The Hike

Something that I do ever so often is challenge myself to random activities like walking long distances, cooking something exquisite, reading about a difficult subject, watch a terrifying Netflix series or have that difficult and confrontational conversation (with myself or someone).

Last month, I went for a solo day trip to see lake Blausee in Bern, Switzerland. Its not like I haven't been to places alone (hell, I moved to another country alone), but I kind of had a purpose behind every step that I was taking. It was not unplanned and based on a whim. But this trip was different. It was more for me to observe how I was as a companion on a trip. I was slightly nervous because I anticipated some tardiness, food tantrums, lack of physical rigour and inability to be social. I was surprised by the limited extent of it. It wasn't completely absent but I felt that I did good as compared to what I had imagined. Good music and a good phone to take pictures really helped.

The plan was to go to see lake Blausee, spend an hour there, have lunch and leave for Kandersteg to see Oeschinensee lake which was apparently a 1 hour 45 min walk from the Kandersteg railway station. All in all, I planned to reach Bern by 16:30 and roam around for a bit before returning to Geneva.

I woke up early, got ready, even packed something for the trip and wasn't really in a rush. I was there at the station, sharp at 6:45 to board the train and did manage to catch the sunrise... so I was already off to a great start. I grabbed a coffee in Bern before I changed trains to go to Blausee. But, then the impromptu nature of the traveller in me kicked in. While cherishing the coffee, I decided, I might as well head to Kandersteg as it is further away and then come to Blausee on the way back. Again, Kandersteg was an addition to the trip and my main motive was to see lake Blausee. Anyway, the beauty of the region under the bright morning sun motivated me to continue going ahead and I ended up at the start of a trail up to the Oeschinensee lake.

A hike?! What, no! I am not a hiker and I can't emphasise this enough because I started panting after literally 5 min of walking in that direction. Plus, I wasn't really dressed for it. But something in me said that I had to do it. There was this will power that was insanely pushing me to continue climbing. It wasn't a very intense hike or that's what the internet said so I decided to go on with it. 1500 m, was supposed to take 2 hours at the most... took me 3. I had to console myself like a baby that I could do it. Bribing myself with metaphors at every step of the way - if you do this, you can do anything else, you can get that degree, that job, that life that you want... test yourself for what is going to come, the journey is a lonely one but you have you...Also took breaks every few minutes to catch my breath and just enjoy the view. I saw many other hikers, old and young, adults and kids just walking past me but it was comforting that no one was really judging as they were all focused on their own journey.

At one point, I reached a stage where there was no one around me. Just me and some snowy mountainous trail where if I slipped, I would've fallen into a jungle with no one to discover me and help me. I am not exaggerating... because I had kind of taken a trail not frequented by others (idk, why?). I took every step with a certain self confidence, one that I wasn't familiar with. I believed in my balance and was prepared to face the consequences in case I fell. And this was also strange because since the accident in 2019, I haven't really been able to trust my leg with running even. But guess what, I didn't fall. I reached the top, it was covered in snow and the views and the light just flashes before my eyes even now. It was a visual that I know that I am not going to lose for the rest of my life.

Further ahead, once I reached the top, I found two people walking in the snow who were kind enough to accompany me for the rest of the journey to the lake. We exchanged small talk, it felt good. I was expecting the summer in the mountains to show me a beautiful blue lake but a frozen one was what was waiting for me. Honestly, I was not disappointed because I had never seen a frozen lake in my life and now I have seen one. I did walk on it too, a little bit. There were quite a few people around so the path to the lake was paved in the snow, but there is some kind of deranged happiness that I was getting by messing a clean layer of snow, not trodded by anyone. :))

After having lunch, I decided to head back and was directed towards an easier trail. It was slightly windy but Yash Chopra's Veer Zara playlist really lifted my already happy spirit and that of my fellow companions going down. They hadn't asked for it, but they're welcome (lol). I then boarded the bus to Blausee and was super excited, I was finally going to see the place that I had been longing to see since last year. When I reached there however, the sheer number of people at the gate of the Blausee Natural Park was shocking. It was way too crowded for Swiss standards let alone COVID standards. So I decided not to go inside but walked towards Frutigen railway station to board the train. The views were flawless and the Swiss countryside was peaceful. I walked for about an hour and then decided to wait for the bus as I was kind of getting tired.

I returned to Bern and stepped out of the station but somewhere I felt that I couldn't make space for the curiosity one should have to explore a city. I did spend a little bit of time to see the main square and the clock tower but eventually decided to head home. It did not help that it was a Sunday and Bern was closed.

So yeah, that was my first 'solo' day trip. I am kind of excited to plan more such excursions and not be afraid of going out alone. Definitely a friend's company would've been appreciated but then I would not have been unabashedly supportive towards myself while hiking or walking.