A Hiking Trip in the Alps

Last summer my brother and I went on a five-day hiking trip in the Swiss Alps. Neither of us had done any serious mountain walking before, so we gave ourselves several weeks to get ready. We bought proper hiking boots and lightweight rain jackets, and we picked up a small two-person tent. My brother also borrowed a map and compass from a friend who climbed regularly.

Our walk began in the small town of Grindelwald. The first day was a shock. We were on our feet for six hours and climbed almost a thousand metres. The path was much steeper than we had expected, and by the evening our legs ached terribly. We felt too tired to cook anything, so we just ate cold sandwiches outside the tent and went to bed early.

Then the weather turned against us on the third day. We woke up to thick fog that hid the mountains completely. Our map showed a difficult section ahead with several narrow ridges, so we decided to stay where we were. We sat in the tent for almost six hours, drinking tea and reading, until the fog finally lifted in the afternoon.

My favourite moment came on the fourth day. After a long climb, we reached a small lake that wasn''t even marked on our map. The water was a strange shade of green, and we could see fish swimming below the surface. We stayed there for an hour, eating chocolate and feeling completely happy.

Would I do it all again? Definitely. Next time, though, I''ll take stronger boots.