Hiking in the Alps - August 2004.
The
opportunity to hike in the Alps has been a life-long dream of mine. In
August 2004 I flew from Chicago to Zurich, Switzerland and began this adventure
of a lifetime. A Belgian friend, Raf Verlinden, and his son Wouter
were my hiking companions. They both have much more hiking experience
(especially Raf) and not only helped me survive, but ensured that I had a safe
and terrific time hiking/climbing in the Austrian and Swiss Alps.
Here are some of the more than 300 pictures taken along the way.
From Zurich we headed east on the German autobahn traveling about 180 kph (110 mph)! We stopped by Lindau, Germany. Lindau is a beautiful village dating back to the 1300's and is located on Lake Constance on the German, Austrian and Swiss borders.
From Lindau we headed towards Hohenschwangau, Germany home of the Neuschwanstein Castle, perhaps the most photographed castle in all of Europe. Construction of the castle began in 1869. In 1886 King Ludwig II moved in and lived in the castle just a 110 days before being declared insane. The next day he died in mysterious circumstances in Lake Starnberg, together with the psychiatrist who had certified him as insane.
View
of Neuschwanstein Castle from Mary's Bridge.
To the right is a picture of Mary's Bridge, just a short hike from Neuschwanstein Castle.
From Hohenschwangau we headed south
towards Austria. Having researched some of the best hiking areas in
Austria (a country FILLED with hiking trails) we decided to call Neustift our
home base. Neustift is a small village about 20 miles southwest of
Innsbruck.
At first the trail was fairly gentle. (Note trail in lower left of picture.) The clouds eventually caught up with us and "washed" us with a gentle shower.
At
night, we stayed in huts (similar to hostels) maintained by local hiking
clubs. Our room had enough beds for about 20 people. Lights out at
10:00 p.m. Amazingly, there was no snoring! That's my backpack on
the top bunk. There's room for about 6 people on the top (and bottom)
bunks.
The trail wasn't always the gentle
hike that I had envisioned. At
times it was about 18" wide with the mountain on one side and a drop off on the
other. In those instances
I hugged the mountain as much as possible. 
In other places there were
cables to hold onto. In
one place there were metal brackets affixed into the rocks for climbing. In
that place I focused on the rock wall in front of me, held the cable as tightly
as possible and climbed. For me, it was best to not think about what I was
doing at that moment! Depth perception is missing in the photo. The outer side of the trail is
just a couple of inches from a huge drop off.
In the picture below, the hikers that are circled are a German couple we had met in the hut the evening before and are about half an hour behind us. We had passed the snow-covered area (visible in the picture) just a few hours earlier. Once you get to the top, somehow all the climbing and effort are erased by the view.
Neustift is in the distant valley view (below).
Some of the mountains have a cross on the top. As I wondered about the "Why?" of the crosses it became apparent to me that those who put the cross on the top were trying to describe something that was beyond description; something so beautiful that words were inadequate.
While at the top we lunched on cheese, chocolate and water. What a view!
There were bridges along the way to help us cross the streams that are fed by melting snow and glaciers.
While we weren't there during the peak of the wildflower season, there seemed to be an abundance of flowers along the way.
Many of the lakes are crystal clear and COLD. Sometimes you meet some "friends" along the trail.
After spending three days hiking in the high Alps, we headed back to the valley where we did some additional hiking with the Alps towering on both sides of us. It seems that both the higher and lower trails have something to offer. This is but one of the MANY waterfalls that dot the Alps.
From the area of Neustift, Austria we headed towards St. Moritz, Switzerland where we spent a couple of days exploring that area both on foot and via bicycle.
A day trip took us to Livigno,
Italy; a small town near St. Moritz that's only accessible via automobile from
Switzerland. (Picture to the right.) Because of its isolation, the tax man couldn't make frequent
visits in its early days. It continues to enjoy tax advantages even today.
From St. Moritz we headed back towards Zurich where I would catch a plane back to the U.S. On the way, we explored a bit in Soglio, Italy. (Picture to the left.) Near Soglio is a Roman trail that dates back thousands of years.
My hiking buddies Raf Verlinden, his son Wouter, and me taken on the Roman Trail near Soglio, Italy.
A sturdy backpack, comfortable hiking boots, a cap, topographical maps of the mountains (with trails marked) and good cameras were an important part of my trip. In the middle of the picture you'll see a book Walking Easy in the Swiss and Austrian Alps. Though we seldom took the easy trails, the author of this book, Chet Lipton, became a great e-mail friend offering tips and advice on great hiking areas.