Switzerland: Zermatt – Summer vs. Winter

This past year we visited Zermatt, Switzerland to take in the views of the Matterhorn in both winter and summer (Part 1 and Part 2).  I thought it would be interesting to compare some of these views – enjoy!

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View getting off ski lift at Matterhorn Glacier Paradise:

Winter

Summer

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View of Italian side from Viewing Platform of Matterhorn Glacier Paradise:

Winter

Summer

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Same bridge, photo taken from different angles:

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And here are a couple more winter panoramas…

View from Viewing Platform of Matterhorn Glacier Paradise

 

 

 

Switzerland: Hiking at the Matterhorn (Zermatt) – Part 2

The Swiss Alps are one of those amazing travel destinations that offer the best of both worlds – top class ski slopes in the winter, and unreal hiking the summer.  The scenery is not too shabby either, with a little mountain called the Matterhorn looming in the backdrop.  Tyler and I went snowboarding at Zermatt this past winter, and were fortunate enough to return this past summer for some hiking – our first two days of hiking were described in my previous post, covering:

1. Glacier View Hike
2. Matterhorn Glacier Trail
3. Abenteuerweg Hike

For our last day of hiking in Zermatt, we repeated our path up the ski lift from the previous afternoon’s Abenteuerweg Hike up to Rothorn, where we planned on starting a version of the Five Lakes hike (or “5-Seenweg“), but were first sidetracked by the tempting good weather to do a summit hike.

 

Hikes: 1. Orange, 2. Blue, 3. Purple, 4. Green, 5. Yellow (These correspond with the numbered hikes in this blog post)

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4. Oberrothorn Summit Hike:  After getting off the lift at Rothorn and seeing the perfect weather, Ty and I decided to do a quick “jaunt” up to the top of Oberrothorn, before continuing on to do the Five Lakes hike with his Mom and her friend.  From the ski lift, the summit hike took us a bit over an hour roundtrip, and was pretty steep and slippery/unstable towards the top – about at my maximum of my comfort level to be honest.  

However the view was brilliant!  We enjoyed the view for a few minutes and then headed back down Oberrothorp and then took the Kristallweg to Fluhalp where we met Ty’s mom and her friend for lunch and a beer before continuing along the lake hike.  

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5. Five Lakes Walk, or 5-Seenweg:  My favorite part of the lake hike was from Fluhalp down to joining the official 5-Seenweg trail, where we were walking on a ridgeline (with a steep drop-off to our left) and had amazing views.  Much of the rest of the hike was along wider trails and roads. The 5-Seenweg hike was very family friendly.  We decided to cut it a bit shorter than the official path and skipped a section near Gant lift station ending up at Sunnegga where we took the funicular back down into town.  Overall just the 5-lakes hike would take about 3 hours and was fairly easy.

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Logistical Tips:  Switzerland is known for their reliable train system, and while it is a great way to get around it still is quite expensive.  However, if you are going for an extended period of time (in our case only 4 days), you can buy a Half Off train fare card for 70 Swiss Francs per person. While this seems pricey, it gets you 50% off all of your train fares as well as most mountain lifts and railways. Depending your planned itinerary and hikes, it may or may not be worth it.  If you get the pass, make sure to bring it with you (along with your identification) because they do check it.  If you are 26 and younger, you get an even better deal since you get the youth rates. For planning hikes around Zermatt, check out the map portion on the official hikes planning page.

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Packing Tips:  For hiking in Switzerland, we recommend bringing:

• Small day pack
• Water (we recommend a hydration system)
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Hat
• Rain jacket
• Fleece or light long sleeve shirt
• Snacks
• Camera
• Hiking poles (collapsible poles for easy packing in your suitcase)
• Wear:  Convertible hiking pants, hiking socks, hiking boots, Dri-fit shirt

Switzerland: Hiking at the Matterhorn (Zermatt) – Part 1

Earlier this year, we headed to Zermatt, Switzerland for my first (and Tyler’s second) time snowboarding in the Alps! Being avid hikers, we promised each other at the end of our trip that we would be back in the summer months someday to check out the area sans snow.  We were back only three months later, much sooner than expected, and this time with Tyler’s mom and her long time friend from college. We were excited to show them the town, the scenery, and most of all the Matterhorn!

Many of the hotels had no rooms available or were above our price range by the time we booked, so we ended up staying in two separate hotels. Ty and I were in the Hotel Dufour Zermatt, and his mom and her friend were in the Hotel La Couronne. Both hotels were in a great central location and were very nice, both also included breakfast.  We’d definitely recommend booking your hotel well in advance if you can in order to have a better choice of accommodation, and be prepared for steeper prices as the demand for hotels in Zermatt is high.  During our time in Zermatt, we went on a number of amazing hikes!

Hikes: 1. Orange 2. Blue 3. Purple 4. Green 5. Yellow

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1. Glacier View Hike:  After arriving by train and checking in to our respective hotels, we decided to go for a shorter hike up the eastern side of the town. We bought return tickets up the Gornergrat Railway, a mountain train that took us to a high point with a beautiful glacier view as well as of the Matterhorn.  We took the Sonneweg down to the Panorama trail to Riffelsee, soaking up the views of the Matterhorn directly ahead and stopping at a couple of glassy lakes.

 

 

The view of the glacier to our left was also quite stunning.  After a quick pit stop at the Riffelhaus, we proceeded on the Mark Twain Weg. Down towards Riffelalp Resort the weather started getting a bit stormy, so we stopped at the hotel for a Weiss beer before catching the Gornergrat at the nearby train stop back down to town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2. Matterhorn Glacier Trail:  The next day was our “big” hike. We bought return tickets up the western side of the resort to Klein Matterhorn, taking the gondola to Trockener Steg and switching to a tram lift that will give sweaty palms to anyone with a fear of heights. At the top, there was a tunnel through the rock to the other side of the mountain where the ski trails start. Even in summer, there is skiing on the glacier! We took a few minutes to watch the skiers, and then went halfway back through the tunnel and took the elevator to the viewing platform. The 360 degree view at the top was incredible, yet so different than what it had looked like in wintertime!

After taking the tram back down to Trockener Steg, we headed out on a trail that took us past some small lakes and towards the base of the Matterhorn itself.

 

 

 

 

The landscape was grey and rocky, dotted with lichen and some rust colored rocks. After enjoying this hike, we stopped at the Schwarzsee for a quick beer and bite to eat where we were treated to some live music in the sun. From there, Tyler and I decided to take the Gondola back down to Zermatt and head up to Rothorn to do another hike the same day.

 

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3. Abenteuerweg Hike:  It was early afternoon by the time we made it back down to Zermatt, but Ty and I headed straight over to the Eastern side and took the Sunnegga Funicular, a gondola to Blauherd, and finally a tram to Rothorn.  We then hiked a fairly intensive twisty, turny, steep trail along an exposed ridge with breathtaking views of the Matterhorn and down into the town of Zermatt.

 

 

The trail was more challenging (and fun!) than the others we had done previously, and for most of it we were hiking downwards along the ridgeline with uninterrupted views.  We were surprised further down the hike when a couple of mountain bikers passed us going down the narrow switch back trails that we found challenging just as hikers – it was very impressive!

Stay tuned for descriptions of our last two hikes in an upcoming blog post, along with logistical and packing tips for Switzerland!

4.  Oberrothorn Summit Hike

5.  Five Lakes Walk, or “5-Seenweg”

Switzerland: Snowboarding at the Matterhorn (Zermatt)

View of the Italian Side

My husband and I met in a fairly unromantic way…online. However, it is interesting to think back to some of the details in our online profiles that initially attracted us to one another, enough to want to meet in person.  I was drawn to Tyler’s adventurous side and his love of travel and sports. One picture on his “profile”, the clincher for me, was of him surrounded by stunning mountain scenery and blue skies, donned in ski gear, and toasting beers with a friend. “I need to meet that guy,” I said to myself, “and maybe more importantly, I have to at least find out where that picture was taken.” 🙂 That photo was from his then recent trip to Zermatt, Switzerland.

The Matterhorn

Five years later, I have finally been able to visit this bucket list destination for myself, with my husband as my tour guide.  Zermatt is a charmingly cute, high-end ski village, filled with peak-roofed chalets, Swiss chocolate stores and surprisingly, not one single car.

Town of Zermatt

They do, however, have small electric vehicles for each hotel and many businesses to deliver beer kegs, merchandise and guests to their respective locations. Zermatt would be much less than it is without its most famous feature, the Matterhorn – a world-renowned, conical mountain peak the image of which has been immortalized on countless postcards and every box of Toblerone.

To get to Zermatt, I took a flight to Geneva, and a train to Visp, where I met Tyler (who was separately traveling for work). We then took a smaller train together up the mountain valley to Zermatt, passing through snowy towns nestled in the mountains, with seemingly appropriate names such as St. Niklaus. It was evening at that point, and the dark, looming mountains and twinkling lights made everything seem a bit magical. When our train stopped at the end of the line in Zermatt, we took our bags and snowboards and made the short walk through the town to the Hotel Romantica, where we would be staying the next few nights.

The first day, we checked out the trail map, and took the Gornergrat train to its last stop (Gornergrat), and snowboarded a number of trails on the Eastern side of the resort, hitting Riffelberg, Sunnegga, and Rothorn. The weather was a bit cloudy so we didn’t have the best views, but it had just snowed the night before so the trails were powdery and not too crowded.  Towards the afternoon, however, the wind picked up and the visibility decreased greatly, so we ended up calling it a day slightly earlier than expected, heading back to town for hot showers and hot drinks.

The second day we again took the Gornergrat and spent the morning on the same (Eastern) side as the day before though in a slightly different area.  In the afternoon the weather improved and we were treated to some incredibly clear and stunning views as we headed towards the Swiss-Italian border, taking the lifts to Schwarzsee and all the way to the Trockener Steg, which took approximately 45 minutes or so to arrive at the top. The views from this side were amazing looking back down towards the valley and town below, and it was exciting to be so close to the Matterhorn itself.

View from Viewing Platform to Italian Side

The forecast for the third day was for perfectly clear and sunny weather so we decided to head over to the Italian side of the resort first thing in the morning.  It was quite crowded getting on to the first lift, and I was a bit taken aback at the pushing, shoving and cutting in line that was going on.  The first lift took us all the way to Trockener Steg, where we had to switch to a slightly nerve-wracking tram lift to the top of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise.  The tram was suspended between two points so far apart that it was best not to think too much about.

View from Viewing Platform to Zermatt

 

At the top, Ty and I took our time getting out and let the crowd get ahead of us while we took some photos.  We then saw signs for a vantage point, which we of course followed, coming out on a platform above the clouds, empty except for 2 other people.  The 360 degree, birds-eye view was incredible – looking down towards Zermatt and the other ski trails we had been on the days previous, and then scanning over to the Matterhorn, and then down over on the Italian side which spread out beautifully to the West. It was simply and completely breathtaking, a feeling that photos just do not capture (though we tried!).

After wrapping up taking in the sights on the viewing platform, we headed down to the start of the Italian trails, looking down onto a few of the clouds below while strapping in and then zooming down the mountainside enjoying the awesomeness of a perfect weather day.  The trails were expertly groomed and in wonderful condition, and I was distracted enough by the beautiful scenery that I was unaware (until Tyler told me later) how steep the slopes actually were.  We made several runs on the Italian side before crossing back over the border and taking a trail right next the base of the Matterhorn!  It was truly amazing and my favorite part of the trip.  After a full morning and lunch at Trockener-Steg, we wound our way down the trails all around the base of the Matterhorn before we curved around through more wooded trails that took us all the way back in to town. We then headed back towards the Eastern edge of the Swiss side of the resort for a few more runs.

Trail on East Side of Resort down to Champagne Bar

Overall, Zermatt is a beautiful little village nestled in the Alps that has jumped to one of the top (and favorite) places I have ever visited. Though a bit expensive, the atmosphere of the village along with the scenic vista and beyond amazing ski trails make it, quite frankly, worth every franc. To finish off our trip, we hit up our favorite trails on the Eastern side of the resort before making our way downwards with the sun high above the Matterhorn. Almost back to town, we pulled abruptly off the trail to join some other skiers at a Champagne Bar. I took off my helmet and nestled down into the fluffy sheepskins as Ty brought us 2 glasses of champagne, which we toasted to this beautiful place that had a small part in bringing us together.

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Some Logistical Information:

We went to Zermatt in March of 2015, however there is actually snow (and skiing) there YEAR ROUND!  You can go summer skiing, although the trails are much more limited.  The best time to ski at Zermatt is from late November to the end of April.  Hotels are fairly pricey, so be prepared to spend some money on accommodation and try to book early.  Also, apparently the trail by the Champagne Bar is being re-routed starting in the 2015/2016 ski season, so it may be a lot more difficult to access.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And….the photo that started it all….

Stay safe this winter – please wear a helmet!

France: Snowboarding in Chamonix

I have never been huge fan of winter – I hate being cold and stuck inside, and with short days and limited outdoor activities available, it didn’t seem to me that the winter season had many redeeming factors.  Having since picked up snowboarding, winter has taken on a new meaning and moved up a notch in my book!  The highlight of our winter these days is usually a ski trip around Valentine’s day, and in past years we spent this time in Northern Vermont.  Living in Europe, we decided to take advantage of being so close to the Alps and booked cheap flights to Geneva, Switzerland, which is about an hour drive from Chamonix, a well-renowned ski resort in France.  Up until this point, I had only ever gone snowboarding on the East Coast of the US, so I knew I would really need to step up my game for this trip to the Alps!

Chamonix is a long valley with various separate ski areas (see Chamonix ski map) connected by shuttle bus; we were staying at the base of the La Flégère lift about halfway up the valley.  There was a huge storm that came through the night we arrived, which meant that Tyler’s flight got canceled (he was traveling separately for work) and I caught a shuttle van by myself to our hotel.  Tyler was able to join me the next morning, and once he arrived we suited up and headed out for an afternoon on the slopes.

At first I felt slightly disappointed at La Flégère, most likely because I had such high expectations and the extreme snow conditions had closed many of the trails due to avalanche risk.  The open trails were decent but very tracked out, and the ski restaurant there was horrendous (lime green carpeting everywhere, super crowded, and just generally not appealing). However, we very much enjoyed the trail back down to the bottom of the Flégère lift – it was less tracked, had great views, and for most of it we were on our own.

The next day we hopped the shuttle bus (which is free with a ski pass) to the Grands Montets ski area, a short 10 minute ride away.  There were many more trails open here and in general we enjoyed it much more than La Flégère. Though La Flégère is connected to the Brévent area as well, neither were especially large, though both were enjoyable.  The Grands Montets area has generally more challenging terrain and a very nice intermediate run back down to the base of the main lift.  This was by far our favorite location in the Chamonix ski area.
We were staying within walking distance of the Flégère lift, which proved incredibly convenient.  The vast majority of the ski trails are located at higher altitude so you typically take a main lift up the steep valley wall to a higher elevation area with more lifts and trails.  Our hotel, Les Lanchers, was quite nice and had some British influence.  One of my favorite things was the afternoon “apres-ski” special where you could get a drink (I preferred the hot wine) and a little cake to eat.  It was a nice pick-me-up after coming in off the mountain and just enough to tide me over until dinner.  The hotel had a separate drying room for ski gear, a sauna in the basement that could be reserved, and the dinner was fairly good though not exceptional.  Overall, Chamonix was an excellent experience and does have some very challenging terrain for true experts.  It’s proximity to Mont Blanc is also a huge draw.  We’re thrilled to have been to Chamonix, but if you are making a big ski trip to the Alps and can only choose one destination, I’d much more highly suggest Zermatt, Switzerland.

References:

Chamonix official website

 

Germany: Hiking near Neuschwanstein Castle

Almost every little girl dreams about being a princess and living in a fairytale castle, and these dreams are often encouraged (or exacerbated) by Disney’s far-reaching influence.  To all of you whose children are currently singing “Let it go”, you know what I am talking about.  I definitely went through a short-lived princess phase myself at one point, though my husband may good-humoredly question at times if that phase ever really ended.  Most of us eventually set these princess dreams aside for more realistic career aspirations, like in my case the much more practical yet slightly less romantic world of accounting.  And while I have accepted wearing a business suit to work rather than a ball gown, the magic of castles always brings back some child-like excitement.

 

I have wanted to visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany since high school, when some of my friends on a foreign exchange program to Germany visited the castle themselves. In photos, it is picturesque and incredibly beautiful, and it’s no wonder that Neuschwanstein was Disney’s inspiration for the “Cinderella Castle” at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. It was built by King Ludwig the second only in the late 1800’s, so the castle is quite young being under 150 years old. King Ludwig was a bit extreme, and while some men might have a hobby for building model airplanes, King Ludwig had a hobby of building real, life-size castles. He had planned a total of 4 castles, including Neuschwanstein, before he died mysteriously at the young age of 40. Work on the castle stopped at his death, but the rooms that he did complete are beautiful – painted walls and ceilings in the themes of fairy tales such as Tristan and Isolde, mosaic floor tiles (about 2 million individual, hand-set tiles in the Throne Room alone), and astonishing wood carvings (particularly in Ludwig’s bedroom).

 

The castle was extremely crowded (as expected), with tours of about 30+ people leaving every 5 minutes. Tyler and I, as you may gather, are not crowd people. Although the tour of the castle was great, we escaped as soon as humanly possible to make our way up into the mountains, first crossing over the Marienbrücke bridge spanning high above the Pöllat Gorge. We followed the red trail, and after about 15 minutes or so we saw only a handful of people the rest of the day. The trail was a long series of switchbacks up the mountain, steep but completely doable in just my normal running shoes (we didn’t have the space/weight for hiking boots in our carry-on luggage). The views got increasingly better – not just looking down on the castle (which was very cool) but also of the still snow-covered Alps, the mountain lakes, and the farmland and towns stretching out in the distance.

 

I thought the best view of the area was when we took a short side path up to a rock that jutted up vertically from the mountain. It was steep (and a bit scary if you stopped to think of the drop-off) but provided an uninterrupted, 360 degree view. I felt like an eagle perched up there, until I saw the paragliders above me in the sky, catching the thermals to lift them even higher. We continued up the mountain until snow began to cover the trail, but kept pressing onward, rewarded with more amazing views. We ran into a German hiker (with not much English) coming the opposite direction on the trail, and then were fortunately overtaken by a German hiker with fluent English who translated that further upward the snow was still thigh-deep, and that we would not be able to make it to our end destination, Tegelberg. The first German hiker had hiking poles, boots and gaiters and made sure to point to our casual hiking gear, warning us that we were not properly equipped.

 

 

We decided to continue on the trail until we could go no further, which was another 500 meters or so. We backtracked a bit and ate our packed sandwiches and Snickers on a rocky overlook, enjoying the view of the lakes, valleys and castles below us. And while I may not be a princess, I certainly felt like one sitting up there with my amazing man (yes, my very own Prince Charming), taking in the beautiful weather and landscape below us.  We followed the trail back the way we came, all the way to Neuschwanstein and then down into the town below where we had parked our car. To top off our amazing hike, we sipped German Weiss beers as we sat by the lake.

 

All in all, the hike took about 3 hours roundtrip. We estimate it would take about 5 hours to do the full hike to Tegelberg and then back down as we had initially planned. We did this hike in early April, so to avoid the snow we would recommend waiting until May (though of course this is highly dependent on the weather that particular year). We would recommend ordering tickets in advance if you want to go inside Neuschwanstein, and to do that first thing in the morning before the hike. This is also completely doable as a day trip from Munich – it is only about a 1.5 hour drive.

 

Gear recommendations for this hike:
Good trail shoes or running shoes at a minimum, though hiking boots would be a bonus. Active, dri-fit clothing, and a backpack with a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, rain jacket, food, water and of course a camera! The MVP item for this hike was probably Tyler’s Columbia convertible hiking pants – we got quite warm hiking up the mountain and he was so happy to be able to convert his pants into shorts! For further gear recommendations please visit the TTT store!

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Sources:

http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=5618152

http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/palace/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinderella_Castle

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Austria: Biking from Melk to Krems

Vienna, Austria

So I have to say I’m a bit embarrassed at my (unintentional) break in blog posts – I apologize!  As a quick update, we moved from the US to France (Paris) this fall for Tyler’s job and I also started a full-time MBA program, so somehow the months flew by before I knew it…

Start of the bike ride just outside of Melk

Living in Europe so far has had some amazing perks, especially for travel since Paris is such a central hub.  One of the first trips we took was to visit Vienna, Austria, in early November to visit some friends and get some outdoor activities in before the winter took hold.  On one of our days there, we borrowed our friends’ bikes and took the train west from Vienna to the town of Melk (see map at bottom of post).  Our final destination was a town called Krems an der Donau (which I am just calling “Krems”!) where we planned to catch the train back to Vienna.

From Melk we biked about 40km on a well-marked bike path.  The trail followed a river at times and wound its way through farmland and then eventually through gorgeous vineyards.  We were a bit late for the peak season, so many of the roadside cafe’s and places to pull over for a glass of local wine were closed.  However, the grape vines were a golden yellow, contrasting with the grass that was still surprisingly a vivid green.  As it was out of season, we pretty much had the trail to ourselves.  It is important to note, however, that at some points the trail does require riding along roads along with cars and other vehicles (i.e. tractors), so be aware and be safe!

About 2/3 of the way to Krems, we came to a steep road cut into the rocky hillside.   At the top of the hill, we were rewarded for our struggle with views of Dürnstein Castle, which Tyler explained to me was the castle in which Richard the Lionheart was held captive during the Crusades, back in the 12th century.  The depth of history in Europe truly blows me away when compared with our young country!  Shortly after the castle, we stopped at a shop in one of the small villages to sample some Austrian apricot liquor (or “marille fruchtsaftlikör”) which was quite nice.

As far as the time it took to complete this 40km trip, we left Vienna at noon on the train, arrived in Melk around 1pm to start biking, and caught the train in Krems at 5pm to head back to Vienna.  I will emphasize that we were going at a very leisurely pace and did stop a few times, so if you are an experienced biker you could definitely crank through this in a fraction of the time.

Overall this was a wonderful bike ride, despite it being a bit grey and out of season.  If we did it again, we would aim for September and try to go with a group of 4 – 6 people.  I would try to arrive in Melk by 10am and then have a day-long leisurely bike-ride, making plenty of wine pit stops in the beautiful vineyards :).

 

Ty taking the lead (& gallantly carrying my pink backpack!)

Gear Guide:

Are long bike rides as uncomfortable for you as they used to be for me?  If so, try investing in these Shebeest Pro Splice Women’s Bike Shorts, which I originally bought at REI and though expensive, have truly been worth every penny! I have the black & white option, but there are a number of other fun colors!

Map showing Vienna, Melk & Krems, Austria

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_I_of_England

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%BCrnstein

Hiking in France: Lac Blanc in Les Vosges

The Vosges mountains in eastern France offer a wide variety of hiking options – trails can be linked together for full or partial day hikes, and some scenic viewpoints are even accessible by car for those who may be short on time or have physical limitations.  After a full day of hiking with our friend Guillaume and his family in the Le Hohneck area near their home in La Bresse (see Hiking in France: Les Vosges), we opted the next day for a couple of shorter trails.

 

Trail to Lac Blanc:

We accessed this trail from D61, and parked near the Auberge Gazon du Faing restaurant.  The trail went slowly upward on a series of long, wide, rutted stairs.  Once we reached the top (where the trail made a T), the view back down towards we came from was beautiful – grassy, open fields studded with alpine flowers, framed by dark, conical evergreen trees in the distance.  We took a left at the T, following the rocky trail along the top of a cliff – the land dropping away to our right and giving us a spectacular view of Lac Noir and the valley in that direction.

 

Passing some square, stone markers, Guillaume told us that these at one point marked the boundary between France and Germany.  Each marker is numbered and can be seen from the one on either side of it.  The trail eventually took a right through a forested section, bringing us out onto some boulders with a birds eye view of Lac Blanc.  (Note:  This Lac Blanc is not to be confused with the Lac Blanc near Mont Blanc in the Alps).

 

We snacked on the rocks and enjoyed the view before heading back to the car.  Roundtrip this was about 5 miles and took about 2 and a half hours at a leisurely pace.  The elevation change according to my GPS watch was only about 680 ft.

 

Lac Blanc

View of Lac Noir

 

Trail near junction of D480 and D583:

We drove to the junction of D480 and D583, pretty much straight east of La Bresse on winding roads.  After parking, we began the short jaunt up a steep mountain to get a summit view in about 15 minutes.  The valley opened out dramatically in front of us, and we could see the town of Mittlach towards the East in the distance.  Guillaume’s brother said he went hanggliding off this mountain in the past to land in the town below, and it does seem like the perfect place for it.

In total this climb was only 1 mile roundtrip, and my GPS watch had the elevation change at around 370 ft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommendations:

These trails were quite populated, even though the weather was a bit grey for us.  Though hiking boots would be better, you could do either of  these trails in a good pair of sneakers.  I recommend bringing a small pack with water, snacks, extra clothing layers (i.e. rain jacket) and of course a camera!  There are also quite a few places to eat near the trails where you can get reasonably priced and very delicious meals – we tried the Auberge Gazon du Faing restaurant after our morning hike for some local meats, cheeses and beers and it did not disappoint!

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Hiking in France: Les Vosges

Upon discovering that my husband would be heading to Paris for a few weeks for his work, my first thought was “take me with you!” and my second thought was “where can we go hiking near Paris”?  I hadn’t ever read much about hiking in France besides the Alps, and to my dismay discovered that the mountains in general are quite far away from Paris.  We decided to get in touch with one of our previous European hiking companions and my husband’s  previous schoolmate, Guillaume, as he is super knowledgable about hiking in France.  He said to meet him in the Les Vosges mountains to the east of Paris, and that he would plan some amazing hikes for us!

We drove about 4 hours southwest of Paris to the town of La Bresse, where our friend Guillaume grew up.  We arrived late in the evening, but were cheerily welcomed by Guillaume, his adorable father Andre and his younger brother Florian.  After getting a tour of the 18th century home (seriously, it was older than our country!) and catching up over a nightcap we headed upstairs to bed to get a good night’s sleep before our day of hiking ahead.

The next morning we awoke to a breakfast of fresh baguette and homemade jams, and then packed water, snacks and sandwiches for the day.  Guillaume’s father drove us to the junction of roads D417 and D61, where there was plenty of parking near the trailhead.  This spot is on the border between the Vosges and Haut-Rhin departments (regions) of France, and an area that changed hands a number of times just in the last century between the French and the Germans.   The trail began by winding along a steep mountainside, with gorgeous views of the valley to our left which was in the direction of the town of Münster.  We navigated over narrow bridges, up steps, over rocks and through a cave-like rock tunnel – a very fun hike indeed!  Verdant green ferns and moss-covered the forest floor and beautiful trees towered above us.

About an hour into the hike, we split ways with Florian and Andre, as they were completing a shorter loop back to the car and would pick us up later in the day.  After a rocky downhill section followed by a short stint on a gravel access path, we took a quick break before climbing through a cow turnstile to continue following the trail.  We could see the path in front of us, switch-backing steeply up the mountainside.  My legs were burning in no time, and the hot sun was making for a tough climb but we made it to the top in about 30 minutes.  We were rewarded for our efforts with an incredible view, and we took a moment to soak it in and attempt to capture it in photos.

GPS pin of our hike in relation to Paris

Chamois

The trail continued on to the summit of Le Hohneck, the third highest summit in the Vosges Mountains.  You can actually drive to the summit and park your car, making the area a bit more populated than the trails we had been on previously but also more accessible to people who may not be able to complete a long hike.  While the landscape was stunning, the wind eventually prompted us to head onward, following a switchback trail back down into a different valley.  We were pleasantly surprised to find a chamois near the trail, browsing the berries and shrubbery until eventually leaping further down the mountainside.

Along the trail we had noticed beautiful bright pink flowers that reminded me at first of lupins, but upon closer inspection and inquiry, I discovered they were pink foxgloves, or digitalis.  Guillaume told us when we began our hike to make sure to avoid brushing up against them, because although very pretty the whole plant is actually toxic.  They can quicken your heartbeat and are actually used in cardiac medicines for congestive heart failure.

After continuing steadily down through a beautiful forest, we arrived at Lac de Schiessrothried where we stopped to eat lunch.  The trail continued through a more forested area to another lake, Lac de Fischboedle.  Both lakes were busy with activity – people fishing, hiking, swimming and in general relaxing and enjoying this wonderful French countryside.  We kept moving, and eventually went upward again, this time motivated by beers and views at a nearby “refugio”.  These small, convenient lodges seem to pop up on the trail where I least expect them, sometimes in very remote locations, and while it may detract from the feeling of “remoteness” on my hike it is also quite nice to be able to stop and use the restroom and enjoy a cold drink and hot food.  Our legs were tired, but we felt refreshed after our beer and hiked another 20-30 minutes to our meeting spot where we were picked up by Andre and Florian.

Overall it was a beautiful hike in a very unique and lesser known area of France, with great friends, great food and great views!  I would recommend a solid pair of hiking boots, as the trail (especially the first section) is quite rocky and uneven.  The trails were not very well-marked in some sections, so make sure to have an idea of which way you are trying to go before starting, and bring a map and/or a phone with GPS.  If you don’t have time for a long hike, there are many options for shorter hikes and the availability of parking at some key locations makes many of the best views more widely accessible.

GPS Map of our hike

Outdoor Adventure Survival Tips

When I travel, I tend to base my plans and destinations around what types of activities I can take part in – hiking, biking, snorkeling, and snowboarding to name a few.  While its great to have fun and relax on vacation and have a “no worries” attitude, it is also important to be safe and take preventive measures as simple as wearing a helmet or packing a first aid kit.  Any situation could spin quickly out of your control or not go as planned, so taking simple actions could make a difference!

Guest Writer Nathan Souleret, USCG Pilot

It is my pleasure to welcome my first guest blogger to Two Toned Travelers.  My brother, Nathan, is an HC-144 instructor pilot in the U. S. Coast Guard, and is highly trained in search and rescue.  He has some great survival tips for active travelers:

“As a Coast Guard search and rescue pilot, I have spent a lot of time looking for people who are either lost or in distress.  Most of my time has been spent over water, but plenty of my colleagues have spent time searching islands, forests and swamps as well.  However, should you find yourself lost, here are some hints on how to be found more quickly and easily.
The best tip I have is to not get lost in the first place. GPS is a fantastic tool, but having some general awareness of whether land or the nearest town is north, south, east or west will help fill the gap when the batteries die.  If you are on the water, make sure your boat has plenty of fuel or a good radio, preferably both. Another free way to help yourself get found is to let someone at home know your intended route and estimated time of arrival. It isn’t perfect, but it will help us narrow down where to look.

View of ocean from search aircraft

When boating, the US Coast Guard approved life jackets that I’m sure you are always wearing really do look cool in tactical black, but black, blue, dark green and other such hues will not make you easy to see from our aircraft, particularly at night. Make a fashion statement in international orange, start a trend!  Even with a life vest, you only have about 7 hours in 60 degree water if wearing light clothing, so the color of your life vest could make a difference.  An excellent compromise between style and visibility is an inflatable life vest. They cost a pretty penny compared to non-inflatable ones, but they are comfortable and unobtrusive when un-inflated, are bright orange or yellow when inflated, and look pretty darn cool to boot. Interestingly, according to the TSA’s own website, you can actually bring a self-inflating life-vest complete with CO2 cylinder in your carry-on bag. Expect to have your bag screened, though, even if you go through the Pre-Check line.

Signal Mirror (with instructions on back)

A flashlight is an excellent tool to have as well. The wonders of modern science have provided us with some fantastically bright flashlights that are quite compact, great for lighting up the dark of night, signaling things, and blinding small animals and your friends.  If an aircraft or boat is searching for you at night, it will make you immeasurably easier to find if you flash the light in the direction of the search asset.  Another option is an actual strobe light, as it does the flashing for you.  Remember, night is dark, and while we have cool stuff like night vision goggles, all they do is make the night less dark.  But if you have a flashlight or strobe you will stick out like a sore thumb. If you are perusing the internet, you may come across some nifty looking laser emergency signals.  Sounds great, but please keep in mind that aircraft take being lased extremely seriously and you may just cause them to depart scene rather than pick you up.  As pilots, we can’t really tell the difference between a benign laser signal and a dangerously powerful laser that could damage our vision.  For that matter, please don’t ever lase an aircraft, no matter how much you want to see how far your cool new toy goes.  It is a federal crime and taken very seriously these days.  No less than the FBI will come knocking on your door to inform you of your impending fines and possible jail time.  No kidding.  Some dude in California just got 14 years for lasing both a medevac helicopter and a police helicopter.  If you like fireworks, then signal flares might be up your alley, though if you want to bring your survival kit traveling, you aren’t going to get any of that past the TSA.  During daylight, your flashlight might have a difficult time competing with that big flashlight in the sky: the sun.  However, you can use the sun to your advantage with a signal mirror.  They take a little practice to use properly, but they don’t have batteries or other electronic widgets that can die at inopportune moments.  Plus you can use it to make sure you get your hair just right for that rescue selfie you’ll take when help arrives….

One of the best tools for getting found quickly is a 406 EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) or PLB (Personal Locating Beacon).  These days they are about the size of a couple decks of cards (I was going to say ‘pack of cigarettes’, but who smokes anymore?…), and are pretty reasonably priced for the capability they provide.  All you have to do is push a button (and maybe flip up an antenna) and it will send a signal with your information and location to a satellite monitored by the Air Force and rescuers will head your way.  On land, get to a high spot if you can. While you just need to see the sky for the satellite to get the signal, mountains and such can make it difficult for an aircraft to home in on it.  If you do buy one, I implore you to PLEASE register it per the instructions.  Registration is free, just go to the website and fill in the information. That way if it accidentally goes off, we can just call you instead of launching the fleet.  There are a variety of other GPS position reporting devices out there beyond just a simple EPIRB.  There are ones that will upload a modern version of Hansel and Gretel’s bread crumb trail to the internet where people who like you can see where you are and watch your progress as you climb Mt. Rainier or whatever you’re up to. Do some research, see what fits the bill for you.

Emergency Survival Blanket

Let’s say it’s just not your day, and help isn’t going to get there today. A space blanket is a great thing to bring along.  They are insanely compact for the insulation they provide. Seriously, you wouldn’t think that a super-thin sheet of reflective mylar would really do much, but it does.  They are also conveniently reflective and shiny, and can double as a signaling device.  And they came from outer space. Ok, no they didn’t, I made that up.  But seriously, get one and check it out. At the very least, you can build a sweet fort in the back yard with it.  Packing away some emergency rations isn’t a bad idea either, because nothing sucks more than being stuck in the middle of nowhere than being stuck in the middle of nowhere and hungry and thirsty. Just don’t drink salt water.  You know that quote, “water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink”? Well, he wasn’t kidding.

I’d also recommend at least some basic first aid items. One of the reasons people get in distress is due to injury, so having something to help with that could make the difference while you are waiting for help to arrive.

Fire starters and water purification tablets

When considering cost on survival items, think of them as an insurance policy. Sure, if you get some of the fancy stuff, it might end up being a few hundred bucks all told, but wouldn’t you pay a few hundred bucks to not disappear in the giant ocean? Consider the difficulties in locating Malaysian Air flight 370, and recall that you are much smaller than a jumbo jet.

There is no perfect solution for being found, even a 406 EPIRB has its limitations. But something is sure better than nothing when it comes to survival. Take a look around, do some research, and see what best fits your needs.”  ~ Nathan Souleret, USCG Pilot

Safety Items to Consider:

– Adventure Medical Kits – UltraLight & Watertight

– Grabber Outdoors The Original Space Brand Emergency Survival Blanket

– ACR PLB-375 ResQLink+ Personal Locating Beacon with 406 MHz Floating PLB, Built-In GPS, Strobe and 121 MHz Homing Beacon

– Dorcy 41-2510 Floating Waterproof LED Flashlight

– Ultimate Survival Technologies 2×3 StarFlash Emergency Signal Mirror

– ACR Firefly Pro Led Strobe Light

– Revere ComfortMax Auto – Inflatable Lifevest PFD

– Coleman Potable Aqua with PA Plus Chemical Water Treatment

– UST Wet Fire Tinder