Via Alpina Hikers: A New Breed of Stamp Collectors As I’m hiking the Via Alpina, a 230-mile trek through the Swiss Alps, I’ve picked up a new hobby—stamp collecting. No, I’m not collecting postage stamps. …
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Stage 14 – Kandersteg to Adelboden – Via Alpina 1 Kandersteg is another one of those Bernese Oberland towns that invites a longer stay. Coming down from the Öeschinensee you feel like you’re arriving in …
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Via Alpina – Stage 13 – Greisalp to Kandersteg Today we cross the highest pass on the Via Alpina—the Hohtürli. Like the Sefinenfurgge, our previous pass, the Hohtürli has never been a trade route. It’s …
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Via Alpina – Stage 12 – Lauterbrunnen to Griesalp This stage has so many highlights and so many options it’s hard to know where to start. It’s a long day—10 hours of hiking if you …
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Via Alpina – Stage 11 – Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen OK—This is where I break rank from the Via Alpina 1 on the Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen path. If you haven’t already guessed, I’m not the purest …
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Via Alpina – Stage 10 – Meiringen to Grindelwald Compared to other towns along the Via Alpina, Stage 10’s Meiringen doesn’t look like typical Bernese Oberland town, much less a hiking haven or ski resort—and …
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Via Alpina – Stage 9– Engstlenalp to Meiringen It’s reassuring to start a hike from Engstenalp to Meiringen and see the trail strung out along the mountainside for several miles ahead. Today’s route starts by …
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Every great hike in Italy ends with gelato. At least that’s the way it feels when I’m hiking in the Dolomites. So as we hike in the Julian Alps in Slovenia, I wasn’t expecting the …
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