We traveled south from the Schlucter's house in Sattel to the Lauterbrunnen valley, which is located in the Alps. The valley is about a kilometer in width and is framed by vertical limestone cliffs on either side. Streams from the melting glaciers lead over the edge of the cliffs, creating multiple waterfalls along the precipices. Tolkein reportedly hiked the area in 1911, and was so taken by the beauty that it provided the inspiration for his description of Rivendell, which is where a group of elves live (Whitney specifically requested that tidbit to be included; she and her family go ga-ga for Lord of the Rings).
The highway from Sattel to Lauterbrunnen traced lakes, mountains, and valleys, and actually featured quite a few looong tunnels. We should've kept count how long we were in some of these tunnels that slice through the mountains, but one we went through one that was at least three minutes long of driving time.
The twisting mountain roads were tortuous and provided for some interesting mapped routes:
The valley is shaped like a V or U from above, and we parked at the mouth, with plans to hike up the valley to the apex and take the cable car to Gimmelwald, a tiny town perched on the ledge of one of the cliffs. Whitney was pretty thirst, but conveniently Staubbach Falls provided some much needed refreshment.
The 3 mile hike up the valley was peaceful and beautiful, with many streams (freshly formed from falls) and allowed us some time to make friends with some bovines. Unfortunately, they were pretty standoffish.
A network of gondolas and cable cars exist through the Alps, and this terminus at Stechelberg makes a few stops before arriving at the Schilthorn peak. However, considering the weather would only allow for visibility of a few feet, we decided that the price of ~$120 for a round-trip ticket to the peak was a little steep. We settled for a ~$15 round-trip ticket to Gimmelwald.
A view from the gondola.
Our car was filled with people representing multiple nations, and it was fun to hear the babble of different tongues, most of which I imagine was remarking on the beautiful vistas (and occasionally expressing concern over the swaying of the gondola).
While the walk up the Lauterbrunnen Valley was fairly damp and cool (roughly 54 degrees F), Gimmelwald was slightly colder... to the tune of 39 degrees F. Of course, Gimmelwald is ~1900 feet higher (elevation 4472 ft), so we should've expected that. Whitney had a sweatshirt and jacket on, but her pedal pushers and fabric shoes meant that we could probably only spend an hour wading through the melting snow.
It looks like we weren't the only ones surprised by the snow; snow blanketed flower beds and fields of wildflowers.
At one point, we heard a great crashing noise from the cliff on the other side of the valley. When we looked, we saw a gush of water burst from the snow pack for 30 seconds or so and cascade down the cliff before the impromptu waterfall ceased. We think that a small glacial stream had built up behind an ice dam on the edge before forcing through the snow and over the cliff. It was a pretty unique experience to see the brief life of a stream-fed waterfall, and Whitney and I just paused and looked at each other before shrugging and moving on. (Though it did remind me of this Far Side comic)
We saw a happy cat in Gimmelwald (and not so happy mouse in its mouth). I'm glad that I'm able to document so many multinational cats.
The view from this vegetable garden would make weeding a much less arduous chore!
Finally, the cold caught up to us and Whitney started showing signs of cyanosis, so we headed back to the cable car station to return to the valley floor.
Once there, we strolled the three miles (emphatically trying to return feeling to toes!) back to Lauterbrunnen.
We made a friend!!! Check out his baby cowbell! Squish!
As if to bid us "adieu," the church bell chimed for us when we reached the car, and as we drove away, the clouds thinned enough for the sun to shine through and create a warm glow over the mountains.
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