads, at 5 AM. Like an alarm that you can listen to and slowly drift back off to sleep.

Fortunately we’re not itching to get walking at the crack of dawn, and coincidently neither are the proprietors who put out the breakfast buffets each morning in our accommodations. Seven has been the earliest they’ll concede to serving and it’s generally 7:30. The hike over Klausenpass at only 2,800′ elevation gain was comparatively short but steep with almost another 4,000′ descent on the other side.

This pass and the highway accompanying it is quite renowned as it has ten times the curving switchbacks of our Red Mountain Pass, drawing motorcycles, bicyclists and every convertible for 500 kilometers to enjoy the thrills of highway department amusement ride. Guide books and signs report this as the first Swiss pass allowing motor vehicles. We particularly enjoyed viewing the cluster of farmhouses and barns just below the summit which would have pre-dated the road.

Our trail to the top also pre-dated the road and only intersected at the summit where we co-mingled with wheeled thrill seekers and bus tourists. We enticed one older woman to make her (our) first cell phone photo. Only after she held the phone up did we notice she only had one eye. A faux pas
for sure.

You might notice this was the first day I was able to zip-off the pant legs. Mostly sunny and definitely warmer than those other snow covered passes. Eager to start down we learned a lesson about reading “all” the yellow sign placards on a trail sign post. Turns out there were two ways to get to Altdorf, our next destination, and we took off at the direction of the top and most visible yellow way marker, rather than walking round to see the other choices point in various directions, like comical signs in some travel spots that point to Paris 800 miles, San Francisco 4,800 miles and Sydney 6,700. It was about 30 minutes before we realized that Kev’s guidebook directions weren’t matching the terrain. So we lost an hour and gained about 3 extra miles.

We’re glad we doubled back because Kev promised spectacular steep
descending switchbacks with wooden handrails with killer views and rushing waterfalls, all of which we enjoyed. The view back from whence we’d come was just as beautiful.

A long day, even with a Post Bus ride across the flats of the valley. Eager to describe our evening meal, but you’ll have to wait for that.

Stanna broke up this next leg into a short and medium distance legs because looking at the distance and the elevations might have been too much for a Wednesday hiking lady. As it was, taking a more leisurely hike worked out fine with the sun finally shining and the desire to do things like pick blackberries (who’d have thunk, this late in the summer) along the way.

Our guidebook, (Kev’s Via Alpina), actually suggests taking the funicular off route to a “ledge-locked” and car-less resort community above Linthal called Braunwald. Similar to Zermatt, only in that they don’t allow or have anything motorized except a variety of golf carts. Views from here looks both from the pass we came from and the mountains we’ll cross next.

Photo above with the arrow is the snowy pass from yesterday. The long traverse across a number of alps took us to tiny village (dorf in German) with not even a post office or a grocery store. Far more cows than people in this neck of the mountains. We re-supplied our lunch provisions from a small cheese factory on the highway passing thru.

Fortunately, our hamlet hotel had what every hiker needs in the way of rewards.

Richetlipass from Elm to Linthal was challenging because we encountered snow once again the last hour before each of two passes we crossed. The second, higher Richetlipass wouldn’t have been a problem except we were only the second folks to cross since the latest snow storms. There were just 8 to 10 inches of snow near the top, but as it was warming it was necessary to kick steps in the snow to bare dirt and gravel to keep your footing the last several hundred feet or so.

The backside was a bit steeper and we needed to sink our heels in first to avoid glissading down off the traversing switchbacks. All went well, just slow, focused and concentrating. Views when the clouds would part were spectacular. Looking down into our destination valley 7,000 feet below was similar to looking down from the Durango/Denver commuter flight over the Rockies.

Once we got below the snow level we took time for a quick lunch on one of the rocks mid-alp. Here we using the true definition of an alp, which is the high meadows leading up to rocky peaks. A Swiss farmer grazes his or her cattle on the alp, and makes alp cheese, which of course is from cows that feed on not just the alpine grasses but the flowers and varieties of plants that cling and grow on the slopes of the alp.

Long day with 3224′ ascent, 6569′ descent into the Linthal valley. Not quite Kev time, but our moving average matched that on the yellow Swiss hiking signs. Almost too tired to wash socks and clothes but we managed, especially when we found the hotel radiators were turned on and could dry things.

The weather wasn’t what the forecast (10% chance of rain after 10AM) said it was going to be. We made it 15 minutes, barely out of town, before it rained, and rained, and when we got above tree line it turned to snow. If you zoom in on the sign, it says not to pick up a bomb.

Turned out there were two other couples in the same hotel that took an early breakfast with us, and lo and behold, appeared behind us on the trail once we rose out of the trees. We never got to talk with them because they remained the same distance behind the rest of the day.

Guide book says we gained 4,100′ but my gps says over 5,000 so I’ll have to get into the track details to see when it started recording. It took us 5 ¼ hrs with stops to reach the Foopass (Kev time was supposed to be 4 ½) but we had a number stops to put on more rain gear and then there’s the matter of 4 to 6″ of fresh snow for 90 minutes to the top.

Almost an equal distance down which went faster, it goes without saying. High points were watching the numerous rainfall induced waterfalls and rivulets cascading off the peaks, ridges and cornices. Oh, and Stanna really liked seeing the ten Swiss hiking ladies coming up the mountain sharing umbrellas. Sorry no photo of them, in fact it was difficult to get out our cameras from under the rain gear. And we saw our first glacier of the trip, a hanging one half way down into Elm at about 4,500′.

Hot shower and our new favorite piece of hiking gear, the hair dryer at the hotel made the day complete and ready for tomorrow. Here’ same view of the Valley we climbed up, just imagine the last 1,500′ all white with fresh snow.