Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

I n Part 1 of this account , we outlined the project (hiking roughly 1/3 of the Via Alpina across Switzerland with Tom, Carol, Bob, and Diane), and covered our first two days, hiking from Mels to Elm (and taking transport to Braunwald). Part 2 took us on to Klausenpass and to Altdorf, home of William Tell. In Part 3 we climbed over the Surenenpass and enjoyed rest days in Engleberg. Part 4 took us over the next pass or two to Meiringen, while Part 5 went on to Grindelwald and an excursion to a high mountain hut. Part 6 finished the linear journey. In this final post, we'll do some hikes around Lauterbrunnen and visit a cool outdoor museum. What we did in Lauterbrunnen We arranged to end our trip with 3 nights ins Lauterbrunnen, in order to do a few of the great hikes around there. The weather was a bit dodgy the first day, but we managed to find the views in spite of the best efforts of the clouds.   I went out after dinner on our arrival day to explore the town and check out t...

In Part 1 of this account , we outlined the project (hiking roughly 1/3 of the Via Alpina across Switzerland with Tom, Carol, Bob, and Diane), and covered our first two days, hiking from Mels to Elm (and taking transport to Braunwald). Part 2 took us on to Klausenpass and to Altdorf, home of William Tell. In Part 3 we climbed over the Surenenpass and enjoyed rest days in Engleberg. Part 4 took us over the next pass or two to Meiringen, while Part 5 went on to Grindelwald and an excursion to a high mountain hut.  Day 9: To the Faulhorn After our two days of dubious weather ( see Part 5 ), the beautiful clear skies were back, along with more heat than we really wanted. Since we were there to see the mountains, it was a trade-off we were willing to accept. First light gilds the cap--more a wave than a lenticular cloud--on the Eiger. From the front porch of the hotel. As was our wont, we headed down the street and grabbed the First lift. This day, the last of our Via Alpina, actuall...