Always start with the first step...

I've written in detail about our hike along the Panoramaweg Thun on the links below if you'd like to find out more about the "fun adventure", but this post will focus on the practicalities if you are planning to go on a longer walk for the first time.

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4

The steps to take when preparing for a walk:

1. Do your research:  I'm all for Bear Grylls walking off into the sunset and killing Lions with his bare hands.  But if this is your first attempt at walking a distance further than car park - office, perhaps follow a planned route.  The one we chose was clearly labelled throughout, marked on the local map and we were able to find information online to help us prepare.

Where there were several options, the path was labelled with the green "route 26" sticker - where there was a small risk of turning the wrong way, yellow diamond stickers showed the way from lamp posts, trees and walls.

 










2. Prepare.  I know that I wouldn't have if I hadn't been coerced with chocolates and holidays in Switzerland, and retrospectively I know how much I would have regretted it.  I've spoken to numerous people who commented on their experience of a hike, and how they suffered either during or afterwards because they were not prepared.  It wasn't easy to prepare for an alpine walk in Suffolk, and so we researched which exercises would help strengthen the muscles we would need (calf raises, walking on a treadmill with incline, running up stairs etc.)  If you have read my blog in the past you will be familiar with my feelings on squats.  I have never been more wrong and I take it all back - I may not have enjoyed walking uphill but I didn't feel a thing the next day.

3. Go with what you know.  A few months ago I read that the ideal walking trousers were those where you could "zip off" the trouser legs converting them into shorts within a minute. Luckily I wore them during a practice walk to find out that the zip irritated my legs, leaving angry red marks.  We've since parted company.  My sister, who is a serious trekker, told of many a hike that had to be seriously slowed down because people had bought new shoes.  "But I've worn them in indoors." That's not enough to really get used to them.  You want a pair of shoes that you know well, that you've worn "in action".

4. Listen to the experts. Apologies for bringing her in again, but my sister seriously damaged her tendons on a hike from Switzerland to Italy in high sided, thick soled, expensive hiking shoes. They weren't bad shoes - but they had been designed for serious mountaineering, clambering over rocks, where ankles need additional support. There are things were buying online makes perfect sense - but if you're no expert and not sure what to chose, do go to a shop with reliable sales staff when it comes to shoes.

5.  Forget about your sense of fashion.  We were recommended to avoid buying waterproof jackets and get ponchos instead.  They are the least cool thing in the world ever.  but they are quick to put on in sudden down pours, the cover not only your body but also your bag, they allow air to still circulate to avoid creating a sweaty microclimate and they tend to be longer, covering at least parts of your legs also.  Now, if you wear shorts, you may be able to get to your destination almost dry...

6. Pack what you need.  Do your research, there are suggested packing lists for example from DofE, certain outdoor equipment shops, the scouts... Consider the fabric of your clothing - is it quick drying?  If so, can you wash your shirt / pants / socks overnight? 

7. Stay hydrated.  I've learn that this doesn't necessarily mean just water.  When you sweat a lot, your body also loses salts and minerals.  Some people may prefer to buy specific sports drinks, we managed with iced tea and chicken stock.  

8. Know what you want to achieve and why it is worth it. I really struggled with the idea of walking but I love how beautiful my home town looks from above.  I also knew that I'd be writing about the experience, which was a real driving force for me. If the going gets tough, keep your eye on the price. Why did you want to do it in the first place?  Let that reason push you on.

9.  Smell the roses.  One of my biggest barriers to enjoy walking is that it is just SOOOO inefficient.  My brain loves working out the quickest way of getting something done to move onto the next thing.  It's been a real challenge to remember that my destination was the walk itself.  There was no urgent thing to be done as soon as we arrived.  Our overnight stays were booked so that I couldn't speed along any quicker even if I wanted to.  There was nothing to do than to walk and to look.  Sometimes I forgot the looking, but when I remembered, it was always worth while.

10.  Reward your achievement.  It may just be allowing yourself to be proud of what you've achieved, especially if You thought it would be beyond you.  In my case, I went for a swim in the alpine view pool...

Taking a hike: Day 4

After a sweltering Day 1, a stormy Day 2 and a wet Day 3 the final part of the journey had finally arrived.  The sun was shining, our clothes were mostly dry and we were looking forward to dinner with my sister and her husband at their house back at base.

The view from our hotel was stunning, and we were feeling upbeat and ready to get this done!

The first part of our walk lead us along the fairly flat lake shore, through cool woods and alongside beautiful houses.  We walked past Spiez Castle and up through the vineyards and everything was just beautiful and I was elated that we had seen it through to that day.

Unfortunately, the wet walk from the day before had left its marks:  I was struggling with sickness and a headache, and both my little toes were growing blisters were once there had been toenails.  But I would say out of the entire journey, this was the day where I was most able to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings, and not worry about whether I'd be able to do it.  I guess I knew that there was now no alternative to finishing it all.

And finish we did:
72km / 45 miles
4 days
3 blisters
2 toenails
A total of over 2000m elevation gain and uncountable horsefly bites later, we arrived.

I guess "I can't" no longer counts...

We were going to replicate the starting picture of day 1, but that would have involved at least 20 unnecessary steps

Taking a hike: Day 3

After a long Day 1 and a thundery Day 2, we were glad to see that the skies looked dry during breakfast. We even made it to a supermarket to buy lunch relatively dry, and thought we could manage the light drizzle with our hats.

Before we even made it back to the official path, we were drenched, back in our ponchos, and only grateful that the rain was keeping the horseflies at bay. 

Still within Interlaken we came across the first set of trees across the way, our shoes were squelching and the day only showed shades of grey. There was no point carrying on. 

We stopped under a bridge in the hope that the worst would pass, and calculated how far the nearest train station or boat dock was to help us on our way.  I was surprised to find that I was not happy with the idea of giving up.  I would have thought that I would jump at Matthew's suggestion to use public transport to get us to the next stop, but some surprising sense of wanting to do this insisted that we do not turn back. Who knew? 

We agreed on a compromise:  The official path would have lead up onto an Alp known for stunning views across the lake.  But seen as the paths were treacherous and only likely to get worse, and considering that the thick blanket of gloomy clouds would negate any chance of enjoying a view, we decided to change our route slightly, so that it would lead through the villages along the lake shore.  This way, should it get worse we could resort to catching a bus or a boat.  We would also be able to find shelter and coffee if necessary.  

Drying out over apple pie whilst discussing if the boat would be an option

It wasn't all bad:  The weather was much cooler which made it more pleasant. We didn't see a single soul because sensible people had stayed in.  But we saw a number of animals and insects for whom the previous days had simply been too hot.  My personal highlight were the two deer who were enjoying their grazing too much to run away.  The picture doesn't do them justice - they were stunning.

There were times where I seriously had to question how Matthew and I could be so very different and yet get along so well:  In high spirits because I could finally see the Hotel, desperate to get into a hot shower and dry clothes ready for a meal with my brother and his fiancée and delighted that it had finally stopped raining, I turned only to find that my husband had disappeared. 

He got sidetracked by a bug.

I had a similar expression of pure joy when we were shown into our room for the night:  FREE DRY SLIPPERS!

And whilst we never doubted it, my brother's wife-to-be proofed yet again that she is an absolute super star by bringing newspaper... there was now at least the faintest glimmer of hope for dry shoes in the morning.

Luckily, Day 4 looked much sunnier.

Taking a hike: Day 2

After a tiring Day 1 and a sweltering night, we enjoyed a most fantastic breakfast in the beautiful village of Sigriswil (where my sister got married, at 810m above Sea-level) and prepared to set off again.

This day I was in exceptionally high spirits - according to the map, the day would consist of walking downhill, through more beautiful scenery. Our path would lead along a stunning natural pool along the lake where surely we would be able to refresh ourselves before arriving in the buzzing town of Interlaken. 

Well, the map was wrong.  Where we expected a gradual downward slope, we encountered more up and down - surprisingly, even though I didn't enjoy it, I found that my muscles didn't ache and my feet were coping just fine. Thank you, squats, apologies for the bad press I gave you.  I now love you.

We did eventually get back down to sea level and enjoyed the gentle breeze that had picked up late afternoon.  Turning to look back over the lake, I saw the most stunning display of colours - the turquoise of the lake, the green of the nature reserve surrounding us, the dark navy of the clouds... I thought Matthew was responding to my request for the camera when he started to undo his backpack, only to find him shoving a black "bin bag" poncho towards me. We managed to pull them over our heads just before the first fat rain drops splattered across our heads.  

The cooling rain felt amazing, and I had to laugh at myself for putting in the effort of doing something with my hair that day. But the rain become more intense, the thunder louder and lightning seemed to be striking left and right.  Within minutes a guy with a chain saw appeared to start clearing away the trees that wouldn't survive the battering.  In the meantime we had found ourselves a little wooden hut from where we could observe the fast flowing river carrying branches and roots.

After a while the dense of adventure made way to cold feet and dreaded knowledge that we were still far away form the hostel we had booked for the night.  As soon as it was save we crossed the metal bridge and made our way... or at least a way.  Our watered down brains forgot that our hostel was some way off the path that we had been blindly following...

... arriving at the hostel dripping and freezing, I could have hugged the guy at the reception who suggested Take-Away Pizza to avoid going back out into the rain.  And who quietly slipped us the code to the ski shoe room, so that our shoes could dry over night. (And who handed us a free voucher for the outdoor pool... irony?)

Here's to hoping for a sunnier Day 3.

Taking a hike: Day 1

It is done!  The dreaded four-day walk around a Swiss Alpine Lake has been conquered! In ya' face, steep inclines!

When my husband suggested a few moths ago that we should hike the Panorama Weg around Lake Thun, I nodded absent-mindedly.  He would either forget, or remember who I am and thus understand that this would never happen.

Unfortunately, I miscalculated just how determined he was, and over the past weeks have found myself on numerous training walks and reading up on how to prevent blisters. We sacrificed our spring holiday to climb Ingleborough Mountain in Yorkshire and I spent a lot of time crying or nearly crying or at least thinking about crying.  I absolutely dreaded it for a number of reasons, one of them being that I simply did not feel fit enough to even consider walking for four days.  This fear inspired - at least in part - the alphabet of sports journey.

Despite doing all I could to prevent it (including getting a migraine the night before), the day arrived, the bags were packed and the laces tied.

Ready to set off, Thun train station in the background

I tried to summarise day 1 without writing war & peace, but I've failed, so I've resorted to another skill I do not have: Art.

This is what I thought it would be like.  I mean, I did expect it to be hard...

What I did not expect was that the Swiss were sensible to close off paths that had been affected by a recent bout of powerful thunderstorms and therefore potentially dangerous.  

I forgot to draw the horseflies.... they were all there... they were all hungry.

Following one of the detours back into the valley we found what we thought was a sort cut - a set of steps that looked to bring us back onto the right height to continue on the path.  I stopped counting at 300, but Matthew is confident that there were 430.  My guess is closer to 764.

This first detour was not ideal, but I thought it would make it all a bit more of an adventure.  When we came across the second closed path, I did feel quite differently - I desperately scoured the map for alternative paths that would prevent us from having to go back into the valley from where we would have to climb again.  We were confident we had found one - only to found ourselves limping across a field and scrambling up the edge of a stream to try and find an actual path.  Map reading... another skill to be learnt.

During the second unplanned ascent I recall thinking that I was quite impressed with myself.  Up to that point I had found it hard and felt my heart sink, but even after finding the path closed twice I didn't consider turning around.  Mentally I patted my own shoulder and felt we were now on the final straight. Nothing could go wrong now...

Having finally rejoined the official path, I learnt differently:  A number of trees had been blown over by the storms, obstructing the path.  At this point, I told Matthew that there was no point, we could't go on and had to turn around. Ignoring me, he marched on, climbing over trunks, branches and through leafy crowns.  He was still carrying water and Banana chips - what can a girl do other than follow?

It turned out to be the right choice. Scratched and bleeding from a cut on my leg we arrived at yet another high plateau - the final one of the day. 

The last thing left to do was to cross the Panorama bridge - something I had been quite excited about.  However, looking down into the 182m rough and wild gorge, my heart did stop for a little second.  Only long enough to remember that the alternative would be an additional climb of 45 minutes.

Arriving on the other side, I was greeted by a smiling attendant with the words "Your first time crossing?" "Yes?" "I can always tell - people desperately hang on to the handrail the first time they cross.  After a while they realise that - if it all were to collapse - the handrail would go with them".

Shortly after we arrived at the hotel, only to find that their restaurant was closed - time for bed!

And then: Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, A summary on walking

We took about a million pictures of the stunning views - we won't bore you.

OK, we'll bore you a little.  But that's it.