Quite unusually in the middle of the week went on a trip to the Bernese Alps, to be more precise the direction of Niesen. The 2,362 m high mountain, which overlooks Lake Thun, is for its shape rightly called the Swiss Pyramid.
Mülenen – Schwandegg
The starting point is the station Mülenen. Here you can easily arrive by train, and of course by car (adjacent car park – payd of course – has sufficient capacity). The funicular train then takes you to top of Niesen – in summer it leaves every half an hour (for more info check www.niesen.ch). We took the ride only to the middle station Schwandegg with a plan that descend from mid-mountain will be for our feet (and especially children´s feet) more than enough.
Schwandegg – Mülenen pěšky / on foot
S čím jsme počítali bylo, že budeme zdolávat převýšení asi 1000 metrů. S čím jsme nepočítali, byla kvalita cesty. Bohužel mapa v informačním letáčku nebyla úplně podrobná, tudíž nebylo poznat, po jakých stezkách povedou naše kroky.
What we counted on was that we would fight the descend of about 1,000 meters. What we did not expect was the quality of the trail. Unfortunately the map in the informational leaflet was not quite detailed, and therefore did not know, after what paths will lead our steps.
Perhaps the greatest experience for us adults was when we met with the selfless help from two local people. It was quite a small thing, but judge for yourself: about half way we stopped to have a snack. Unfortunately, we left the “crime scene” without anyone noticing that the son of our friends with whom we were on this trip, had left his sweatshirt on the spot. After marching about two hundred meters down the road we met a jeep, which was heading towards where we were before. After a few minutes we heard the engine again, we thought the car goes back. It went, but to our great surprise pulled up and one of the men inside was handing us the forgotten sweatshirt. Then they turned and went back in the direction they were heading before. And for a while we could not believe what had just happened – another proof of the Swiss kindliness and courtesy.
Po tomto zážitku nás čekaly ještě asi dva kilometry po asfaltce a závěrečná etapa klesání lesem přes kořeny a kameny, kdy naše kolenní vazy úpěly pod tou nečekanou námahou. Na náladě nám nepřidalo ani to, že jsme cestou potkali dva seniory, kteří s holemi na nordic walking v rukou a úsměvem na tváři mířili směrem nahoru, a taky dva běžce (rozhodně žádní dorostenci, věk 55+), kteří vyrazili stejným směrem.
After this experience about two kilometers walk on tarmac was ahead of us and the final stage of descent through the forest over roots and rocks when our knee ligaments cried under the unexpected effort. To brighten up our mood did certainly not help either that on our way we met two seniors with Nordic walking sticks in their hands and a smiles on their faces heading upwards, and also two runners (certainly no juniors any more, age 55+) who ran in the same direction.
Nakonec jsme po třech hodinách putování dorazili zpátky na parkoviště v Mülenenu a až doma jsme pak zjistili, že naše trasa měřila “jen” 6,5km, což je vlastně jedna z nejkratších, co jsme tady z našich výletů po horách absolvovali. Ale nohy nás z toho převýšení bolí ještě dnes 🙂
Finally, after three hours of wandering, we arrived back at the parking lot in Mülenen and then back home we found out that our route measured “only” 6.5 km, which is actually one of the shortest, that we have completed here on our trips to the mountains. But we have sore legs until up today 🙂
And of course I look forward to reading all you comments.
