Day 9: Frutigen and Bonderfalle Part II
I left Our Chalet at 7:55pm with my backpack, peanut butter, water bottle and camera. I took a hiking self-guided map and first I walked down Our Chalet driveway. I walked down a road where there are Harry's Chalets where big groups can rent out to stay. It was a long paved road and when I walked by one chalet, there was a cat that stared me down. I hoped that it was a good sign and not an omen. I was a little scared; this was my first hike alone and it was going to get dark at 9pm! Also, no one knew where I had gone and I had no phone which wasn't the best plan. I walked along the road past a small Bistro and all of the chalets belonging to Harry. There was also a bunch of construction on both sides of the road (mostly digging from what I could tell).

Afterwards I reached the grove of pine trees. From far away, the trees looked ominous but there was a big open space under the trees where the road went through. Underneath part of the road, a stream ran underneath that began at the waterfalls though I had not spotted them yet. I followed the road out of the trees and kept going towards an older looking chalet. I spotted the waterfalls in the distance! There were a few small waterfalls and one bigger waterfall (though not as big as Engstligen falls ) nestled in the mountain in front of me. I passed the older chalet, which had grey wood and a Swiss flag, and I passed through an open fence to a gravel road. The gravel road was surrounded by small green hills. I could hear the river flowing on the left hand side of the gravel road down the banks of the green hill. At the end of the road stood another older looking chalet.

After I walked down the gravel road, I walked past the chalet and started looking for my next landmark: a turnstile. I found it, though it had fallen over onto the ground. I started following a small trail next to the river. The river was beautiful and flowing strong. It was thinner at the beginning but expanded with rocks in and out of the water. The trail was a little muddy (adding to the mud already caked to my shoes). My next landmark I was looking for were boulders marked with a hiking sign. I wasn't sure if I was searching for a painted sign or an actual standing sign and also didn't know how close the boulder was to the waterfalls.

The rock face of the mountain with the main waterfall was growing closer and I could see snow left over nearby the fall. As I walked along the hilly, narrow trail, I saw mini streams that lead into the main stream flowing from the collection of waterfalls. Closer to the end of the trail, I saw stacks of rocks next to the river: evidence of previous hikers! After that, to the left were two large boulders that were connected. I crossed a smaller stream to get to the boulders and then walked through the passage between the two boulders. I also spotted the painted sign on the boulders.

I then climbed up on the boulders for a nice view of the waterfalls. The waterfalls are beautiful and the water cascades from high up down the mountain face through snow into the river. The smaller waterfalls to the left and right of the biggest waterfall also add water into the river through different streams. At some parts, the river grows wider because of where the other waterfalls add in. I took this moment to drink water and crack open my peanut butter!

After a while, I was thinking of climbing down and heading back to Our Chalet (as nighttime was quickly approaching) but then the lid to my peanut butter fell down near the river. I climbed down and retrieved the lid. Since I was so close to the water, I took some more pictures and crossed the river. I picked rocks that were sticking out of the water but they were still pretty slippery but I made it across ok!

I continued slightly uphill towards the falls. The fog started to cover the top of the mountain but I climbed to a rock that was on a slightly higher elevation. I contemplated going all the way up to the falls but as I turned to get off of the rock I slipped and fell. I scratched and bruised my right leg (and ripped a hole in my new leggings :( ). I didn't look at my leg and my first aid kit was back at Our Chalet. With my cut and the fog setting in, it was time to turn back to Our Chalet.

I had to manage to get across the wide part of the river on slippery rocks without falling again and injuring myself farther. With full concentration, I crossed one river nearby the boulders and then again to get back to the trail. I quickly followed the trails until the trail split into two. I followed one trail that went up the hill instead of beside the river which abruptly ended. It was the wrong trail (of course). I then ran across a field of plants that were shaped like pink cones to the correct trail. I then retraced my steps very fast; I wanted to reach the grove of trees before nightfall hit which would begin around 9pm. I reached my goal and on my way back past Harry's Chalets I met another kitty friend. This cat was white ( a good luck sign!) and then I continued on my way. I took some silly pictures of myself on the way back.

At 9:17pm I had re-entered Our Chalet! Another summer vollie, Crystal, helped me get first aid supplies and patch up my leg. Then, I was ready for sleep because the next day I was on breakfast prep meaning I had to be up by 7:30am (so early haha! ). My first hike: a success! Next time, I will embark on a hike during the daytime and always with my First Aid Kit (thanks Mom for making me take one :) )!