Treks/Hikes/Walks - A Recap - Part 1

    One of the things that we did as a prep for the Uttarakhand trek was to walk in the city over the weekends. We did 3 such walks ~ 13-17km each. On one of these walks, we started recollecting our treks - when did we start and how many have we done. DH suggested M'n'M to write a blog about it. So, I decided to 'steal' the idea - after all I am the one who catalogs all the photos :)

    The DH and I have always been active physically I feel. I have recollections of going to the gym in Bloomfield villas almost every day in the evening after work. In fact there is a funny story related to it. While in the gym we would watch TV and based on the ads, every week or two we would be hooked to one eatery - eg. Subway, Burger King etc :)..... If not the gym, we would walk around the apartment complex, or take small walks to the Auburn Hills city center and some parks nearby. 

    Our first real trek was in the Smokies - a very short yet lovely walk through the woods to the "Grotto Falls" - the water fall where you can go behind the falls. We trekked the 2.6 miles carrying a tripod because we were so into photography then. 

    Then there was a long hiatus in terms of walking. Kids were born and of course then not much walking, as much as running after them. I remember some walks in particular , though. After having relocated to India, when I was 7 months pregnant with Mili , I would take Maya for walks in the Ashok Nagar park in Chennai. Uff! what a task that was - to ensure she walks on the side , doesn't fall down - sometimes force her to walk because she would want to be carried :) ... somedays i would try to take the Umbrella stroller till the park and then make her walk there ... Those were some days !

    When Mili completed 4 years and was close to completing 5 - it was our 10th anniversary. So, we planned this trip to Europe - covering Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Paris. This was our first "BIG" trip after the kids were born - together as a family. Since we had been to the big touristy places in Interlaken area during our honeymoon and were sure that kids wouldn't care much for it, we decided instead to trek the area and we did 3 treks there! Now, while thinking back, I cannot imagine how the kids did those treks.

    The first one was a "practice" trek - from Gruetschalp to Murren via Wintergg. We took the train from Murren to Gruestschalp and trekked back on a snowy path. Now when I look back at the photos, I am amazed at how the kids were able to make this walk. It was fun walking on roads that were packed on both sides with snow. At times we would follow the train track , so we got to see the train too. The snow was very light, so it was easy to walk with our normal shoes - at times we would find an icy patch and skid on it. It was so much fun - despite there being snow, the temperatures were just cool enough that we did not even have to wear a jacket for most time. 

    

    After having a lovely lunch outside in the sun, our thirst for walks were not quenched - so we launched on the second trek (more like a walk) from Murren to Gimmelwald (this was the village that we had stayed on our honeymoon 10 years ago). 

    It is a very pleasant walk , sloping gentle - green sides of hill on one side, interrupted only my gentle mini waterfalls and the valley on the other side. To the other side of the valley, you are constantly followed by the trio - Eiger , Monch and Jungfrau (The Ogre, the monk and the virgin/fair lady).

 The DH and I reminisced our honeymoon trip and for the most part nothing seemed to have changed - quaint little beautiful houses, stacked logs on the side of the road and the crisp fresh air. We took the path in front of Mittaghorn (the rickety place that we stayed for our honeymoon - did not see as if anyone was there anymore) - the steep steps down (we had lugged our luggage 10 years ago on those same steps) .. to the Gondola station and ....

.....went down to the Lauterbrunnen valley for the fourth trek (walk) via that Gondola...

    

The plan was to visit the Trummelback falls , but it was quite late by the time we reached the valley, so we had to skip the falls. The weather was lovely and the walk in the valley nice .. Green meadows sorrounded by taaaalll mountains - some of them have a small trickle of a waterfall on its side. Quaint houses in the valley ...and the steady strumm of the river flowing in the valley..  It was a walk to remember. All that was missing was cows !

    Our Fifth trek was the one that we had mainly planned to do -  the walk from Kleine Scheidegg - Wengen. We did not know much about it expect where the starting point was. Online we found that it is an easy 6.42 km walk and it is most downslope - not much of a climb. So, we just took off. Once we started we realized that there was snow as far as the eye could see and not a single soul to be seen.. After sometime the path was becoming too slanting and then we realized that we were actually on the SKI track and not on the trek path. The trekking path was above us. We frantically tried to climb up the snowy slope and slip and slid and me and the kids panicked majorly :).... Finally we got onto the track.

That was the train that could have taken us from Kleine Sheidegg to Wengen , much quicker and easier :).. But no.. we had to choose the more pleasurable path!

Whee! what fun to run down slopes!! especially snowy slopes!

This is one bit I will never forget.. AT almost the end of the trek, we reached this very very very ICY sloping path... A couple passed us by and said - oh! no you cannot do this slope with those shoes on... (BTW they were the first humans we met since we began the trek) ... What other option, but to get on our BUTTs and slide down ... Our clothes were certainly "TESTED" that day ... and they passed the test - though we had sore bums for a while .. and my jeans had left marks too on the slope :)))

A well deserved rest once we reached grassy patches.. 

Aww.. Poor thing we had tired her out certainly!! She was just 4 and 1/2 !!!