Switzerland

Well folks the madness continues. This week we finished up our first class and headed out of Italy into Switzerland. They have designed the trip so that we get a few days off while we are in Switzerland so that we can just hike around the Alps. I don’t think that we would get much done if we did have class. This place is absolutely stunning. We are staying in this Christian Youth Hostile called Credo, which is just outside of Interlaken. The place looks like something straight out of a movie.

Here is the view right from our front window. Insane.

What I didn’t realize is that we are staying at the base of some of the most famous mountains in the world. There are 3 famous peaks called the Eiger, the Monch, and the Jungfrau. 100 years ago they built a train system that goes inside the Eiger mountain all the way up to an observatory on the top.  The observatory is the tallest lookout point in Europe is at 11,333 feet. On the way up the train, you have a few stops where you can get off the train and look out through glass from inside the mountain!

Once we got to the top, we walked about a mile to a little hut for mountaineers. Our group stopped their to eat lunch and enjoy some hot coffee and hot chocolate.

The view from the top was absolutely incredible.

This is a few guys from the trip. Dustin, Johnny and I

Our group also got to take a hike right under the north face of the Eiger Mountain. The north face of the Eiger is famous as a treacherous mountaineering destination, and it has claimed many lives. The north face of the mountain is away from the sun and holds much of the weather, making it a sheer 1800-meter wall of ice and rock. This picture is taken from the side. You can see how the face just holds the clouds. 

We got to hike just under the face of the mountain and experience the immensity of this monster!

The view out over the valley from the Eiger was equally impressive.

This place is absolutely unbelievable. Pictures just don’t do justice to how awesome this place truly is. We will be hiking for the next few days so I will be putting lots of pictures up. More to come!

Tights are necessary in the alps. Larry Gough has inspired me