Swiss Mist

After much debate, I decided to head into the mountains despite the rain. Both of the other cyclists I stayed with in the hostel were heading out, and I have to brag a bit when I say I was better prepared then them with full rain gear, fenders, etc. Also, the hostel didn't have much going on, and it would have been a very slow day to waste when I am already limited in time.

The climb over Furka pass would be slightly higher then the day before, and again took me over a baffling amount of switchbacks and mountain side climbs. It was an invigorating challenge that I took on fully. One new hazard was the lack of guardrails; short posts were widely spaced with no horizontal members such that a bicycle, or motorcycle, would have little protection from some pretty severe drops. I took a bit more of the lane, and again had to watch where I wanted to go, without too much sightseeing while moving. I stopped to take pictures and catch my breath. The views were amazing. It was neat to look over the edge and see the past six segments of road from above. Some parts of the pass were used in early James Bond films. An early section of the pass had a golf tee off to the side, with a white flag far below.

Weather was a bit of an issue. I was generally warm when climbing in the misting rain, but started to pass pockets of snow before I reached the top, where foggy and rainy weather prevailed through the decent. Warm weather gear under rain gear seemed to do the trick, and I was fairly comfortable throughout. I was glad it did not snow, and the roads were not icy, but the fog was problematic for drivers and my own lines of sight. The bike lights went on which probably helped. Some parts of the decent were very steep, and limited visibility made it harder to spot road hazards... entire hairpin turns seemed to come up a whole lot faster. This was a bit white knuckled experience, so again, I did take many pictures (though this would have made a good u tube video). I will say, however, that the dirt road up Mt. Riffler was more challenging then either of these two climbs, both I steepness and general road conditions.

Once I descended from the clouds, the road rolled out in a much more manageable experience through the country side, where I was able to pick up good speed and distance. The rain seemed to be getting steadier, and I managed a deal in a restaurant B&B in the city of Brig below market value. As a side note, there were a ton of restaurants and hotels that were closed along the way. Traveling off season has some benefits, but sometimes it's hard to find a place that's open.

 

 

 

The forecast had one nice day before rain started in again. I decided to try to huff the almost 100 miles to Geneva, a route which was not mountainous and mostly downhill. Google put me on some nice bike paths along the Rotten river, and it was reassuring to have the water flowing in my direction for a change. Things like apricot orchards and baseball fields appeared as the mountains got shorter and the valleys got wider. Some of the paths went through theses areas and I was tempted to stop and pick, but I was hellbent on movement, so stops were few and effort was high. The trail went cold after the GPS put me on a divided highway I had to work around, and an easterly headwind in the valley hampered my progress, so, I did have to camp one more night before finishing up to Geneva, where I scored a hostel and avoided the bulk of the rain.

Personally, this has been the most physically demanding part of the trip. I can't remember when I had a full day of rest between climbing over mountains and my body is starting to feel it. I find myself forgetting things or getting frustrated easily when I am tired. I will say the bike is much faster and responsive then when I started, both for dropping equipment weight and my own fitness levels. Still, the snow, rain, wind, and exhaustive work have me hankering for a mixed drink on a sunny poolside before continuing on. The mountains were tough and worthwhile, and I'm glad I got to do them in the summer. Yet I also look forward to warm valleys of France as I try to learn some polite phrases, and string together a route to the UK.