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Tuesday August 1, 2023
Bundesfeier Swiss National Day
I slept a few hours.
Bought my iphone cord at the train station along with a chocolate croissant and a coke.
sbb.ch, my favorite app in the whole world, failed me!
It hung indefinitely while I was trying to buy a ticket trackside to Wengen.
I ran back into the train station, bought a ticket from a machine, and ran back to the track just as my train arrived at 642am.
It turned out that disabling javascript to block popups also disables credit card payments in sbb.ch.
My first three nights were in Wengen.
06:54 Alps time 22:54 California time
07:09 Alps time 23:09 California time
08:23 Europe time 23:23 California time
Kent: You are strong to go to top of Europe the first day! I
couldn't do that after a huge train ride
Kent: Be sure to go into the glacier up there
Kent: A long day!
08:30 Europe time 23:30 California time
Dusty: Riding a train is easy after chocolate croissant and coke
Dusty: Biking a mile vertical every day was strong :)
08:39 Europe time 23:39 California time
Kent: It was!!!!
08:43 Alps time 00:43 California time
First glimpse of the mountains
Here's where I bought my train ticket to the top.
10:11 Alps time 02:11 California time
10:30 Alps time 02:30 California time
10:30 Alps time 02:30 California time
10:33 Alps time 02:33 California time
10:34 Alps time 02:34 California time
10:50 Alps time 02:50 California time
11:02 Europe time 02:02 California time
Kent: Nice, that alpine start really got you there early
Kent: I stayed up way late in Geneva skateboarding around first
night
Kent: Didn't wake up till 9...
11:06 Europe time 02:06 California time
Dusty: Clouding over now but still not awful.
11:07 Alps time 03:07 California time
11:07 Alps time 03:07 California time
11:21 Europe time 02:21 California time
Dusty: Train no longer stops at the door in the middle of the Eiger
face, they don't even mention that it exists
Dusty: I demand a refund!
11:23 Europe time 02:23 California time
Kent: I'm guessing there are some that still do
Kent: A lot of people climb the mitteleggi ridge on the eiger and
without that access it's a whole other thing
Kent: It's incredible you are up there already
Kent: Did you check bags at hotel too?
11:26 Europe time 02:26 California time
Dusty: Nope, just riding trains til the top
Dusty: They must have a locker up there
Dusty: We did slow down for the unannounced windows and i could
see them reasonably well, considering
Dusty: Meanwhile the tv displays ads for swiss chocolate and
didnt mention it.
11:28 Europe time 02:28 California time
Dusty: Conductor just told me station is closed indefinitely when I asked..
Dusty: some problems with it, no plans to reopen
Once I got to the top I found the lockers, stashed my backpack, grabbed
my hiking poles, and headed out to find Mönchsjochhütte - the Monch hutte.
12:03 Alps time 04:03 California time
12:41 Alps time 04:41 California time
13:19 Alps time 05:19 California time
Mönchsjochhütte - the Monch hutte.
13:02 Europe time 04:02 California time
Kent: Hell yes Dusty! Across the glacier! You walked right
past the start of the monch normal route! Damn!
13:03 Europe time 04:03 California time
Kent: By 1pm you are at that hut from Geneva
Kent: Probably a record without a car.
13:05 Europe time 04:05 California time
Dusty: I'll also claim the record from Sfo :)
13:06 Europe time 04:06 California time
Kent: For sure!
13:06 Europe time 04:06 California time
Dusty: Hiking sticks recommend, almost essential toward the very top
Dusty: Wetish snow.
13:08 Europe time 04:08 California time
Kent: Wetish snow sucks
Kent: Takes 2x the energy
Kent: Lots of people get screwed being out on big glaciers when
it warms up
Kent: They run out of gas
13:09 Europe time 04:09 California time
Dusty: Saw a guide bringing 2 kids down what I assume was from the
Monch, didn't see where they'd started....
13:11 Europe time 04:11 California time
Kent: It's the rock ridge closest to the track (on right side on way
down)
Kent: I'm planning on trying it later
Kent: It's pretty "easy" but the snow ridge at top is a knife edge
13:14 Europe time 04:14 California time
Kent: Don't miss the interior of glacier back at the station
Kent: I love that
13:22 Europe time 04:22 California time
Dusty: Just over an hour up, then probably 10-15m wait in line for food
and beer....
13:29 Alps time 05:29 California time
13:46 Alps time 05:46 California time
13:46 Alps time 05:46 California time
13:49 Alps time 05:49 California time
13:51 Alps time 05:51 California time
14:01 Alps time 06:01 California time
PANO - scroll right
I got back to Jungfraujoch, saw everything, then got in line to head down.
Turned out my return trip timing was perfect, though I nearly missed my trip because I got confused about times and lines...
16:50 Alps time 08:50 California time
PANO - scroll right
16:33 Europe time 07:33 California time
Dusty: Appreciating Wengen more and more and still haven't set foot in
it
Dusty: I've only stayed in Murren, which is gorgeous, but a
freaking hour away from here
Dusty: I could camp out til the last train on this spot
16:33 Europe time 07:33 California time
Dusty: We have cattle
16:55 Alps time 08:55 California time
16:54 Europe time 07:54 California time
Kent: Are you hiking down? That's a long way!
16:54 Europe time 07:54 California time
Dusty: There's a barn just ahead where they milking the cows...
Dusty: you know its a nice day when the local ranch hands are taking
panos too...
17:12 Alps time 09:12 California time
PANO - scroll right
17:14 Alps time 09:14 California time
17:17 Alps time 09:17 California time
17:36 Europe time 08:36 California time
Dusty: Where you at Kent?
17:37 Europe time 08:37 California time
Paul: I tried to hike down from Kleine Scheidegg once
Paul: It started pouring buckets on us
Paul: The train conductor coming down to Wengen saw us, stopped the
train on the tracks and blew his whistle so we could run over and hop on
Paul: Very cool of him
17:37 Europe time 08:37 California time
Dusty: Last train is 644pm, I'll probably wait for it
Dusty: No rush.
17:38 Europe time 08:38 California time
Dusty: No hiking, just parked in front of the Eiger.
My single room at the Hotel Regina Wengen
The dining room was closed this week at Hotel Regina, plus I probably couldn't afford it when it was open.
Hotel Schönegg
Tomaten - Mozzarella - Salta, Pesto und schwarzes Olivenpulver
Caprese, pesto and black olive powder
19:14 Alps time 11:14 California time
Entrecote vom Kalb in cremiger Pilzsauce mit pommes Dauphine
Veal Entrecote in creamy mushroom sauce with potato dauphine
19:45 Europe time 10:45 California time
Dusty: Where you at Kent?
20:42 Europe time 11:42 California time
Kent: I moved to Martigny
Kent: Place I'm at wanted 135chf a month ago and said only 1 room
left
Kent: I reserved on booking.com for 80chf this morning
Kent: Same in Sion, was 30chf less than a month ago
Kent: Went to the Roman museum
Kent: Neat stuff
Kent: They are setting up a concert in the square, I'm about to
go check that out
Kent: Been trying to mainly rest my sore legs! Heading to
the Weissmies (Saas Almegal) probably tomorrow
Kent: Trying to decide which route to try
Kent: The guy who gave me a lift to sion recommended 2 different
ones
Kent: Looks nice Dusty!
20:47 Europe time 11:47 California time
Dusty: Looks pretty awesome there..
21:07 Europe time 12:07 California time
Kent: I'm about to go to that concert/wine bar and take a closer
look
Kent: How sleepy is Wengen?
21:47 Europe time 12:47 California time
Dusty: A few young kids with parents lighting fireworks under the
gondola, some tourists walking the streets looking for dinner, but
pretty quiet.
21:50 Europe time 12:50 California time
Paul: What are the bunnies up to?
21:53 Europe time 12:53 California time
Kent: Fireworks Cancelled /annule
Kent: Yeah, I'm probably going to move tomorrow am
Kent: Goal to have a raclette or two tomorrow and any other
treats I can find
22:03 Europe time 13:03 California time
Dusty: I ate veal, not bunnies
Dusty: Haven't found them yet
