Tee - Appalachian Trail Journal - 2017

good news: i'm still alive

it has been twenty days exactly since i've posted, or actually been hiking. never fear -- i'm still here.

the weather in Germany has been ridiculous. there have been copious amounts of rain, and more thunder and lightning than i've seen in the rest of my nearly 3 years here combined. i've also been feeling really down again off and on. combined with the weather, it made it really easy for me to sit around the house instead of getting outside.

but! now is as good a time as any to get back on track. my goal is to hike at least three days this week, and to get back to eating better. *coughnomoreicecreamcough* i am not working on Friday or the Monday after since i will be working over the weekend, so maybe i can squeeze in a long haul hike on one of those days!

yesterday i did something awesome. i packed up S and some snacks, and we headed off to Switzerland. we visited the Reichenbach Falls, famous site of Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty's last fight in The Final Problem. there was a funicular to take you part way up the mountain, then you could hike up and around the actual falls. a star marks the spot on the far side of the falls where the actual struggle would have happened, and there is also a plaque commemorating the anniversary of the event. it was a pretty steep and slippery hike in some places; thank goodness i wore my Salomon trail runners! there was also a Sherlock Holmes museum in the town. both were super cool to see. after that, we drove a little bit farther and rode a series of cable cars up into the Alps. at the top of Schilthorn was a place called Piz Gloria, known for being the villian's headquarters in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. inside is a revolving restaurant and a James Bond exhibit. outside are a few viewing platforms and lots of and lots of snow. (i may or may not have thrown a snowball at S. how can you resist throwing snowballs in June???) of course we were both wearing shorts becuase we are brilliant, but it was so worth the cold. the views, not just at the top but all along the way, were spectacular. from Piz Gloria you can see Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. having read Krakauer's Eiger Dreams not too long ago, it felt really cool to be close to the mountain. it clouded over and cleared up quickly while we were up there, and when it was clear you could see Eiger's famous Nordwand (North Face). there was also a really vibrant rainbow before we left! it was a sort of long drive there and back, but what a day it was. i'm exceptionally glad we went. the Bernese Oberland is truly something to behold. if you ever have a chance to see it, take it. i probably said the words "amazing," "majestic," and "beautiful" 76 times each yesterday, until they all started feeling kind of trite. honestly though, at some points there were just no words to describe what i was seeing and feeling. the whole region is remarkable. quaint towns and the most unspoilt, pristine natural beauty i've ever seen. i know there are a few other sites and trails in that area i want to visit, so i hope i have the chance to go back before i move back to the States.

xx

Entry 8 of 9
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