through verdant green hills dotted with
moss-covered rock outcroppings and
mountain streams to reach the hamlet
of Gruben (5,012 feet). It was dinner
and then hit the pillow after another
satisfying day.
The next morning brought them
face-to-face with Augstbordpass
(9,550), the last major pass to conquer
on their trek. Just on the other side
lay the Valley of the Mattervispa, and
a long, 5,900-foot descent that was
white-knuckle steep. They opted to
take an extremely steep cable car down
the last 2,000 feet.
“We’re all a bit type-A, so we were
all about getting to the destination. We
had to remind ourselves to pause and
take in the view of all these peaks. The
Weishorn, Breithorn, Mischabel and
others, every one of them 14,000 feet
or higher, reaching up into the clouds.
It just puts things into perspective!”
They stopped to eat lunch at
Jungu, overlooking the Village of St.
Niklaus far below. From there, they
were transferred to Zermatt, at the
foot of the Matterhorn. After a farewell
dinner, they enjoyed the night skies,
blanketed with stars, lit by a moon over
the Matterhorn. A spectacular sight.
Their last day included a four-hour
hike in the hills above Zermatt and
then said their goodbyes. For Laura is
was a trip well worth having taken.
“I started with brand new hiking
boots and by the end, they were
trashed, but they did their job! I’d seen
a few folks get hurt out there, but the
funniest thing was, I made the entire
trek without a problem on the trails.
It wasn’t until the last day, I tripped
over a picnic bench at the inn. Can
you imagine?”
Some time after her return home,
Laura spoke to an attentive group of
seniors at the YMCA. “They were really
delighted to see my photos and hear
94
about my trip. Some just assumed
they could never do a mountain hike.
Hearing that, I just couldn’t help
myself, I told them ‘It’s never too late to
take up hiking or diving. I’ve been div-
ing with people in their 70s. Just start
small and then go big!’”
Recently, Laura took her 18-month-
old great granddaughter out for a walk
and ended up teaching her how to scale
a small gully. “I coached her along as
she scrambled up and down the bank
of the gully. As we headed back home,
I told her, ‘Someday you’re going to
hike mountains with me, and you just
had your first lesson.’ Seriously, I had
just as much fun with her in that gulley
as I did hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro!”
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
december 2018-january 2019
Laura’s not one for sentimentality,
but she admits traveling has brought
out her philosophical side.
“My travels benefit me because I
set a goal to be active, try new things,
stretch myself a little. I train during the
year and anticipate the trip. I go with a
mindset to enjoy every minute. Before
the after-glow of one trip wears off, I’m
setting a new goal and planning my
next trip.”
“We can’t spend life thinking,
‘Someday I’ll do this or that.’ Someday
may never come. We all have jobs and
responsibilities. But we have to live
life!”
So if you’re ready to hike the Alps,
bonne randonnée!
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