Sometimes your problems can be solved by taking a trip to the mountains. The Swiss Alps are the perfect place, with the fresh mountain air, glacier water, quiet villages and slow hum of cowbells to drop you into relaxation. We took a backpacking trip along the Via Alpina Green Route taking in Switzerlands' sweeping valleys, charming villages, and majestic mountains. And we discovered a secret elixir along the way.
The gentle sound of the rush of the river and distant bells ringing from the mountain cows grazing immediately puts me in a zen-like state as I walk slowly uphill. The late autumn sun is peaking through the leaves in perfect warmth even though I'm hiking at roughly 3,000 ft. elevation. South-east 106 km from Zurich airport and snuggled up to the border of Liechtenstein, Segment 3B of the Via Alpina green trail puts me in Weisstannen. As soon as you arrive in Switzerland you will notice, if it doesn’t fully consume you, the mighty and vast mountain ranges that shoot straight out of the ground high above. The Alps are the largest mountain range in Europe that stretch over 8 countries (Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia.)
Within the Swiss Alps lie one of the most impressive grid of trails that blankets all of the country. The trail network covers 65,000 km, which compared to the 71,000 km of roads, there are almost just as much trails as roads in Switzerland. The trails are some of the best marked you will come across in the world, and one of those routes is the Via Alpina.
The Via Alpina runs through the center of Switzerland, beginning in Liechtenstein and makes its way over valleys and mountain peaks to its ending spot at the water's eastern edge of Lake Geneva in the town of Montreux. It is comprised of 16 sections, which you can access here on All Trails.
We'll continue to take you on our backpacking journey through our favorite section of the Via Alpina green route, 3B. The road into Weisstannen is marked with flowing waterfalls off of lush mountainsides into rushing streams on either side of the trail.
We arrive in the village and there is no one in sight at first except for local children running around the small streets lined with alpine houses resembling something out of a storybook novel. The only marked signs in town lead to fresh local cheese and beer. It almost feels like we just dropped into some sort of Utopia.
We stop to fill our water bottles from the fountain in the center of town. Tip: In the Alpine Villages you will likely always find a fountain with cold fresh alpine water flowing. Switzerland has some of the best drinking water in the world, you will never have to ever buy bottled water along the Swiss Alpina.
Waving to some local farmers enjoying their beer, we set off into the valley with the village of Weisstannen in the distance behind. Segment 3B leading us up and over a glacier mountain, called Foo Pass. Now this trek to Foo Pass is no small feat. The trail turns to switchbacks that just go one direction, up. But the incredible sight of wildflowers, waterfalls, marmots and mountains make you feel excited to get to the next switchback to see more.
After two days of hiking we have not seen any other fellow hikers along the trail. And then finally, near the crux of Foo Pass we run into someone. As he comes closer it is obvious that this man, most definitely a local- looks nothing short of 90 years old. With excellent stride, smiling ear to ear he greets us with such warmth that I almost immediately gave him a hug. Mid crux, he barely looks like he has broken a sweat while I, a third his age am barely hanging on.
We exchange conversation each in our respective language not understanding a word of each other but somehow still fully understanding each other. Absolutely stunned my partner and I hike on for some time in silence before finally discussing what just happened.
And then I realized that this - this is it. This is what I needed to experience. I discovered the Swiss elixir. To witness this local man fully alive in his element clearly reaping the abundant joy of this Alpine Lifestyle. I don't know if it is something in the water there, the fresh mountain air, the ridiculously good cheese and chocolate or a combination of it all but the Swiss mountain people have a secret to life. And I found it on the little segment 3B Via Alpina.
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