Quick update from the Swiss Alps..
In a karmic kick in the butt for all of our gloating about heading to this wonderful place, nature is having the last laugh.
It has rained steadily since we arrived with a very low cloud cover (which can get complicated when you are way up in the mountains). We have not let that deter us (being raised in oregon and all) and have hiked both days, coming back home soaking wet to the skin. While the hikes have been fun and pretty, though alpine meadows, along streams, dodging cows, etc., we usually couldn't see much further than 50 feet around us. So we are hiking completely surrounded by some of the most dramatic and beautiful mountains in the whole alps and we haven't seen a trace of them.
We have kept our hopes up though, especially as we already had plans to stay at least 6 nights...figuring it has got to clear and we would get a chance to do the major hikes and see the peaks.
Monday night update: it has rained so much over the past 3 days that the road between the cable car base (the only way to get down from here) and the town with the train station has been washed out or landslided over, the trains are not running in that town anyway, as the water is too close to the tracks, and rumor has it that Interlaken (and maybe even Luzern) are flooded in places. So everyone who has been trying to leave today is back for the night, no one is coming in, and the latest we heard is that the roads may be closed at least two days. For us it's fine...we had no plans to leave anyway, and can think of many many worse places to be stuck, but there are a lot of folks here trying to catch flights home in a few days. News link are here and here.
Keep your fingers crossed for sunny skies... We are!
The drowned rat alpine trekkers
1 comment:
Well, I hope the odds are with you to get some clear skies in the Alps. It is beautiful there. But you seem to be making the best of it. You'll have amazing stories to tell about this part of your trip. Take care and be safe.
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