In preparation for an upcoming hike in the Dolomites, we went in search of a fixed-rope route. After our four days in Ticino, we decided we still needed to do a fixed-rope route before heading out to the Dolomites. My husband picked Switzerland’s first route which opened in 1992. It’s one of the nicest and also one of the longer ones. We were out climbing for four hours and after about two-thirds of the route, I was ready to stop climbing. Unfortunately once you start, there is no turning back and I think I may have crawled to the summit (or at least it felt like it).
We spent the night at the Berggasthaus Tällihütte which is worth going to, even if you don’t stay the night. Not only is the view fantastic, the food is amazing. The owner is a chef who used to cook in gourmet restaurants. The night we stayed there was a full moon so we also booked the full moon walk. But the moon (or rather the clouds) played a trick on us and we had to use our head lamps while walking.
After reaching the summit, we hiked down the other side of the mountain to Engslenalp and past the beautiful Engstlensee. It was a hot day, and I was just about to change into my bathing suit when my husband suggested I take a look at the bus schedule to see when the next bus left. Well, it certainly upset my swimming plans when I noticed the next bus leaving the Engstlenalp was also the last one and it was in less than an hour. Next time we’ll stay at the lovely hotel Engstlenalp where we at least had a chance to have a drink and a bite to eat and then maybe I can go swimming. The dairy across the street was still open so we bought a huge wedge of cheese to take home and home made ice cream for the ride down. Luckily the rain held off until we were in the bus and almost at the train station, and it also stopped by the time we were ready to get off!
