Europe, 2024 Zurich Days 18-20

Maggie and I got very lucky these past few days with dreamy weather – perfect for outdoor adventures. Having completed some truly spectacular hikes the weeks prior to her arrival, I suggested some of my favorites. The first full day together the weather was hot, a perfect day for a swim, so we opted to hike the Pizol 5 Lake hike (my first hike on this trip). A memorial one for sure. This time I knew we would stop and swim, passing by the blue ice melt water with the hot sun on our backs was not an option. We came prepared with suits and all. Reaching the first lake is such a treat, and keeps you motivated to hike further because the second one is calling your name. Here we are overlooking the first lake, the Wildsee behind us. I appreciated seeing this lake again to notice the changes. The ice-bergs melted resulting in a smooth water surface perfect for the sun to color to an envious shade of blue. The minimal vegetation around the lake was greener and contrasted boldly against the still white snow. Also, there were many more hikers on this day – given the weather other folks shared our plans.

Upon arriving at the second lake, we noticed many folks seated along the rocky beach enjoying the view – but none swimming (we wondered why). We eagerly changed into our suits and boldly stepped into the water (now we knew why). I was immedaitly back in Antarctica – this was C.O.L.D. water. Yes, the kind of water where your body starts to go numb instantly. We stood in the water processing the temperature only to notice our ankles had lost sensation. Stepped out, warmed them for a second and dove in – because what better way to enter the water than with an elegant dive:)

I should add we dove in three times – yes and after each dive, spent more and more time in the water. We asked a fellow hiker to snap our photo – thank you! The cold water in contrast with the hot sun felt therapeutic and yes, I truly did feel a strong sense of longing for Antarctica. It was great to share this moment together, we would burst up to the surface of the water from the dive with smiles combined with shock across our sun kissed faces. Laughing and moving our bodies as fast as we could to stay warm. A few other hikers cheered us on and when I encouraged them to join – they speedily scurried away laughing. As we geared up to leave some other brave souls jumped in and I knew we all shared a similar kinship for the icy waters.

On Wednesday, we were once again born into another glorious day and knowing we we wanted a long hike, opted for the Flumserberg 7 Peak Tour. Traveling to the hike is easy, as it’s only an hour from the main train station in Zurich. We got to the start of the trail head by 9:26 am and felt strong and ready. At the second peak, a hiker asked if we were doing the seven peak tour. She was concerned given one of her weather apps indicated a thunderstorm in the area around 1:00 pm. She, like Maggie was also new to this hike, but is a Swiss local who loves hiking. I felt pretty confident we could complete the bulk of the hike by 1:00 pm and so Maggie and I decided to carry on. I asked if she wanted to join us, and she did! Her name is Astrid, we spent the whole hike with her – it was truly lovely. It was nice to hike in a pack – I led the way and off we went. We kept a close eye on the weather and given our altitude we had a great vantage point and could see all around, far and wide – no clouds in sight. We talked about a range of topics – and found ourselves in wonderful company. At one point Maggie suggested we add on an extra peak – given we were passing a small outcrop of rock and top soil. With no real trail in sight, we scrambled up a bit and decided to now call this hike the Flumserberg 8 Peak Tour! Here we are, so proudly having finished our epic journey together.

Like the last time I took the mountain coaster down to the mid-station cable car – and suggested this to the ladies, Maggie and Astrid were both game! The weather was certainly changing as large fluffy clouds were forming and creeping towards us. While trekking through the final small trial to the coaster we heard what sounded like thunder. With no way of knowing what it was and still no rain we scurried along to the coaster, bought tickets after a quick bathroom stop and geared up for the adrenaline rush. Maggie went first, me second and Astrid third. I knew what to expect this time, took off my hat and held on tight. I laughed so much because I could see Maggie ahead zooming along – we cheered loudly and could hear our silly calls. We all had huge smiles from ear to ear as we looked at our glamour shots from the ride – awkward and so entertaining. As we gathered our bags from the ski lift one rain drop fell, gently on our arms – perfect timing indeed. Astrid was riding the same train as us towards Zurich so we ventured to the station, each bought cool drinks and waited for the train. At this point a beautiful summer shower said hello and we imagined a rainbow somewhere close by. We exchanged contact information – as Astrid wanted to send me a good hiking recommendation for my final hike on Friday.

Maggie left today, on Thursday – we did not hike – but instead went to visit the Zurich lake for a morning swim. The weather today is raining off and on – with the morning sun shining we seized the opportunity and hopped on the tram towards the lake. We tried to access the water from beach only to learn one needed to pay, so instead we found a great spot directly next to the beach entrance where other locals were also entering the water. Unlike the mountain lake, this water was waaaarm. Pleasantly surprising, as I was expecting a bit of a cooler vibe. We frolicked around for about 30 minutes watching paddle boarders, other swimmers and a crew team of four women passing by. At one point we felt rain drops…and almost immedaitly it was pouring. We launched from the water, grabbed our things and found shelter under a tree. As we were quickly “drying off” hard to do in the pouring rain, Maggie stepped in fresh wet dog poop. OMG – so disgusting. Eww, it really was a big fresh pile and now wet from the rain – with a perfect imprint of her foot and toe – screaming with horror Maggie sprinted back to the lake and dove in. Washing her foot off as best as she could. Our stomachs churned – how unpleasant. We laughed a while about it after but it was an interesting way to end a great few days together.

I don’t know what hike I will do tomorrow -with the weather still a bit unclear I may have to make a game time decision. I will find my way to the mountains for one more solo journey.