A ride on the Triftbahn, an ex-goods lift now converted to an 8-person lift, that crosses 2 steep gorges,followed by a hike to and across the Triftbrucke and back to the Triftbahn. A day for any adrenaline junkie.
Triftbrucke is the longest pedestrian-only suspension bridge in the Swiss alps and is 170 metres long. In 2004 a new bridge was constructed across the gorge mainly for mountaineers who could no longer cross the now-receded Trift glacier. But the strong winds created turbulence in the gorge that dangerously rocked the bridge and in 2009 another new bridge was constructed, in a slightly different location, this time with 24 anchors embedded 2.5 metres into the rock with each of the anchors having a tensile strength of 18 metric tons. The approximate cost for the bridge was 350,000 CHF (About AUD$380,000). The old bridge was dismantled and placed somewhere else.This is one of the things I love about this country. The extent that they go (time and money) just for people to enjoy outdoor pursuits and lead a healthy lifestyle.
Ray had no qualms about striding straight across, but I took about a dozen steps onto the bridge and went back. But later I changed my mind, thinking that I would regret not going across.
25th September 2013
Took the bus once again to Engstlenalp and walked back to Reuti, above Meiringen. About 17kms that took us 5 hours on an easy trail.
We have seen very little wild-life this trip save some marmots. This was the 3rd snake we saw this day. Thankfully this one was already dead. They are not poisonous though. Not that we knew that at the time.
Reuti that rests on a shelf above Meiringen and has a chair-lift down.
During the summer, the farmers move their cattle to higher pastures and there they remain for the warmer months. From mid to end-September, most of the cattle are brought down to the valley and it is a not-to-be-missed event. The cattle are decorated with flowers and wear huge bells around their necks. They are lead through the main street by people in traditional dress and the bells are almost deafening. The cattle are used to the noise as they wear smaller ones all the time they are in the mountains. During the colder months, the cattle are all housed in huge barns and fed on grass that the farmer has spent the summer harvesting and bailing.
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