Berner Alps

Thanks for sharing this with us. I missed your first two reports; I shall now look them out.
I liked your comment, "A reminder of how tiny we are, which is always a most comforting thought to me." I wonder how many other people on the forum find this to be a comforting thought? I know that I do, but I get the impression that most people find it rather scary.
I was surprised that you encountered so few people. I've always had the impression that the Alps get very crowded in summer.

Thanks for the trip report, Kat. First two were great, but this one's the best.

Brought to mind Wordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality . . ." and especially its closing lines —

"Thanks to the human heart by which we live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,
To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears."

As echoed by your lines —

"Some of the most beautiful wildflowers I have seen. A reminder of how tiny we are, which is always a most comforting thought to me."

And in your closing —

"The thought that my time in these mountains was soon over was definitively part of the difficulty I had.

"I came back wanting more and feeling strong and sadly aware that I don't have enough time to do nearly as much of this as I would like."

Hey, you think like a poet!

Thanks again for sharing your hike & thoughts.

Thanks William!

The Alps can be crowded for sure but that depends on location. There are so so many mountains in Switzerland that one can find solitude if they wish. The first trip I did in the Appenzell was not one for solitude, yet I was alone a lot of the time. The Appenzell is a loved place by many Swiss and the Alpstein in particular. The second place I went to, in Canton Uri is popular in the wintertime mostly. The Bernese Alps are so numerous that I could have picked places to be completely alone. But I went to Switzerland not just to see family and be alone in the mountains; I wanted to talk to some of the herdsmen and I wanted the cheese :)

As far as finding comfort in how tiny we are, that is a good question. My daughter finds this unsettling and would rather not think about it. For me it is the exact opposite. The vastness (?) of the universe, the unknowns, the forces of nature….all that I love . what I could not quite find peace with were the long powerful waterfalls from snowmelt. The sound kept changing, either because of the way the air moved or because the actual flow changed with melting snow, or both. There was no pattern, no rythm I could discern and that was awesome in it's own way, but I could definitively not fall asleep with it or even really relax.
How many people feel one way or the other or somewhere in between? That would be interesting to find out.

Edited to insert links to my other 2 trips.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=105370

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=105096

Thanks Richard for the nice words!!

"The scenery was beautiful. Hardly anyone out there. Steep snowfields that made me a little uneasy. Some turning around due to lightning . Some turning around due to diffilculty of terrain and too much snow.
Some feelings of loneliness and even sadness. But also feeling strong and able to keep going up and up and not needing to rest, strong legs, good lungs.
Some of the most beautiful wildflowers I have seen.
A reminder of how tiny we are, which is always a most comforting thought to me.
A couple of mountain goats.
A nice swim in a lake.
A glacier ( Plaine Morte)."

In short, the full mountain experience. Well done, Katharina. You really had yourself some hiking this time. As with your first trip, I really enjoyed this report, and found myself sad when it ended. I was out myself when you posted your second installment. any chance of sending me a link to the missing link? ;0)

> I came back wanting more and feeling strong and sadly aware that I don't have
> enough time to do nearly as much of this as I would like.
Ah, but the joy of it is that you know there is always going to be more there when you want it.

Cheers

Thanks Tom and Roger.
Here is the link to the second trip

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=105370

Beautiful Katharina; thanks for your posts. I've also experienced a kind of melancholy at times in the mountains; perhaps it has to do with the contrast between the vast times that are embodied there and our own fleeting existence (you've put it better in your post.) And of course there's our love for the mountains and a recognition that we'll have to give them up for good eventually.

Or perhaps not. The human spirit–or, for the materialists among us, the brain–is far, far more complex than the geology and ecology of the mountains; more sophisticated by far than the workings of any star as well. We give our awareness to the mountains in a way that no other creature can; and of course we receive their gifts as well. These remain with us. Perhaps after all the mountains are an image of our own undiscovered eternity.

Thank you Jeffrey! Your words….wow. Thank you.