The Walking Dom

Aug 2

Aug 2 Eiger

Section 10-11
Meiringen-Lauterbrunnen

Podcast of the day: None. I had company all the way.

Song of the day: ‘Satellite City’ Kimock

I miss: Conditioner!

As we cracked open our beers on the base of Eiger, we saw two bright lights flickering high up on the wall. There were climbers making their way up and I thought it was fascinating to watch them from down below. I’ve never been into rock climbing but the more I hike the more I feel the urge to go higher. For weeks I’ve been thinking about summiting Mont Blanc and I’ve been researching like crazy. Technically it sounds doable, and I know a friend of a friend who did it. And if he can, I can… But then again I don’t want to be foolish so I decided this winter will be all about alpine tours and all about learning how to use ice axes and crapons and ropes properly. Not PCT style, I mean properly. That way, I should be ready by next spring/summer to head up to the top of the highest mountain in Europe.

This section was absolutely insane. My friend Tom came out for a few days and we hiked passed the Wetternhorn, Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Four absolutely stunning mountains. Every now and then you hear a thundering noise and when looking up, you get to witness how the glaciers are literally shrinking right in front of you. It’s stunning but sad at the same time. Huuuge pieces of ice just fall off the wall and burst into thousands of pieces.

Our campsite was picture-perfect overlooking the town of Grindelwald, and in the evening my face hurt from laughing all day. I finally feel like I am starting to get into the flow of the trail again. Not knowing where to stay the next night is my favourite thing, and reacting to everything spontaneously is probably my second favourite thing. My third favourite thing would be Wengen. A town located high up on a hill right at the base of Jungfrau. When walking through town, you feel you’re walking through a postcard. The houses are super pretty, and the scenery around you is mind-blowingly beautiful. When I waved Tom goodbye, I grabbed some snacks and got myself a room (mainly because I needed a shower) on the edge of town. Little did I know that the hotel had the most insane balcony, where I spent the rest of the evening drinking white wine and staring at the panorama.