This was our first real hike. We had gotten used to the trains and figured out the post bus, so we were ready for an adventure. We took the train from Meiringen to Sarnen and then a post bus from Sarnen to Stockalp. The ride was another “Disney Ride” which became our running joke. Switzerland is like Disneyland only better. It went up a narrow winding rode, passing bikes, sounding the warning notes, up and up. At Stockalp the transportation became a little more exotic as we loaded on a gondola for the ride to Melchsee-Frutt. We hadn’t told Peter about the chair lift yet. At Melchsee-Frutt things were a little confusing. While we checked the everpresent Wanderweg map, a woman who spoke English asked if we needed help. We told her our plans and she got a worried look on her face, “Oh no, it is too difficult and dangerous a hike for the child”. We were quite puzzled, as the information we had from the Untours Hike and Bike told us otherwise. Further puzzlement came from the chair lift at the wrong end of the lake (according to our map understanding) and it wasn’t running! We needed some groceries and cheese for lunch and there was a great store for our resupply. We also discovered from the storekeepers, that the hike we wanted to do would be no problem for Peter. Furthermore, the chair was exactly where we expected from the map, we just couldn’t see it from the town and it would certainly be running. Things were looking up!
The chair lift station was a short but beautiful walk around the lake. Quite a few people were fishing, and there were guides with some, but we saw no fish taken. The town church is on the edge of the lake, but a large tour was there so we passed by. The weather had been questionable, but off and on the sun would appear. At the end of the lake opposite the gondola station is the chairlift. Peter hesitated but went up with us. We were taken aback when we saw that the chairs were singles, there was no way Peter would do it, even though it was safe. The lift operator clearly expected Peter to get on by himself, and was puzzled when we both squeezed in. It was tight! We couldn’t turn around to see Amy when she called. Up and up we went. A trail beneath us provided an alternate route and a few were hiking down. I don’t think we saw anybody hiking up. Streams and wildflowers gave way to snowfields, rock and wildflowers. It was clear till we reached the top of Balmeggerhorn, and then the moist air rising from the valley on the other side was cooling near the top and forming clouds in front of our eyes. That continued for the entire afternoon as we hiked in Fairy Tale Land. Mosses, grasses and wildflowers along the trail, clouds forming below and flowing up and over us, opening periodically to reveal a deep, deep valley below with more mountains and glaciers beyond the valley. Our lunch spot was on the edge of the only snowfield that day, with views into two valleys. While we ate a couple of German mountain bikers came down the snowfield in one small valley. Lunch was marred by Vann tragically stepping on Peter’s new pet snail.
All the time we could hear cow bells in the clouds below, goats bells tinkling above us in the steeper and rockier terrain. The trail was truly one of the magical moments of our entire trip. At one point on the trail we hiked in the clouds and we could only see a short distance up the trail. Peter asked “Is this Heaven?” It rained a little but not bad until we got near Planplatten. At that point the trail climbed from below the ridgeline to the exposed top. It was blowing hard, cold, and raining. The cold rain felt like sleet on our faces. Just then we reached a final steep climb to Planplatten, home of the Eagle Express Gondola. Down to Magisalp, down another gondola through Bidmi to Hasliberg-Reuti and finally the cable car down to Meiringen. What a fabulous day!