Hiking - Kandersteg

 Rain was expected today, so we decided to stay close and explore the village of Kandersteg. After all, there are wanderwegs (hiking trails) everywhere here. We began by crossing the river past the Scout center and heading north toward the village. 

The path followed the river through the woods, peaceful and shaded. Along the way we saw the car train pass by again, and a few scattered houses tucked into the landscape. It was the perfect kind of hike—no steep climbs, just an easy walk with beautiful scenery.

We saw the sign to the Allmenalp cable car, but never did see the cable or the car or the towers. As we walked away though and upon really close inspection, we did see a cable car  going up the face of the mountain and a tower at the very top. We thought it was impressive that this cable car had a tower just at the bottom and just at the top.

When we reached the edge of town, we crossed back over the river and noticed some ski jumps on the hillside. Curious, we wandered in that direction and, to our surprise, there were people actually practicing. We stopped to watch, amazed by the speed and distance of their jumps—and then realized it was a group of girls. Go girls! Nearby we spotted a Nordic ski jump house, confirming this must be a training area.

From there, we strolled into town and treated ourselves to cold drinks: I had a mango-passion Lipton tea (delicious!), and Scotty chose a Coke. We found a bench in the center of town and enjoyed a simple lunch of salami, Alpine cheese, and a Ritter Sport bar.

Afterward, we continued wandering through Kandersteg, admiring the charming Swiss chalets decorated with bright flowers. 

As we neared the Scout Center, a light rain began to fall. We made it back to camp having walked a total of 7.75 miles. Neither of us felt tired—the combination of easy terrain and all our recent hikes is starting to make these distances feel natural.