The last time we visited the Swiss Alps it was the middle of winter and the snowfall was being measured in meters—not exactly ideal hiking weather. As beautiful as it was in February, being in the Alps in the summer was amazing. The snow had retreated up to the peaks, the mountain streams were gushing with the spring melt, and it was the perfect temperature for hiking.
After some discussion about which route to take for our hike, we decided that an 8 hour hike might be too much, so we settled for a path that, according to our map, would be a 4-6 hour loop through a valley, up a mountain, and back down to the little town we were staying in. Oh, and we should mention that we were sleeping in someone’s barn at the time. During the summer months the farmers take their cattle up the mountains and let them stay there to graze. A very nice woman named Esther cleans out her barn after the cows go up and lets travelers stay there for much cheaper than any hostel or B&B.
The hike through the valley and up into the mountains was amazing. Although it was difficult at times, we were rewarded with some of the most breath-taking scenery on the planet. We hiked for quite some time, and when going uphill, it always seemed like it would never end, but eventually we reached the half-way point in our hike. This was a restaurant about 2,040 meters (6,100 feet) above sea level and in the middle of nothing more than a rocky mountain face and grassy field. Getting there was a bit of a challenge, though, as the path we were following often disappeared in the tall grasses and private fields we had to hike through. However, once we arrived at the restaurant, we all ate a delicious meal made exclusively for the 5 of us, and had a chance to rest our weary feet. Talking with the restaurant owner we learned that all his supplies have to be brought up by helicopter a few times a week. There are no real roads going up the mountain, and we were probably his only customers all day.
After being fed and watered, we noticed that we had already been hiking for about 4 hours, and being half-way through a 4 hour hike, it didn’t look too promising for our hike down. The clouds had also come in while we were eating, so all the beautiful scenery was just a large wall of whiteness only allowing us about 100 meters of visibility. The fog did eventually lift, though. Well, actually, what happened was we descended far enough down the mountain that we were now below the cloud. Lucky us, this cloud was producing rain. Even though we were now tired, wet, and ready to get back to town, we encountered a very large waterfall flowing over a rock face and into the valley. Our path led behind the waterfall and reminded us that this long hike was worth it.
As we were nearing the end of this long and tiring trip, we still had one more obstacle in our way—the cows. Our path led downhill and through a gate in the fence surrounding the field we were hiking through. About half a mile down the mountain we could see the town we were staying in. The end was in sight, if only we could get past the 10-12 cows blocking our path. Now, cows do seem like peaceful creatures, but us city folk were reluctant to try and push a 1,200 pound animal out of our way. And yes, they were physically in our way. As we were standing there trying to find a way around the cows, Dawn suddenly starting walking towards to cows clapping and telling them to “moooo-ve” out of her way. They obediently did and she was through the gate. The rest of us just stood there laughing and marveling at her bravery (which was really just frustration at being out on the mountain for 8 hours! No cow was going to stop her now that we could see the end!) Following Dawn’s lead, Mike was next to try and wind his way though the herd, but he was less vocal and the cows did not get out of his way quite so eagerly. One cow in particular decided that Mike was in her way. As Mike moved toward the cow, it moved at him and head-butt him almost knocking him to the ground. Shaken and a bit startled, Mike ran back up the mountain and out of the cow’s way. This cow we named Bossy.
To our rescue, Dawn walks back inside the gate clapping and yelling at the cows and cleared the path long enough for the rest of us to move down the mountain and out of the gate. Our hero! Because of Dawn we were all able to get back to town and rest without a single cow-related fatality.
