The Events of Wednesday, July 20, 2011

            A year ago tomorrow (July 21, 2010), I was awakened at two o’clock to climb a fourteener in Colorado, a real Rocky Mountains experience. Today, we all woke up at 5:30 for a Swiss Alp experience: venturing to Jungfraujoch, the “Top of Europe” at 11,333 feet. Thanks to our diligent work last night, we were all prepared for a speedy departure this morning. Most of the food was already set out on the table and our backpacks were stuffed with the extra clothing we thought we might need. Hurriedly, we grabbed all our gear, checked to make sure none was missing, and drove to Lauterbrunnen.

            At six in the morning, the roads were almost empty, and finding a parking spot was not a problem. We headed to the nearly empty train station and purchased our Good Morning tickets for Jungfraujoch. These ticket packages give us a cheaper fare if we take the first train up and leave by noon. Soon, we were piling aboard the 7:00 train to Kleine Scheidegg. As the train slowly chugged its way up the steep cog railway, the excitement grew. This was it: taking a train (a very special occasion for us) up to the top of the Alps! But then, a couple minutes into the ride, the train slowed and stopped. Outside a man ran by the train, and then we began to descend. The conductor came by and explained the problem, “the train wouldn’t go up” (such scientific terms!), so we were heading back down the slope to change trains.

            Soon, we were again on our way, snacking on our breakfast. This time, we didn’t encounter any technical problems. Our warm breath steamed up the cool glass as we looked outside at the steep, stark alpine world around us. The skies were cloudy, and it soon began to rain. Since this was supposed to be a fair-weather activity, we were a bit disappointed. This would be nothing like the sunny, blue skies experience Mom and Dad enjoyed on their 1983 trip here. However, we decided to make the best of the circumstances and try to have as much fun as we could, despite the weather.

            When we arrived at Kleine Scheidegg, we transferred to a train that would take us to the top. As we ran from car to car, we felt the cold sting of snowflakes against our warm skin. We were shocked: snow in July? The last time we had snow in July was…Crater Lake. When the train pulled away from the station, we watched the ground as the snow began to stick.

            The train from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch tunnels for miles and miles through the Alps. The tallest of the mountains in this area are the Eiger (13,026 ft), the Mönch (13,475 ft), and the Jungfrau (the tallest, at 13,642 ft). The peaks are named for an old legend recalling a monk (mönch) who protects a maiden (jungfrau) from the ogre (eiger). Our route took us through the Eiger, with two brief stops at panoramic terraces. Here, we could get a look at the wind and snow whirling outside and see a little bit of the notoriously dangerous North Face. From the Eismeer station, we tunneled under the Mönch and emerged at Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe.

            A couple facts about the train route: the original idea came from the Mt. Washington Cog Railway (in New Hampshire). Soon, there was a craze for mountain-climbing trains in Switzerland, and there were petitions to build a train route all the way to the summit of the Jungfrau. From 1896-1912, tracks were laid from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch, the shoulder beneath the Jungfrau. The final stage, from Jungfraujoch to the summit, was never completed, due to WWI, financial troubles, and the fact that the summit was too small to hold a decent-sized building.

            When we arrived at the top, we disembarked from the train and joined the hordes of Asian tour groups heading inside. The train station is at the center of the huge Jungfraujoch complex. Most of the attraction is built in the mountain, with a couple buildings jutting out from the edges of the cliffs. We headed first to the Ice Palace, a labyrinth of passageways tunneling through a glacier. Ice made the ceilings, walls, and floors. It was very cool (literally). The main loop showcased ice sculptures of polar bears, penguins, and seals. After seeing all the artwork, we went squeezing through narrow passageways, sliding across the floor, licking the walls (at least I did), and posing for photos. At last, we had explored every passageway, so we headed to the “Ice Gateway”.

            Although we had tried to prepare for the weather, we were not prepared for what awaited us outside the doors. There was a weather board, telling us that the current temperature was -7°C (19.4°F) and the wind was steady at 50 km/h (31 mph). We put on all our layers, even our sunglasses to protect our eyes from the blowing snow, and headed outside. It was extremely windy, extremely cold, and extremely fun. We only stayed out a little while, but it was long enough to yell at each other, experience the thin air, and get snow in our tennis shoes and up our pants. Freezing cold, we hustled back inside. The experience was so thrilling for me that I went out again! When the weather is nice (above freezing with no clouds, snow, or wind), the ice gateway is the beginning of a path through the snow to a viewpoint called the Plateau. We had walked less than 15 feet of the path before we had to turn back! When Mom and Dad came 18 years ago, they didn’t get to experience this adventurous side of Jungfraujoch!

            Our next stop was the Sphinx, the highest viewpoint in Europe, at 11,760 ft. After the quick elevator ride up, we looked outside, through snow-covered windows, to see swirling snow. Occasionally, a mini-avalanche would send snow crashing down off the roof. We sat on the benches inside to enjoy part two of breakfast: Bircher Muesli. It is a Swiss specialty of dried fruits and oats soaked in fruit juices mixed with fruit yogurt. It tasted good, but the texture was almost unbearable for some. Caitlin loved it‼ When we had completed our meal, we headed outside to the viewing platform. This side of the mountain was less windy than the Plateau, but there was still zero visibility. We managed to endure the thin, cold air long enough to take a family photo, look around, and throw a couple snowballs.

            After taking the elevator back down, we weren’t sure what to do next. We had wanted to play in the snow on the mountainside, but the snow area was closed due to avalanche danger. We had seen signs for the informative film, so we headed in that direction. Soon after we entered, the lights went down, the curtains closed, and music began. The music played and played and played, but no images showed on the screen. After the music ended, Mom and then Dad headed out to find an employee to help. They told some staff, who radioed for the right repair man. While we waited for him, the music played a couple more times. Lindsey and Abby tried to improve their interpretive dance skills, but they were better comedians than dancers. Maybe the thin air was getting to them and making them loopy!

            Finally, the guy arrived, turned on the projector, and started the show. At last, stunning photos, showing the stunning views from Jungfraujoch in good weather, accompanied the now-familiar music. When the show ended, we headed down the train station and took the noon train down to Kleine Scheidegg. This was the starting point of our hike, but we wanted to have lunch first. Luckily, we found a picnic table sheltered from the rain, and enjoyed our lunch. As we ate, some friendly goats from a nearby field wandered over to say hello and beg for food. After the meal, we weren’t completely sure that we wanted to hike down. By this point, freezing rain had subsided to an occasional drizzle, and the clouds were beginning to dissipate. Since Mom and Dad have such fond memories of their last hike from Kleine Scheidegg to Lauterbrunnen, we decided at least to try.

            Here in Switzerland, the hiking trails are called wanderweg, literally “wandering way”. This trail was the epitome: a meandering path through pastures and fields of flowers. It really made me believe that the journey to get somewhere is sometimes just as important, if not more, than the destination itself. Due to the rain, the path was a bit muddy, but it didn’t matter too much. Clouds sometimes covered almost everything around us until the wind blew them on by. We managed to get a glimpse of the rocks, snow covered mountain sides, the valleys, and the waterfalls during these brief interludes of clarity. But then the clouds blew back over, covering the scenery above the valley, and we focused on the scenery we could see: the small purple bell-like flowers, the steep hills, the cows munching near the side of the path. Whenever these cows moved, their bells echoed throughout the valley. I wonder how they can stand the constant noise whenever they move their heads.

            When we reached the first rail station we pondered taking the train the rest of the way down, but we decided to hike on, even though the road was suddenly extremely muddy. A little while later, we reached some benches perched atop a hill. Mom recalled that she and Dad ate lunch there during their last trip to Switzerland, so we paused for a quick dessert. Right nearby were five huge but friendly cows, who decided it would be fun to come toward us and check out these strange Americans.

            Continuing on, we headed down toward Wengen. The weather gradually cleared, so we could see up and down the entire valley. At one point, we could almost see the peaks of the Mönch, Eiger, and Jungfrau. As we hiked on it was clear that, although slower, hiking this route was much more rewarding than taking the train. Soon, we reached Wengen, two thirds of the way between Kleine Scheidegg and Lauterbrunnen. The weather was almost sunny, but we were starting to get sore, so we decided to take the train the remainder of the way. Back in Lauterbrunnen, we picked up our car and drove back to Faulensee.

            All of us were wet, cold, muddy, and exhausted from our exciting day. Until dinner, we showered, read, blogged, and relaxed. Mom washed a load of very dirty jeans. At a little past six, we gathered around the table to enjoy a meal of pasta. Then we continued our restful evening before heading to bed.