Barbequing Off Site and Bunderspitz, Redux

For as much complaining and cranky-spoon-throwing as I did, the barbeque at Ensligen went alright. I even got to sit around and enjoy being outdoors. It was a bit stressful to barbeque with an audience though. My sausages were burnt, but I think they taste better that way. For some reason I never can manage to burn them when I'm barbequeing at the Chalet--maybe it's because no one is watching and Judging my technique.

We had the off-site barbeque at Ensligen, at the foot of my favorite mountain, Fitzer.
Jen started a fancy scouty one match fire sans paper (and even more impressive: sans accellerant. I swear by ZippyZippyGoGo juice, and won't light a fire without it because it's more fun).It's very cold down by the waterfall. We had a smore b'que and then we all climbed the nearest rock like little mountain goats to enjoy the sun. Here's the new vols, the program director a few guests and I bundled up for the Swiss Summer weather.So, after our lovely guests and vollies had a nutritious Swiss lunch of sausage and chocolate, they set off to climb the Klettersteig (I think I'm spelling this right) which is what we call a ridiculiously steep hill that people walk up vigorously with caribeaners and helmets and other safetly devices.

Later that night, in the spirit of High Adventure they set off on the overnight hike to Bunderspitz and I joined them.
Bunderspitz (between those two trees--the pointy mountain) as viewed from the Chalet.
I am ready, got my swiss hiking knickers on.
Jena is ready too! She's got her Swiss Hiking Ski Poles (they are useful in summer AND winter!

The overnight hike entails hiking for an hour and a half after dinner to the CheeseMaker's hut--the last house on the way up to Bunderspitz. The CheeseMaker is a cranky old woman who served us hot chocolate and sent us to bed at 8:30. We slept in her hay loft on dirty mattresses with a scratchy blanket. I think there were bugs sleeping with us too. It smelled very strongly of Alpkäse and cows, and so did we by 3:15 in the morning when we rose to finish our hike to the summit.

We climbed the rocky trail by starlight, I pointed out Orion and everyone was cranky about everything because we were climbing a Damn Mountian at 4 am. Who thinks these things up?

We got to the top at 6:30, and it was still dark. It was cold, it was windy. Jen kept telling me it would be worth it. (This is everyone at the top--I left before them, it was starting to rain and I needed to get down the mountain in time to take a nap before I had to start working)

Doing Bunderspitz again was alright, though I think that hiking at 3:30 am is Always Unnecessary. I enjoy the mountains better when I can see them. Being at the top made me feel kind of homesick for Idaho and being in the mountains at camp, or with my family (I said it Mom, you heard it, I Said it!)

I guess it was worth it...I did learn that there is a much shorter way to the CheeseMaker's hut than Laura and I took on our journey to the top. In fact, it takes about 2 hours less when you actually take the correct route.

It's just so easy to get off the path in Switzerland, there are so many choices and lots of the crossroads are not labeled. In fact, I got lost on the way down. I did some unauthourized canyoning. I know I'm a bad scout, getting off the path, but something goes wrong in my head when I'm presented with a choice like this: "Oh, the dirt road I was following just ended. It wasn't a signposted route to begin with. Should I double back and find the correct trail, or should I just skid down this impossibly steep slope to that stream bed, I'm pretty sure the trail is right on the other side of the creek, even though I have absolutely no reason to believe that" So I skid down the hill and follow the creek.


This is Clearly the Right Way.

I'm never terribly worried when something like this happens though, and I never have visions of being the target of a costly and time consuming missing persons search involving helicopters, candle light vigils and communal sobbing (or perhaps I'm just being vain), because I know that the roads are dense in Switzerland. I only had to follow the creek for about 30 minutes before I ran into a road again. I orientated myself to the Gross Lohner and was on my way home. And I got lucky, I only had to cross two live electric fences, walk through 3 cow pastures, crawl under one barbed wire fence and was not accosted by any irate farmers!
This is Adelboden town and Gsür behind Tschenten viewed from Bunderalp.