2 a.m.: I awake to the sound of soft clicking cowbells below me. It takes me a few seconds to figure out where I am. I sniff a bit, smelling hay and cow. I cough from the pungent and unfamiliar smell. Soon my fellow travelers start to move around and we all get ready to head out into the foggy night, leaving the warm attic of the cattle barn behind.
2:20 a.m.: After we gear up, we begin trekking along a narrow dirt path. Clumpy mud starts to cake on my hiking boots, and a layer of mist begins to cling to my raincoat and pants. I keep my head warm with my Swiss flag stocking cap. I wear a caving headlight tightly on my forehead, showing me the path ahead. I try to stay near the front of the pack behind our leader. By 4 a.m., I will be at the top of Bunderspitz.
2:45 a.m.: Our group encounters a lone cow. His eyes glow in the dark. We stop for just a second to observe him. We feel like we’re in the middle of a horror film. The huge, brown and white spotted cow stares back and then resumes eating grass on the hillside. The cows belong to the cheese-maker who also hosted us in his barn loft that night.
3:30 a.m.: I’m starting to warm up some as we continue walking up the giant mountain. Katie, our leader, says we only have an hour to go before we reach the summit. We had awoken in the middle of the night so that we could reach the top by sunrise.
4:00 a.m.: My group stops for a quick water break. Reclining on a gray rock, I lift my eyes and the trail starts to wind like a snake up the last and final hill before we will crest the foggy peak.
4:30 a.m.: I charge to the front of the pack. The fog covers the terrain and rises upward. Katie reminds us that footing is key to make sure no one falls off the edge or stumbles on a slippery rock. Upon reaching the summit there’s not much to see. Standing over the edge…the sun was blocked by the dense haze. I took out a piece of Toblerone chocolate to savor this sweet moment and celebrate even if I missed the sunrise.
4:45 a.m.: We rest for a few moments: drinking water and snacking. We all sense our own inner strength. We felt very powerful for hiking up a mountain in the Swiss Alps. The group begins to descend the mountain. Down, down, down we go, making a quick stop at the cheese-maker’s house to gather our sleeping bags. Slowly we make our way back to the small town of Adelboden. I now realize looking back, if I can conquer Bunderspitz, I can literally do anything.
