Hillbilly travels: Interlaken, Switzerland

Mon 15th – Fri 19th Sept

We're engaged! I don't know how Bevan found the strength to bend down on one knee after our aching legs had spent the past week hiking in the Alps, but on Friday he surprised me with a gorgeous ring while we were eating a picnic lunch on the Grosse Scheidegg trail.

After spending 5.5 months living in a tin can the size of a dining table, I still can't figure out how he managed to hide the ring this entire time. (Because trust me, I was keeping an eye out whenever the van needed cleaning!)

But even if Bevan hadn't picked one of the most beautiful areas on earth to propose, Interlaken would still top my list of most memorable places to visit and one of the best weeks of my life. The entire region is stunning, with fairytale views that defy your imagination around every corner.

Atop Mt. Shilthorn

Tuesday – Mt. Shilthorn
The weather had been playing up through the weekend, so we'd been in Switzerland for over 4 days and had yet to see a single mountain. Starting to wonder if they were just in the postcards, we opted for a gondola ride to the top of Mt. Shilthorn on our first hiking day. The fog was clinging to the valley making visibility less than 20 feet, but the tourist office insisted we'd be well above the clouds with an amazing view at 2960 metres.

The gondola ride to Mt. Shilthorn

It wasn't easy to get there (nor was it cheap!) but 2 train rides and 3 terrifying gondola rides later we were standing at eye level with Europe's tallest peak – the Jungfrau. Bevan's panoramic photos sum up the view that my words could never do justice.

View from Mt. Shilthorn. The wider mountain on the left is Jungfrau.

Wednesday – First to Bussalp
Miriam had sworn that the Swiss weather would clear up, and she was right. We awoke on Wednesday morning to a gorgeous blue sky without a cloud in sight. Anxious to make the most of the good weather, we opted for a 4 hour hike from the top of First (2168 m) to Bachalpsee lake, climbed the Faulhorn (2686 m), then finally descended down to Bussalp (1792 m).

Hillary in front of Bacalpsee lake (2265 m)

Again, the views took our breath away and what was supposed to be a 4 hour hike took us 6 hours to complete. We were a bit slower than some of the folks with fancy hiking boots and poles but the extra 2 hours were mostly spent snapping photos, chasing marmots, or practically skiing down the snowy trail.

This is the hike that killed us but when we finally came crawling to the bus stop complete with mud stains up and down my back side thanks to a nasty spill on the way down, we were smiling from ear to ear.

Swiss pig

Thursday – Schnyigge Platte
Every muscle in our bodies was screaming from Wednesday's hike but we'd forked out over 100 pounds on week-long rail passes so we decided to try an “easy hike” at the top of Schynige Platte (2068 m).

Who rates these hikes?? I admit it wasn't technically difficult and practically paved in some parts but it was far from a flat hike. Once again, a 2 hour hike turned into 3.5 hours as we hobbled along a knife-edge ridge overlooking the Interlaken valley. What none of these trail signs factor into their hiking estimates is that you can't just walk along without stopping to gaze and gasp at the view. No rest for the weary today.

Hillary overlooking Interlaken

Friday – Grosse Scheidegg
The day started off normally enough and we were careful to pick a hike based on elevation climbs rather than the amount of time it would take to walk. The hobbling started at Grosse Scheidegg (1961 m) as we gazed down into the valley below and dodged cows determined to block our path.

Cows on the path from Grosse Scheidegg

But the main event was lunch. We were busy watching some small avalanches spill down the snowy peaks across the valley when I turned around and everything went glowy fuzz as I realised Bevan was on his knee in the mud. It was perfect and when we finally composed ourselves from the excitement, tears and hugs, he slipped the ring onto my finger.