Swiss Bovine Standoff

Last night's sunset was just spectacular. Everybody was outside watching as the sun dipped behind the Bernese Alps. Then all was quiet!  Where did the kids go? There is an observatory not far from the Cabane and they walked to watch the night sky. We never heard them come in. In our dorm the eight of us slept side by side in two rows one above the other. We are in an older addition of the Cabane separated by a 1/2 meter stone wall from where the 24 kids sleep. I'm sure we made more noise.

A standard hut breakfast was already waiting for us in the morning. We just needed to turn the coffee on. The Cabane guardian entrusted us to the hut without any staff! 

After breakfast we started walking up 400 meters toward the Meidpass. The route was not as well marked, but we wandered toward our goal. We were greeted by a chorus of cows playing a hymn from their bells. The lead cow was making a bee line to intersect us on the path. Who would make it to the road intersection first?

We arrived at the intersection at the same time and we had a Swiss Bovine standoff. I performed some cow whispering with the lead herd cow who was giving me the stink eye.  I held her off as our troupe started up the trail. Our pace quickened as the cow chorus followed us up! 

Soon we parted directions and weaved and floundered our way to the Meiden Pass, which is the Swiss Mason-Dixon Line. We are now in German speaking Switzerland. I can almost remember my high school language lessons. 

After a 1000 meter descent we landed on the valley floor in the small village of Gruben and it's only lodging, the Hotel Schwarzhorn.  We arrived a little too early to check in so we sat out on the grass patio just "to be". 

The Hotel Swarzhorn is all I would imagine a Swiss alpine hotel to be. Very nice. Individual rooms but shard facilities. Dinner and breakfast included. There are no other options. Gruben is near the end of the valley. Trekkers, hikers, climbers and folks on holiday join us. Our Swedish friends Anders and Eva are with us, as they have been every night since Mont Fort. 

Rhonda is resting her knees and feet for tomorrow's final day of hiking. We are all tired and sore, but I hate thinking of ending this journey, so I'll just close off and you will have to wait for some final thoughts.