High Alp-titude

I suppose I shouldn't speak for all Swiss people, but my relatives from these parts are extremely fit and most definitely take their mountain sports seriously.  So we knew when they planned a day of hiking for our family that we had to prove our stuff and, of course, uphold the reputation of outdoor-loving Americans everywhere.  They seemed a bit skeptical, especially when they saw that our best footwear consisted of running shoes and Keens.  But after borrowing a few hiking boots and poles from friends and neighbors, we were ready for a day in the mountains.  And let me just say right from the start that the Chapman family came through with flying colors.  

Isabel and Jeff joined my cousin Ralph at 6 a.m. for the more strenuous hike, an uphill climb to the highest peak in the region, called the Santis (2,502 meters above sea level).  Some of this climb involved walking on steps up a rocky slope, with a rope on one side and a drop of 400+ meters on the other.  After reaching the peak, it was another steep climb down the mountain, during which Isabel's borrowed hiking boots literally lost their soles.  Ralph, luckily, knew the owners of a restaurant along the way, so they were able to borrow boots for Isabel to wear on the way down.  Along the seven hour journey, they soaked in spectacular views, as well as spottings of a whole herd of mountain goats and a herd of pigs being directed by (I'm not making this up) a female shepherd who barked like a dog.  I'll have to let them tell you about this later.

Meanwhile, the rest of our crew -- the three younger kids, plus my mom and my uncle Theo, hiked uphill for almost three hours to reach Ebenalp (1,644 meters).  Many people take the gondola to this destination, but I swore my kids could do the climb, which they did with gusto and minimal complaining. When we reached the top, we met up with my aunt Madeleine and my dad, who had taken the said gondola since my dad is really under the weather with a bad cold. We ate our picnic lunch -- crunchy rolls with ham, salami, dried beef and cheese -- while we watched hang gliders leap off the mountain into the endless blue sky.  Wow, was I jealous to watch those hang gliders ebb and dip in the gentle breeze, with all those green and gray mountains as their backdrop!

After lunch, my group did some shorter treks around the top to a very lovely chapel in a cave (Wildkirchlli) and then had a cool drink at Ascher, a restaurant built right into the mountain.  Then we headed down to Seealpsee, a pristine, cool mountain lake, where the kids stripped to their underwear -- it is Europe, after all -- and I to my lycra running pants and sports bra, and we dove into the clear green water to refresh ourselves before Jeff, Ralph and Isabel met up with us for the final leg of the hike.

There may be some of you who don't think hiking is your cup of tea, but a day like today would surely change your mind.  The Swiss are hard workers, hard hikers, efficient and determined in all they do. But they also love to enjoy life, and we stopped numerous times along the way at the many mountaintop restaurants to enjoy a cool drink, an ice cafe, or a glass of wine and take in the breathtaking scenery.  Everything was so very clean, every sound gentle and pleasant, and every passing hiker friendly with their Swiss "grutze mittenand" ("hello to everybody").  You really must see it to believe it.