Day 6: Hike to Engstligen Falls Part I
With a good night's sleep in the attic eves, I woke up at 8am ready to hike to Engstligen waterfalls which are the second highest falls in Switzerland. I went on the hike with summer vollies Crystal, Libby and Jessica. After stopping into reception for some advice on how to get there, we left Our Chalet a little after 10am. 


We decided to go on a different trail not outlined in the initial brochure we looked at. This trail advised us to go down the mountain from Our Chalet and follow the trail next to the river. Instead, we started climbing the mountaineos road behind Our Chalet. The road was very steep and just when I hoped that the road would level out, there would be another incline. These inclines make Orchard Hill look like a walk in the park! We stopped periodically and at one point we stopped near some cows grazing. The cows were a light creamy brown with white spots. The cows and bull took little notice to us but two curious calves gradually inched closer to us. I was tempted to pet the calf but it didn't seem like a good idea.

We also passed a restaurant but did not stop by. What I think is interesting is that the signs for the restaurant are very far from the actual restaurant...an hour later I saw a sign for this restaurant! 

After an hour, we were only slightly above Our Chalet on the mountain.  We were not sure if we would even make it to the falls....we did not even know if we were going in the correct direction. We were using three maps to find our way and we ended up asking for directions. Luckily, we were headed in the right direction!


It started to drizzle but we continued climbing the gradual and contiuning inclines. The mountains were becoming clearer and I was surprised to see houses so high up. We passed a man chopping wood and saw a fire burning nearby. We even spotted snow left over from the recent storm! We stopped near one house to look at the maps and there was a wooden trough outside. There was a spout giving water to the trough which was one giant log. I later learned that mountain water comes from the spout and the trough is for cows. I could also smell bacon and wanted to invite myself inside because I was getting hungry! 


We continued along until the paved road turned into a dirt road and then turned into fields. We started following a small trail and it felt like we were in Lord of the Rings. The looming mountains on either side, the small trail that was difficult to keep track of and in the distance: the Engstligen falls! The falls are beautiful, even from far away. They are nestled in between two snow-topped mountains. The water cascades from the top tier of the water fall over the rocks in many different small streams. This flows down into two more tiers of the waterfall that rushes over the rocks. The falls lead to the beginning of the river that continues on past Our Chalet. 

The falls are in the background...we were still really far away though!

Energized, we continued on the small hiking path until it suddenly ended. There was a sign but we were not sure which way to go. After referencing to the maps, we started walking through the green fields. I noticed some beautiful wild flowers. There were small blue flowers the color of sapphire, purple fuzzy flowers, puffy cotton-ball like dandelions-to-be, a green stem decorated with delicate yellow flowers and of course dandelions and buttercups. We got to the edge of the mountain and could not see how we would get across to the other mountain and then to the falls. We were so far away! We took a small break and spotted an animal I have never seen before that looked like a goat with a white face, black fur around the eyes and short antlers. I later learned that we had spotted a chamois, a common animal found in the Swiss alps.  

The goal...Engsligen falls!