One challenge at a time

Day 6... our blowout day... leave everything on the mountain was the plan. We had originally planned to walk the Europaweg and cross the Hängebrücke (suspension bridge) but the heavy winter snowfall was lingering and the impassable high paths prevented us from completing our original plan. Day 3 had seen us trek up a part of the Europaweg including some very dodgy cliff hanging steps. Today we would attempt to get up to the bridge... not knowing if the way would be blocked or the bridge shut. We set off full of optimism... our aching muscles now used to being beaten into submission.. at least until we reached the turnoff for the alternate bridge path. To say it was steep would be underplaying it. We discovered that the path without rocks was worse than that with as it stretched the achilles to breaking point. It was difficult to take any rest as you would inevitably be standing on an incline with all weight bearing down on one ankle joint. Up and up the path wound without respit...

Day 5 began in a slightly more chilled fashion. This was going to be an easy day ... ready for the big blowout Thursday.. our last day here. We got up pretty late... tested out our various aches and pains in the walk to the shower... declared ourselves fit enough for an easy 'by the river' walk and set off. The first little bit through the forest challenged our slightly broken joints. Just as well its an easy day huh We passed the Europaweg signs with ease... we have done that one and strolled down towards the town of Randa... we reached the river crossing.... or where there had been one to discover that the bridge... steel girders and all had been torn from the mountainside by an avalanche. It was not the first sign we had had here. If the lower reaches of the mountains... even into the valleys had paths and bridges torn out... it was little wonder that the upper reaches were deemed impassable. We had struggled over tiny snowpacks in comparison to the monsters that hun...

Day 4 Easy walking day.... Our nights sleep was punctuated by tossing and turning to get comfortable so we awoke fairly late... but that was ok as today was an easy walk day. Eventually we set off from the campsite to the start of the paths just to the left of our tent. The signs were to Randa (the town just down the valley) following the river and to our delight Europaweg... the path we had been planning on Day 2 but got told it was shut. Well this bit wasnt shut. Following a confirmatory look from bro, no other discussion needed , we set off ... uphill! Uphill doesnt really describe it. Right out of the bat the gradient was tough. We worked out that it was an average gradient of 33%. I.e hurt. As we slowly worked our way up the mountainside... the fallen trees quickly became evident. The first time we came to one that blocked the path... we called it sign number 1. The first sign that the path may not be passable at some point. So we stopped and turned round.... No of c...

Day 3 started out with the effects of Day 2 still very much lingering... broken bodies. Sleeping in the car, whilst having been a good idea the day before with the rain pouring down, was not in hindsight the best in overall terms. I awoke feeling a bit strange... my breathing was really quite laboured and try as I might I couldnt slow down my breathing and catch my breath. I felt like i had when I had a chest infection in New Zealand... unable to complete a sentence without gasping for air. Being a nurse... with no adult training whatsoever... all kinds of weird and wonderful explanations arose. I woke Paul up with the words... I feel funny... I cant breathe properly. To be fair... he did look concerned even though he doesnt do mornings very well. My phone has an app where you can check your saturations (amount of oxygen in your blood)... 94% ... so I wasnt dying. Better get up then. I got out of the car and started walking towards the shower block... immediately I felt better ...

As we staggered back to the campsite... putting one weary painful foot in front of another.. Paul (my brother) made a strikingly accurate observation...  today had just about everything... Elation... disappointment... pain... suffering.. up ... and more up... scorching sunshine... gale force winds... pouring rain But before I get into that... let me set the scene. Me and Paul set off at 02:30 .. bound for the place that both of us long and love to return to. A normally chilled laid back guy.. Paul transforms in the mountains of Switzerland to a determined peak bagging... adventure seeking daredevil... or just someone for whom the line between CraZy and Life-threatening becomes occasionally blurry. Neither of us had slept more than a couple of  hours... me in the day after my night and Paul after a long day at work... so somewhat tired we finally ended up at the campsite after a solid 19 hour travelling day. Although Paul had stated that he was going to be grumpy... h...