The crisp cool air made the line of sweat down my back tingle. The sound of my beating chest accompanied with a few bird chirps and crumble of dirt and rocks below me is all I can hear. One foot stepped in front of the other, thighs burned with every steep step, and all could think of was getting to the top. The thought of my aching calves rushed away as the sight of the Switzerland mountain tops smiled back at me…

A friend I met while traveling and I trekked up 1,127 meters (3,700 feet) to the top of Oberrothorn mountain in Zermatt, Switzerland. Sipping on a small cardboard box of chardonnay, I couldn’t take my eyes off the beautiful Matterhorn mountain that stood with pride in front of us. I’ve got to say, there is no feeling quite like getting to the top.

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Whether it be mountains or dreams, it feels good.

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One of my favorite parts are these signs along the way.

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Now to trek down 2,795 meters (9,200 feet) to catch the lift to the very bottom and back into town. We run out of food and water and our legs are getting heavier and heavier by the minute. We don’t think much of it as we are ready to take a lift the rest of the way. As we walked up to the lift building, all we could hear are the sounds of mountain mules enjoying dinner. The place looked abandoned and it dawned on us that we had missed the last lift. The sun was beginning to set and we have almost 3,000 meters to walk down before it got too dark to see.

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The trail we needed to follow was steep, rocky, and is actually a course for mountain bike competitions. We stumbled over tires, wooden slabs, and slippery dips. Our hearts began racing as the sun ran further and further away from us. Our bellies growling and our mouths dry, we felt distraught and lost. Singing songs from home and playing random question games made the time easier.

The endless road finally got closer to the town and we chased into the town we didn’t know we’d miss so much. A cold beer was the perfect way to finish a day chasing mountain tops and sunsets in Switzerland.

Photo Cred: Vanessa Jenelle