OUR SWITZERLAND TRIP

Our Switzerland Visit, July 20th to August 1st, 2014

Our trip was only a tease of the beautiful sights of Switzerland to visit with our friends Beat and Monica.  They had plotted out a spectacular route which covered the north to Rheinfall, east to Appenzell, South to Lugano and back up over the Bernese Highlands near Interlaken, passing Lucern on our way back to Zurich.  Truly a condensed viewing of their beautiful country.

We had ten days but from the time we landed to departing, Monica and Beat showcased their country in grand hiking style!  We landed in Zurich and as our friends do not have a car, nor do they need one, we traveled by public transportation, firstly the train from the airport, to the tram through Zurich, to catch the city bus which arrived at the base of their condo, which we would  then hike by foot up the hill to the entrance, then up the stairs several floors to their unit at the top level.  Their home bordered the farmlands and open green fields where you could see the livestock roaming about.  The next morning we saw cows grazing just outside the window as we had breakfast.

Our tour would first bring us to the falls at Rheinfall, where we enjoyed watching, from a man-made platform overhanging the falls, the tour boats come and go from an island in the middle of the falls, similar to being beside Niagara Falls.  The next day we headed east to the Village of Appenzell to sample the famous Appenzell cheese and hike in the Alpstein area where we had lunch at a restaurant on the side of a cliff.  Our diet consisted of cheese, various types of sausages and breads.  Then we headed southerly by  train to their summer home in Schluein where we hiked the mountain they ski in the winter.  Their summer home was lovely, two stories, no screens on windows, neighbors with goats and sheep.  Sleeping at night was most comfortable and comforters were used in place of sheets to cover yourself.  This is actually a European trait.  This area was quaint, like a little cottage nestled on the shoulder of the mountains where out the window you could see mountains and valleys in the distance.  The next day we took a bus to Nagens above Flims and we hiked for the day.  Continuing our journey, we traveled by train to the pass 'Oberalppass'.  This was a beautiful train ride through the hills and valleys.  We continued our way  to Andermatt, then changed trains to travel through the 15 km tunnel to Fiesch; we then checked into our hotel Eggishorn, then took the gondola up to Mount Eggishorn to view Aletesch glacier, Junfraugh mountain, the Eiger and an entire mountain range of spectacular beauty, perfectly timed before the fog rolled in.  The next morning after breakfast we hiked to Fiescherap, then stopped for coffee at Bettmeralp, and continued on to our hotel in Riederfurka, about a 10-km hike. We had to use our imagination with the heavy fog and remind ourselves that we were still hiking in the Alps.  The weather changed from fog to sun and back to fog, but you would get glimpses of beauty.  A notable interest was seeing the many avalanche safety walls on the side of the mountains, which reminded us we were high and if it was winter in avalanche territory.

The accommodations were rustic but beautiful.  Given it was cool and damp, we had a cheese fondue for supper, with bread and potatoes.  We could hear and see the cows in the area.  The bells around their necks defined the pecking order.  The lead cow had the biggest bell and during the night we could hear loud and clear as the herder brought his cattle through the area.  It was very enchanting.

We continued our trek hiking from Riederfurka to Belap. It was a full day's hike, starting down a steep mountain to cross a ravine on a steel hanging bridge and then up a steep ascent.  This day was beautiful and clear, hot and sunny and the most spectacular views seen yet, hiking along a narrow herd path.  Our next night was at a chalet high in the mountains.  The next day we had hiked from Oeschinensee over the Hohtuerli Pass to Griesalp, in the Bernese Alps.  This was the highlight of the trip for me, as I  hiked up and over a high pass, taking us through a glacier and down across the glacier, sections of snow, then rock, then grassy fields, into the forest to our next stop, where we caught a bus to take us further down the mountain to the train that would then take us back to Zurich.  We decided to take another train ride to Lugano for pizza and tour the village.  Now we knew first hand why Europeans know so many languages.  From Swiss to  German to Latin to Italian, not to mention the French on the far west side.  It was an amazing journey.
We had celebrated the anniversary of Monica and Beat at a beautiful outside restaurant by the river in Zurich and then took a city tour on a tram serving hors-d'oeuvres and wine.  A special treat from Monica and Beat.

Our Switzerland Adventure with Beat and Monica

Here we are one more day to go before we take flight towards the Great Alps of Switzerland.  We'll be landing in Zurich where our friends, local residents, will meet us and take us to their home where we will rest and prepare for our trek across Switzerland.  We are so looking forward to this.  Over the year the anticipation has been growing and now we are finally here!  We are spending time with the cats and, as we suspected, they know we're leaving but they lovingly accept this and still want to be with us.  We are fortunate.
Now where's my train... oh yes .... the Glacier Express ... pinch me, is this a dream?

Ultra 6ers

Saranac Lake Ultra 6ers July 4-5, 2014

Lots of great hiking throughout the year, specifically in the Adirondacks.  I completed with Ultra 6ers with a friend within the required 24 hour period.  This involved hiking six mountains near the Saranac Lake area, namely St. Regis, Ampersand, Baker, Haystack, McKenzie, and Scarface.  We completed all six in 21 hours.  It was a most exciting adventure, pushing me to physical limits.  I knew I would be driven to complete it by will but nervous with my body not measuring up to the trial of the abuse I would put it through.  We planned our strategy.  Initially we were going to stay in a campground but decided to park at the trailhead of the first mountain.  So here we are at the trailhead to Scarface the night before.  Given it was July 4th and we heard and saw some of the fireworks over Saranac Lake, we settled down in the car, seats back to allow some form of bed to sleep and slept whatever choppy sleeping hours we had from dark to early down.  We woke and got on the trail by 4am to start Scarface.  As we were hiking, I suddenly realized I hadn't locked my side of the car door but too late; however, given the early time, we were back before anyone arrived at the trailhead.  We hiked in the dark with our headlamps until sun was coming up.  It was enchanting to see the forest come alive with light as we continued to the summit and enjoyed the morning sunrise.  We were soon back at the car and thankfully the unlocked car did not have anything missing from it.  We then headed on to the trailhead near Lake Placid, along the Jack Rabbit Trail to do the combo of McKenzie and Haystack.  McKenzie was always a gruel given the eroding terrain.  As it was still early morning after 7am, it was pleasant.  A treed summit but still views from different lookouts.  Coming back down we reached the junction to Haystack going in the back way by an unmarked herd path.  With my trustee GPS we found the entry point along a visible herd path to the summit of Haystack.  Coming down from that peak, we were pumped, after completing three peaks, I felt encouraged that I could do this.  On to the  next mountain, Ampersand.  I was changing up socks and boots  in the car in an effort to ease the feet and afford me more energy to continue on.   This proved to be beneficial however, I did lose a toe nail off my big toe due to one boot being a little short at the foot, my old boots.  Ampersand has always been a great hike with views, still lots of erosion nearing the top but the boulders at the summit always allowed for lots of company and views.  Back down the mountain to the car, now heading to St. Regis.  Knowing the day is wearing on, we would save Baker for last as it was the shortest, right in Saranac Lake itself.  Our  hike up St. Regis was beautiful, dusk was coming and the lighting created beautiful evening photos.  It was coming down from St. Regis where we donned our headlamps.  On our way out it was dark and we could see the eyes of animals lurking in the distance as we made our way out of the  forest.  We were now on our way to Baker.  Relieved and still feeling pumped, my tired body still carried me.  For this hike I wore my trail runners.  As we headed up Baker in the dark, we could easily see our way on the path with our headlamps.  The only real challenge on this little mountain was not heading off on another herd path as it was so well used by locals and visitors that you could easily get confused, especially being limited to the strength and distance of the light emitted from our headlamps.  Adding to that challenge, the moths, being attracted to the light, came out in dozens, fluttering around our heads annoying us and obstructing our view.  What seemed like an easy hike turned out to be very tiring, sweeping our arms constantly, trying to keep the moths away.  Success, we arrived back at the car, having completed all six peaks.  Despite our exhaustion, we glowed with delight as we drove to the gazebo in Saranac Lake to ring the 6er bell, quietly of course, as by this time it was 21 hours later.  I will always have a smile on my face recalling this challenge.

Remembering 2013 ...

Over the years we have had some most memorable trips and actually they are all  memorable, small or big, local or far away, challenging and more challenging .... but I've been lazy in not immortalizing them in writing for the days when I can't remember them anymore.  The hiking trips of this past year, 2013, were great, starting first with our Mountaineering course on the Wapta Ice Fields near Banff, Alberta.

Then our traverse in the Chic Chocs in Gaspésie National Park of Quebec.

Then our coastal hiking along Lake Superior in northern Ontario's Pukaskwa National Park.

Whether it is exploring our Canadian heritage or abroad, these worlds always bring beauty, mysteries of nature, peace and solitude even while among the crowds.  These are treasures that refresh and challenge the soul to grow, nurturing hope, the joy in living, and most especially being able to share these wonderful experiences.

Happy New Year to you Friends

Wishing everyone the best for the new year of 2013.  I am presently enjoying my new iPad especially the convenience of it with all the travelling we do and stories we want to share.  This just makes it that much more exciting for me in lightweight accessibility to relay our adventures as they happen!  Yesterday, a few friends and myself did some geocaching in Charlottenburg Park.  It was a picture perfect day!  Take a look at our pic here.  Until our next adventure, be well and safe.

REMEMBERING EVEREST BASE CAMP 2012

On September 27th, three weeks before our departure to Nepal, we received news that a plane crashed in Kathmandu heading to Lukla, carrying trekkers bound for Everest Base Camp.  Sita Air was taking off from Kathmandu when it was hit with birds, coupled with complications causing the plane to crash, killing everyone aboard.  We didn’t get too alarmed but when our cat calendar turned to the month of October, the caption was “Don’t Leave” with three sad cats looking at you, then I started to question our judgment.  What was Cathy thinking that we could actually trek up to Everest Base Camp in the Himalayas of Nepal.  However, it had been a year up to now that Cathy had been researching and planning this trip and so the question became, “why not?”  Our journey actually started a year prior to this point.  It became a year filled with an education in medication and shop-hopping for proper clothing and footwear, wondering why I didn’t do this before!  My moto soon became “have pills will travel”; there was Dukorall for traveler’s diarrhea, Diamox for altitude sickness, an antibiotic Cipro for gastro problems and the back-up antibiotic Amoxicillin that can also treat chest infections.  Then there were our shots for tetnis, Hep A & B with Twinrex and the over-counter drugs for headaches, colds & sinus, pills to make you poop and pills to stop, and of course pills to purify water to flush everything out.  Our first aid kit could have been its own suitcase, not to mention all the power bars that added weight and space, but I didn’t want to chance not having these items if we ran into problems.  There was also learning the culture of Nepal, what hand to shake with and what hand to wipe with.  The lack of toilet paper and seeing how they eat with their hands, it was important to know which hand to use and to bring plenty of wipes. The day we drove out of Cornwall was a beautiful sunny day. We made our way to Syracuse to catch our flight to Washington DC. From there we flew to Doha, Qatar, where we treated ourselves to an all-night buffet in a secure lounge within the airport where we tried to sleep in chairs pulled together. After 13 hours of restless sleep, several trips to the buffet for an assortment of rolls, pastries, cheese and a limited portion of wine, finishing off with a classy shower in a high-ceiling stone-walled bathroom with glass pivoting doors, we were ready to vacate this sandbar for higher grounds. When we landed in Kathmandu, the amenities or lack thereof, quickly reminded me that we are in a Third World country. Crowds of people pressed into badly formed lines in a small airport with old technology being pen and paper. We could, however, exchange our money within the airport prior to getting into the line up, so we did. The exchange at that time was 86 rupees to one Canadian dollar, for comparison one beer cost 150 Rupees. As soon as we passed customs, our awakening to a whole new world began. Immediately, we were bombarded with porters ready and grabbing our luggage for us, at cost. Among the chaos of swinging luggage, our guide Hom from Advanced Adventures introduced himself, smiling widely and speaking in broken English, while leading us towards our awaiting cars to drive us to our hotel Blue Horizon. It was hard to tell who was with Hom as it was dark and crowded and the four of us had to split up into pairs to fit into the cars, so Cathy and I got in with Hom and Sandra and Ted got in with his assistant and off we sped through the tiny sandy stoned streets of Kathmandu honking our horns warning of our passing presence. We quickly came to learn this is their way of life here. Amazingly nobody seemed to get hit, with all the assorted traffic whizzing noisily by. Cathy and I arrived first and about 20 minutes later, Ted and Sandra. We learned later they were trying to retrieve their bags from a porter who insisted on being paid $20 US, which he unwilling settled for $5 US. At the hotel, we were made to feel very welcomed. Cathy and I settled into our suite which had a large bedroom, a sitting room with a bed and a bathroom. Toilet paper was one ply and half the size of what we are accustomed to. We came outside to a lovely garden where we would thereafter eat our meals, breakfast and supper, which were included in our package deal. The temperature was warm both morning and evening and hot during the day, over 80 degrees F. Our trip communicator, Chet, joined us for our evening meal that Friday to briefly go over a few things and would rejoin us at breakfast the next day to finalize our trek and update us on local events and any changes we might want to make to our itinerary. It took us two full days to arrive in Kathmandu, from Wednesday evening to Friday evening. Supper that Friday evening at 8pm was welcomed and tasty; we could still eat meat and so we did in the form of pizza and steak. At this point, our focus was get the protein into us, as our diet would become pasta, rice and potatoes as we climbed higher. Lounging there in the garden, we did enjoy our first Everest beer ... yes it was so good going down, we didn't hesitate to order a second one, which actually amounted to four beers given the size of the bottles! Okay refocus, let’s not dehydrate with alcohol, so bottled water became our staple and as we travelled higher, we used our water purification pills. The next morning at breakfast, Chet had explained that we arrived during the Dasain Festival. Dasain is the longest and most favourite festival of Nepal. This festival is celebrated in the month of October in Nepal for 15 days. During this time, everyone stays at the home with their families, offices are closed. The skies are filled with kites and the marketplaces are filled with farmers bringing their ox, goats and chicken to sell. These animals are then sacrificed on the night of Kal Ratri to please the goddess Durga. On the day of Dashami, everyone puts on new clothes and goes to honour their family elders, where they receive large red tikas of vermilion paste on their foreheads. We, ourselves, received our first tika when we attended our welcoming dinner at a traditional restaurant, unfortunately nobody thought of taking a picture of us with our newly red-smeared forehead, but we were happy to have this memory in thought only. In the following days of Dasain, families and friends unite, take part in the feasts, impart the blessings and exchange gifts. As this was a significant happening in Kathmandu, we decided to delay our trek by one day so that we could experience the people’s preparation during this festive time. As planned, we would still do our 12 km hike up to Nagarkot Hill to the hotel at the top for an overnight and viewing of the sunrise and would then descend down the 12 km back to Kathmandu. Upon our return, we had combined temple tours on our way back to Kathmandu. At the end of our hike, we had a tasty lunch of fried noodles and egg with vegetables mixed in, with a side order of momos which is a pasta dumpling with meat in it, and a glass of coke to wash it down. We walked from there to the temple in Changu Narayan. This temple is the oldest temple in Kathmandu valley which came in existence in the 4th century. The temple is adorned by some of the best specimen of stone, wood, and metal craft in the valley. The temple stands as the epitome of culture, religion, history and faith of the Kathmandu valley. The temple is of great importance due to its idols and shrines having rich architectural beauty. From there we hopped in a van that brought us to the town of Bhaktapur. This place is listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO for its rich culture, temples, and wood, metal and stone artwork. Then we proceeded to Patan, which town is best known for its rich cultural heritage, particularly its tradition of arts and crafts. It is also called as the city of festivals and feasts, fine ancient art, making of metallic and stone carving statues. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, it had a population of 226,728 in 54,748 individual households. We finally and happily entered Kathamdu, where we visited the temple of the Living God, the Kumari. The Kumari is a most fascinating tradition and there are several Kumaris throughout Nepal, with some cities having several, but the best known is the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu. She lives in the Kumari Ghar, a palace in the center of the city. The selection process for her is especially rigorous. The current Royal Kumari, Matina Shakya, aged four, was installed in October 2008 by the Maoist government that replaced the monarchy. Chanira Bajracharya, as the Kumari of Patan is the second most important living goddess. A Kumari is believed to be the bodily incarnation of the goddess Taleju (the Nepalese name for Durga) until she menstruates, after which it is believed that the goddess vacates her body. Serious illness or a major loss of blood from an injury are also causes for her to revert to common status. She is chosen after emerging from a dark and lonely place over a period of time, where her demeanour has not changed and she has demonstrated good character. This is a privilege; however, debatable. She serves for her entire childhood until her first period, after which she returns to her family but remains a virgin for the remainder of her life. The entire tour was very rich in history and jam packed as our guide wanted us to experience all of it, much like the speed of the traffic, our heads were constantly turning like deer facing headlights only with welcomed enthusiasm.

Our 2-day trek over Nagarkot Hill, brought us through mountain villages with most families preparing for the feast and by that I mean slaying the goat or ox, cutting off its head, blood dripping everywhere and portioning out the raw meat on a canvass tarp outside in the dry dusty heat, while the local dogs would sneak a bone every now and then, without rebuttle from anyone. Despite the gory display, this trek was a true highlight in our journey that we were so happy we did. It was a great way to experience a small sample of the life of the Nepalese mountain people and recognize and appreciate all the comforts we can so easily take for granted back home. Our two-day trek, from Saturday, October 21st to Sunday, October 22nd, warmed up our legs for the longer distance that was coming. The next couple of days, we were happy to have spare days to relax and rest, restoring our energy. Wednesday, October 25th, it was time to fly to Lukla. We were finally down to this moment we had so long awaited … the plane ride to Lukla. We were bussed out to the little plane and waited to board. While in the bus, a man was explaining to his wife about the stick beneath the plane. If the stick touched the tarmac, it meant there was too much weight in the plane and weight needed to be shifted or removed. Once boarded and taxing out, we were relieved yet hopeful as the plane lifted off. There were no birds in sight. We soared, noisily through the air. The stewardess gave us candy for our tummies and cotton batten for our ears. The plane passed through mountain and wispy clouds until we came upon a clear view of Lukla and the short runway. The pilot landed the aircraft without a flinch and we were gracefully set upon the ground. In Lukla, the air was cool like a mild winter day. We made our way to Paradise Lodge from the airport which was just a 5-minute walk, or longer if you wanted to watch the planes come in. We settled down in the main eating area and ordered our breakfast. Cathy noticed a gentleman at another table who looked very familiar. I turned around and confirmed her guess that in fact it was Sir Edmund Hillary’s son, Peter Hillary. He was having breakfast and then heading out for a 5-day trek. Someone asked if he would let us take a picture and I immediately got up and went over to greet him. I shook his hand firmly yet warmly and he reciprocated with a beaming smile and friendly “Hello” as I said how honoured I was to meet him, given all I knew of his father and his own successes in summiting Mount Everest and continuing his father’s generosity to the well-being of the Nepalese mountain people of the area. I was so blown away with this encounter that I saw it as confirmation and blessing that this trek was meant to be and would be successful. We left Lukla and headed for Phakding for the night, our first tea house experience. As we trekked higher, the air became cooler, yet the days warm with the sun beaming down on us. It was the nights that were the most challenging with keeping our lungs warm and free of dust and cold air. There was no insulation nor heat in the tea houses, so we eventually developed a cough, known as the “Kumbu Cough” which basically is the throat getting irritated with all the dust and dry cold air. It was important to keep the throat lubricated with cough drops, candy and water. After Phakding we climbed to Namche Bazaar, passing several suspension bridges, sharing the trail always with cattle and people. We stayed in Namche Bazaar for 2 days to acclimatize, with a hike up to Everest View Hotel and back down to allow our bodies to adjust.

We then headed on to Khumjung, passing through the Kumbu Valley, first visiting Hillary’s Hospital with the doctor present, and then visiting Hillary’s Elementary and Secondary School, with a teacher present, both looking to be in their twenties. Arriving next in Tengboche, we saw the largest Budhist monastery and had the best view of Everest and Ama Dablam, thus our Christmas Card photo. We celebrated the Feast of the October Full Moon with the Budhists. Through their invitation, all trekkers were welcomed to join them in chanting and meditation within their temple. We moved on to Dingboche, spending 2 days there as well, to once again acclimatize, the second day hiking up Ngang Chang to 16,000 feet. Then we passed Dugla, where we were going to stay but as we were acclimatizing well, we moved on to Lobuche. Along the way, we passed by the Chortens at the Memorial Site for those who lost their lives on Everest.

It was getting colder. We finally arrived at Gorek Shep. We had lunch at Gorek Shep and headed to Base Camp the same day reaching a height of 17,600 feet. On the tenth day, the next day, I rose alone at 4am to join our friend Chandra and our guides Hom and Gueri up Kala Pathaar at 18,200 feet, and temperature of –10 Celsius. Given how taxing our days’ journey had been, the others decided to sleep in and make it back down without pushing the limits. It had taken us 9 days up and 4 days down. Our last night was back in Lukla, at the Paradise Lodge, staying in rooms where the famous mountaineers stayed, such as Peter Hillary and Wolfgang Nairz.

We only experienced rain one late afternoon, at Phakding. We had arrived at the tea house in time; however, our rain happened in the bathroom. Somehow, with all the rainfall or maybe a leaky bathroom above us, we had to don our raincoats to do our business in the bathroom, or be soaked, it dripped that much! Otherwise, the entire trip was great with weather, exceptional resilient people, and a journey embedded in our memories.

BACK HOME with lots of good memories

What an amazing trek ... definitely stepping into the unknown and stretching our boundaries allowed us to experience some spectacular views and witness the resilient people of Nepal in their day to day life.   Once I regain more hours of sleep, I will post another more detailed update.  In the meantime, here are a few more photos, such as our porters and guide, yaks, Stupa memorial to Hillary & Tenzing, us wirth flags at Hillary's school in Khumjung, and other scenes.  Prayer flags were everywhere.