Day 22: Elsigen Alp Training
This day I had programme training and we hiked up Engsligen Alp! We have this training so that we know the hiking route because when we are on programme we will have to lead the hike (it would seem like a good idea to know the route haha).

The day was cloudy but I hoped that the sun would come out. We began our hike walking towards Ham's Bistro which is on the way to the Bunder waterfalls. After about 10 minutes, we veered off on a road in a patch of pine trees. After we crossed over a bridge, the road went out of the trees and wrapped around the mountains. The fields surrounded us on either side and houses and farms dotted the landscape. We followed the road until we reached a farmhouse. Instead of continuing on the road, we followed a narrow gravel path that zigzagged up a field into a grove of pine trees.

We followed the gravel trail through the pine trees and out of the trees into the open. Unfortunately, the clouds hung lower in the sky and it looked like we were stuck in a snow globe that someone had shook.
Nearby a wooden house, we followed a narrow dirt path up the middle of a field. The path led through a small village filled with wooden chalets. On the edge of the town, we followed a set of stairs uphill towards a field. At this point, the uphill hike was getting a little more intense so we stopped for more breaks haha. The narrow dirt trail ran up through the field and as we hiked up towards a group of trees, it started to rain and the fog completely surrounded us.

After we made it to the pine trees, the land flattened out a bit which was a nice break from all of the uphill climbing! Soon after, we began the last thirty minute ascent to the top of Elsigen alp! We hiked to the plateau of Elsigen alp but we didn't have time to hike to the peak (hopefully I will hike up to the peak with a group of girls in the future!). On the plateau, there were small rolling hills and as we walked around the bend in the gravel road I spotted a lake! It was a large lake filled with clear water though I could barely make it out with the fog. I found out later that the lake was man-made to attract more tourism.

We walked to the nearby restaurant which was a large wooden chalet. We stopped in and ate our packed lunch there. We also bought hot drinks and snacks while we were there...I had a scoop of gelato which was delicious!

After lunch, we played on the playground outside of the restaurant before embarking on the thirty minute walk to a natural glacial lake. We followed a path that ran next to a coursing river and that wrapped around the mountain with a view of rolling hills and the snowy peak above.

We reached a beautiful turquoise lake surrounded by pine trees and shrubs. Half of the vollies decided to jump into the water, myself included. With my bathing suit on, I walked into the water. I tried to stay submerged for five seconds underwater but it was too cold. The water was so earth-shockingly cold that when I emerged from the water my body felt entirely numb haha. Part of the staff challenge is to stay submerged in a river or lake for five seconds which I did not complete but I will in the summertime when it is more sunny.

Then, we headed back to the restaurant and then we walked down the mountain on the road. The hike down the mountain took a while and we had a nice view of a grey cliff covered in pine trees and the lush landscape. At the end of the hike, Christoph picked us up and drove us back to Our Chalet. The drive back was a little scary... it seemed like we would fall off of the mountain road!

I took a nice hot shower when I got back to warm up after jumping in the glacially fed lake haha. It was a fun and wet day and I can't wait to return on programme with a group of girls on a sunny day!