Eleven Days - One Backpack

Why hello again! I know, I know, its been far too long since my last post, but that's life, and here we are again. I believe I left off just after mid terms. Here's some photos to start off.

outside the chinese restaurant by our building
19.10.2011

ticket validation punch boxes in the train station
20.10.2011

Once all my exams were over and I had a day to recover, I set out for Northern Italy with my friend Jon. Packing a bag for this trip was a challenge. We didn't think that there were any hostels on Lake Como, in the town that we wanted to stay in, so we brought my tent, and some sleeping pads, sleeping bags, and lots of layers. The camp ground was closed for the season, but we figured it wouldn't be a problem, and we would just hike up into the many woods surrounding the lake and post up tent there for a few nights. As it turns out, to camp in the North it takes a lot of warmth. So with a bit of finagling I turned my daypack into a hiking pack. It was crammed full and kinda heavy, but really not too bad. We got up at 5:30 to catch a city bus to the middle of nowhere (Certosa) so that we could catch the cheap bus to Milan. Which of course dropped us off in some random location not at the Milan train station that we thought we were going to. But we took directions from an elephant and (of course) got lost, but the train station that we did find took us to Lake Como. 

there was no room for my apple and journal in my packpack so I carried them all the way to como
21.10.2011

He gives bad directions

We made it to Menaggio, a cool town on the west side of the lake, as it turns out there is a youth hostel there, and it had vacancy! So we stayed for two nights, met some really cool people, went on a bike ride and for a swim, the water was extra cold, so the swim was quick. We hiked around later that day and kicked around with our new buddies from the hostel. 

the view from Menaggio at night
22.10.2011

a sweet beetle I found on the beach on our way to hike to the monastery in Menaggio
23.10.2011

After 2 nights in Menaggio I set out early in the morning to catch a bus then a train to milan to get on an early train from there to Bern, Switzerland. From there I hopped another train to Langenthal, then to Roggwil to stay for a few nights wit the Sullivans, Tina Carpenter's brother and his family. After a long day of travel it was such a relief to meet such kind and generous people. They had a bed set up for me (which was so comfy it made it tough to wake up in the morning) and they let me use an extra bike of theirs for the time I was staying with them.

what was once a day pack, now packed for camping and 11 days in switzerland
24.10.2011

The first full day in Roggwil I took off on foot to walk around the village, which is small, and quiet - a great change of pace. when I was walking around I kept seeing these signs that hare these little yellow diamonds that say wanderweg and they point in the direction of the walking trails that are all around Switzerland. I ended up wandering around in the forest in the hills around Roggwil. The forest was so green, it reminded me of the North West. The mushrooms in the forest were so cool and diverse, I felt right at home. I set up my hammock in a little grove of mossy trees and ate lunch and had a nap. 

Mushroom in the forest near Roggwil, Switzerland
25.10.2011

My second day in Roggwil I went to St. Urban with Susanne. It is this really cool HUGE monastery in a tiny little town. After the monastery I went for a long ride along one of the many bike routes around  the countryside. I kicked it with lots of cows, and followed the signs, which by the way are so good everywhere in Switzerland. I had such a peaceful day out riding around farms and enjoying the fall weather. 

The inside of St. Urban, ornately carved and all white
26.10.2011

The next morning I took off to go explore Bern for a few hours. I walked around the city, saw the cool fountains, and the main church. The child eating goblin is so messed up. At the end of the city, across the river there used to be a pit with bears in it, and while the pit is still there, the bears aren't in it anymore. They made a park alongside the river for them and there are two sections, one for the male and one for the female and what looked like her two cubs. You could see them from the bridge, from the walkway along the river, and from the sidewalk above the park right by the old pit. 

A part of Bern and the river Aare, view from a plaza
27.10.2011

After my short stint in Bern I hopped a train to Bargen to spend some time with my friend Sam who has duel citizenship in Switzerland, so after she graduated from WWU she decided to move to Switzerland to find a job and live with her Grandma for a bit. I got to spend 2 days with them, Granny made us Rochlette - a traditional Swiss dish which is straight up melted cheese over potatoes with other goodies, like bacon. Mmmmm. It was so good to see a friend from home, and what she is doing is so brave and adventurous. We romper-stomped around Bargen, and Aarberg, rode these sweet electric bikes in the hills around us, and climbed a lookout tower that gave us a sweet view of the swiss alps and all of the cool little towns in that part of the country. 

The Swiss Alps from our bike ride in the hills near Aarberg
28.10.2011

Once I saw the mountains from the lookout tower, I just know I had to go there. It wasn't in the original plan (silly me) but I decided to skip one class and stay in the swiss alps for 4 days. Online I found a hostel in a little town called Gimmelwald, and I didn't know if they had vacancy but I went anyway hoping they would take me in, and worse comes to worse I sleep in my hammock. It took a train a bus a cable car and walked to get to the hostel, I got there and there was nobody. I found out later that they were all sleeping or out hiking and the owners aren't there all the time. In a small town like this though that is perfectly acceptable. So I dropped my stuff in a corner and went for a walk up to the next town, Muren, to get some food, cause the hostel provides a kitchen for its guests. I was blown away by the mountains every time I looked at them, they are SO big that it is hard to gain perspective until a helicopter flys into them and you see how truly tiny it is in comparison. I got back that evening checked in to my bed and sat down to relax a bit after my long day of travel. Within an hour the hostel, which is also a bar and restaurant, was hoppin. The Muren fire brigade came in after a training day and all got drunk together right buy the couch I was sitting on. Before I knew it they were singing songs and it wasn't long before one of the firemen showed up with his two accordions. He would play and they would sing, other people were playing rhythm instruments, and one guy was playing the spoons like an absolute master. I ended up joining in and playing a drum and singing the american words to the songs he was playing on the accordion. I felt like I was in a movie, it was so cool. Also fun fact: many of the songs they sing contain yodel breaks, and everyone can yodel, not just one or two people, all of them. I almost couldn't handle myself it was so hilarious. 

The Swiss alps on the walk from Gimmelwald to Muren
29.10.2011

The next morning I woke up early and was having my breakfast trying to figure out what I was gonna do that day when I started talking to some kids who were going on a hike that day. They were environmental science majors as well, studying in Austria. Two were twins, a boy and a girl; one other guy was studying with them in Austria (they were all from Oklahoma) and the last guy was studying in Paris, I'm not sure where he was from. So set out with a cartoon trail map, not very useful, and an idea of where we wanted to end up. We didn't get to out proposed destination, due to an early wrong turn. But we got to an equally phenomenal ridge with grass on the sunny side, and snow on the shady side. We laid down on the grass hill and enjoyed the absolute peacefulness of where we were. Words can't describe how amazing it felt to be up in the alps with good people, a killer view, and silence. 

Hiking back to Gimmelwald from Wasenegg ridge
30.10.2011

My hiking buddies left that night, so I made same other friends in the hostel and drank beer and played cards with them. We decided that the next day we would hike up to the glacial caves together. So early the next morning I headed out on sore legs with my three new friends to hike to some caves. We saw two amazing waterfalls on the way there, and ended up in this amazing bowl with a herd of ibex(?) running around us. We walked a bit farther and followed the cairns (rock stacks) to the entrance of the caves. Inside you could see the beautiful lines of glacial growth. we walked into the caves until we saw what looked like it might be a way out. I had my head lamp on me, so we decided to go for it. We crawled over ice chunks, and rocks, in hindsight not the best of choices, and towards the light at the end of the dark icy tunnel. at the end of the tunnel once we were out from under the glacier there were two huge cascading waterfalls right next to each other. Josh and I went up there to get a closer look, and an unexpected dousing with water. We hiked down from the waterfalls to have a quick lunch on the rocks next to a glacial pond. The pond looked inviting to Josh, so after lunch he to a quick dip - very quick. The water was freezing, I only put my hand in and I could tell that. After his polar bear swim we hiked back to Muren for more food and beer and relaxed for a little bit over a game of cards. No accordions and yodeling tonight. 

Glacial Caves
31.10.2011

That night after dinner and a few beers I packed up all my stuff and headed out into the dark with my head lamp and night hiked into the woods above Gimmelwald to set up hammock for the night. It was beautiful looking at the mountains and the stars from my hammock. That might have been the coldest night of my life, with every layer I brought with me on my body, and a sleeping bag and an air mattress but the view that night and the sunrise over Jungfrau the next morning were absolutely worth it.

My hammock the morning after it had been my bed
1.11.2011

Sadly that morning I had to head home from switzerland after eleven days of adventuring I had to say goodbye. So after randomly running into Bryce Covey in the Milan train station, and missing my train to pisa, and catching a different one home at 3am I finally made it safe and sound into my warm bed for a quick nap before class. 

It was quite the whirlwind, if I were to sum it up: 

Cool Bears.

Ian - 123