Great thread. I love camping and hiking. Taking pictures and leaving footprints only ...
In fact, I prefer it 100 fold over any X-star hotel / city trips (my threshold for a city is 1.5 days).
In Switzerland we have two things which make backpacking very accessible, but in the same breath very exclusive.
1) The Alps, and
2) manned huts in the Alps.
And the exclusivity lies in the fact that about 95% of humanity are not able to move themselves between (2) in (1). I have met folk older than 65, and younger than 8 however ... so it is for all ages
馃憤
(clicking pictures yields better res pics)
Having manned huts and a national association for them, throughout the Alps is quite unique (they also exist in southern Germany, Italy, Austria and maybe France, but nowhere else in the world ) as they allow one to spend days/weeks at a time in the Alps without having to descend into the valleys, and their standards/quality/condition is great due to proper organization and maintenance. One can totally escape civilization for a long time, and be greeted at the end of every day by super friendly folk whose job it is to cook you a nice 3-course hearty dinner, and a breakfast, before you are on your way the next day. Don't expect hot showers ... or any showers for that matter. I only once during a week-long tour had one shower (under glacial water in the open) ... and that was it. Don't expect fresh linen or privacy at the huts either ... but you can expect great friendly approachable people, a nice cold beer or some wine, and great nourishing food. It is mandatory to take a silk sleeping bag (very thin) with and sleep in that under the provided blankets/pillows. You might have a complete stranger sleeping next to you, or when its not full, in the same room, which will sleep many, or you may have a room for 12 all to yourself. All depends on the hut location and how many people are on their way. These are beautifully functional very old huts, most that I have been at originated in the 1800's. Some have books from almost 100 years ago (recently saw journals of ski tours etc, with pictures, from 1925). One usually meets serious Alpinists, and the disposition of the people one meets is simply stunning ... its quite difficult to explain.
Most of the huts are situated at around 2500m altitude, which is perfect altitude for most Alpine activities.
Either one enters/exits the tour by hiking up/down to the hut from about +/-1000m altitude (the nearest village/town). Or one does bigger tours/peaks, as there are quite a lot of 4000+ meter peaks, and a lot of glaciers that one can (or might have to) cross on the way to the next hut.
In a hut to hut tour, one usually hikes (when choosing the closest huts) +/- 10km in distance per day which includes about +/- 1300m up and possibly also +/- 1300m down (can be more) in that distance. Some days may be bigger than others. Or if one is motivated, more ... your trip, your plan. First 2 days are tough, but thereafter its a breeze.
Alpine hiking also requires planning, knowledge, experience, and equipment. Usually a climbing harness and a climbing helmet is required (some hits have a via Ferrata to get to them). If one plans hikes over glaciers, then addition of rope, crampons, ice pick and various other smaller ropes, carabiners, ice-screws, as well as the ability to navigate glaciers (if there is no path). For this one either does some sort of formal training (as with climbing, there are about 8+ knots to be done in your sleep, and many many techniques using ropes and carabiners etc), or goes with a guide...however if something does happen, and the guide is the guy to fall in the crevasse, then good luck. I think it鈥檚 better to go with people who know how little they know (and this respect the mountain and the glaciers etc) and have some basic knowledge. Sometimes, where it is very steep and there is no visible path (which may happen), the ability to pick the safest path is also required.
DONT want to end up falling down into a glacier ...
But one can avoid glaciers and carrying that extra equipment...its all in the planning.
Sometimes a bit of easy climbing to reach the hut is required, where it is very steep and rocky, and climbing rock-faces and through waterfalls (choice of shoes is also of utmost importance here).
Very few places on earth where water exists in all 3 states simultaneously!
I absolutely love hikes like this.
(yellow arrows pointing to the people on the path, going the other way, despite chains to hang on to, one slip/fall here has serious consequences)
Naturally there are easier hikes between huts and not every hike is extreme ... it鈥檚 not always possible to know exactly how a hike will be though. Still one has to plan carefully ... failing to prepare is preparing to fail, as the cliche goes.
How every glacier I have seen in Switzerland has disappeared : the yellow lines represent where the glacier was about 30+ years ago. The smooth bare-rocks without top-soil are where the melting glacier wash away any loose soil, and moving glaciers carve away the rocks to leave smooth bedrock. In some places one can see strange 'mounds' (or hills, I fail to recall the name, but in relation to the mountains they look small, but are huge) far below the current level of glacier...characterized by unnaturally straight or curved edges ... these are the deposits from where the glacier used to be.
Anyhow, thats all folks. Can't wait for the next trip
馃憤 Always happy to field questions via pm should anyone have any.
