I took a weeklong trip out west with two of my girl friends and wanted to share some natural park beauty. I wouldn’t call it a vacation since hiking, setting up the tent every night, and trying to make fires with damp wood was difficult. However, I loved every minute of it and the sore muscles were worth the scenery.
Friday – Arriving in Madrid, our group of 5 backpackers scope out energy bars at a GNC that save my life in 28 hours. A stroll through the capital and a metro ride brings us to the airport for our flight to Geneva at 8:30pm. Having went out last night, I sleep most of the flight but wake up to the smell of pizza and ask for a small bottle of wine. Complementary, of course! Swiss airlines, you rock. The cute middle aged spaniard next to me asks for the rest of my red merlot so I gladly pour it for her. We talk in Spanish about Spain’s economy and the problems with the Euro for the remainder of the flight. Huh, I actually learned a few things in class. Later, flight attendants serve Swiss chocolate and I start to wonder if I accidentally bought a direct ticket to heaven. Disembarking, we search for the train from Geneva to Grindelwald only to find out the next one doesn’t leave until morning. Airport sleep #3!
Saturday – After an unsuccessful rest, we struggle to locate the front desk and find anyone that speaks english or spanish (french and german being most common here). Many discrepancies have us waiting two hours until the customer service desk opens. Finally buying our tickets ($85 USD one way) and getting on the two hour train, we’re pleasantly surprised with the scenic views. Arriving in Grindelwald by 1:30pm, we set outto find food, water, a bathroom, and a map. Once all objectives had been reached, we started hiking. Taking a gondola 1/2 the way up was an option, we’re decide to be cheap, badass, and risky. Walking from Grindelwald to Faulhorn means 1600m (5250ft) of ascent and 14 miles. It took 5 and a half hours with our backpacks and frequent photo ops.
Skyrim and Lord of the Rings references were dropped so often it’s embarrassing:) Everything went smoothly until the last half hour when the sun set. Exhaustion, dehydration, hypothermia and altitude sickness kicked in as I suddenly felt like I’d been shot with 8 doses of morphine. My entire body was numb and heavy so I kept telling my friends “I just want to lay down” in the snow to face my imminent death. I started laughing uncontrollably and hallucinating, nearly walking off the mountain. Someone yelled my name and Sam drug me up the last stretch, but I was still loopy after reaching Berghotel Faulhorn and eating dinner. Getting in bed and with the ladies made me realize how cold I was. We slept with 4 blankets in every article of clothing we had.
Sunday – Around 1:30am I woke up to a blood curtailing scream in the 18 person hostel. Heart racing, I thought my life was over and a yeti had come to eat my brains. Then I realized, this was Sam having a nightmare which he warned us about yesterday. “Hey guys, sometimes I scream in my sleep. It usually happens when I’m really exhausted and in a strange place.” This night would fall into that category, since we just climbed a mountain and we’re away from civilization. Realizing it was just him, I laughed while Germans scurrying, unable to leave the room fast enough. I fell back asleep but woke up in time for the beautiful sunrise at 7:45am. We ate breakfast, checked out, and worked our way back down the mountain with our belongings. Luckily, we found a shorter path and weren’t hiking into the night. Getting a train to Geneva, finding Swiss chocolate became my priority and I didn’t hesitate to drop some Franks at a pricey shop on the tourist drag since our time was limited. We grabbed Mexican food then made a trip to see Lake Geneva and the geyser before getting back to the airport for another uncomfortable sleep. We woke up at 5am on Monday to catch our 7am flight to Madrid, making it back just in time for my 12:55 class.
Incredible weekend with amazing people and beautiful scenery. So grateful I went with the group I did: no drama, all laughs and a great time. Plus, they saved my life:)
I also received a package from my parents for my birthday which is today! 20, so strange… Anyway, they know me too well. Green tea, chocolate and crystal light mix made me miss home so much. Mid terms are next week so my travels are limited until then, and I’ll be either studying or writing essays. Thanks for reading, love you all and miss you lots. ❤
BlondeVentures 