I finally had a moment to take Andrew out to snap a few senior photos for the yearbook. He was a pretty good sport while we were there and I even got a few really genuine smiles out of him.  It was nice that the park I had chosen was empty.  We had the entire place to ourselves which was awesome.  It was a bit windy so I had to keep brushing his hair down but we managed.  We had planned on going to the club to do some swimming photos but decided that it was a little cold for that so we wrapped up our session and headed home.  On the way home he looked through the camera and had already picked out his favorites. It made me happy that he was happy with the photos.  I really had so much fun spending time with Andrew this afternoon.  I don't know what I am going to do next year when he is not here.  

The leaves in our neighborhood just started to turn colors this last week and so we thought we would head up to our traditional spot at Mueller State Park to see the fall colors.  It was kind of a hectic morning but we finally made it to the park around lunchtime.  We took our normal route along the Outlook Ridge trail to the Raven Ridge Overlook where we laid out our blanket and had a nice lunch on the rocks overlooking the valley.  There were some trees that had already turned colors but most of them were still light green.  Even though the colors weren't as dramatic as when we were at this spot last year it was still a beautiful day to be together as a family.  Madeline walked the entire trail to the overlook.  She was so fast that some of us had to walk quickly to keep up with her.  Peter found her the perfect walking stick that she faithfully carried the entire way. The rest of the crew played frisbee along the trail.  For lunch we had hoagie sandwiches, grapes, cheese, cookies and Capri suns.  Since Madeline was walking this year it was so fun to watch her explore after lunch.  She loved to walk up and down the rock formations and through the little grassy sections.  The teepee the girls had built last year with the fallen tree branches was surprisingly still standing.  We weren't sure if some of it had fallen during the winter but it seemed to be right where we had left it.  Madeline had fun sitting inside of the teepee and Abby spent most of her time playing in it.  The boys walked down the mountain a bit to where they normally explore and Peter had loads of fun hitting dead branches with an enormously large stick.  Andrew spent his time sitting on a big rock overlooking the views.  It was a little hotter than normal and so we didn't do the Grouse Mountain Overlook this year.  Still, it was fun to spend a few hours out of our day being together.  

​Breakfast was wonderful and we sat out on the veranda taking in the majestic views we were starting to take for granted.  We left the Hotel Bella Tolla and headed up to the Funicular where dozens of hikers were eagerly awaiting the quick trip up the mountain.  We were very glad to not have to hike up from St Luc.  We hopped off the Funicular and started our ascent to the Cabana Bella Tolla.  We decided to take a slightly longer route to the Medipass by going to the lakes and around. The thing that struck us about this part of the trip was that it was almost completely silent.  As we got closer to the Medipass, there was absolutely no sound.  No birds, no cowbells, no wind, no cars, no people.  It was as quiet as any place we had ever been in our whole lives.  You could spend all day here just being quiet out in the grandeur of the world.  It’s amazing that something so big can be so quiet.  The hiking was rather easy and a pleasant change from the immensely steep climbs of prior days.  We made it to the Medipass and clouds were moving in so we ate some lunch at the top and then headed down the trail to Gruben.  We had made it into the German speaking part of the Swiss Alps. No more pleasant French conversation, just harsh German that neither of us could understand.  The hike down into Gruben was fairly steep and we were thinking that Gruben was going to be this horrible place but it turns out that Gruben was quite a delightful town sitting on a little river.  At the hotel, we had ice cream sundaes on the veranda looking out to the mountains and the river.  It was SO good.  We both got our own.  The hotel Schwarzhorn where we stayed was more like a hostel, then a proper hotel, but it was great to have a place to stay and the showers were warm. How people do this trip staying in huts is beside me.  Hotels are definitely the way to go.  The mailbox where we mailed our daily postcard noted that August 31st would be the last day for pick-up this season.  Winter is coming!
 
Dinner was in stark contrast to prior dinners.  We were grateful for dinner, but we missed the delicious food of days past.  There were lots of hikers here because there were no huts so all the hut hikers and hotel hikers converged into one space here. We quickly determined that Americans are loud and mostly annoying.  There was an investment banker from Portland that we said hi to….we would see him randomly for the next 3 days in different places.

​A rest day!  What a marvelous idea.  Breakfast was not in the dining room, but rather in the 2nd floor salon.  It was as decadent and over the top as the dinner the night before.  All the usual assortment of goodies was found in abundance with the addition of crepes!  The best part was the stacks of oranges that you could cut and then juice. There is nothing better than truly fresh orange juice in the morning.  Why can’t store bought juice taste like this?!

​The hotel had given us a town venture pass, so after we ate breakfast, we headed up through the village to see if we could take the cable car up the mountain and then down into Zinal. Unfortunately, it was closed, so we hiked back over to the bus stop and took the Post bus over to Zinal to start our adventure.  Fortunately, the hotel pass made the bus ride free as well.  We headed further up the valley to Zinal which sits on the other side of the ski mountain from Grimetz.  Since it was fairly early in the morning, we headed out of Zinal fairly quickly and up, up, up into the forest.  The initial ascent was rather steep and we decided that the Swiss just didn’t have time to put in switchbacks, but probably should have at some point done that.  The path followed along the path for a marathon that ends in Zinal.  That would be one tough race.  Once we gained the ridge, however, the remainder of the hike was fairly gentle and flat as we hiked the rim from above Zinal to the Hotel Weisshorn.  The views back toward Zinal were ridiculous and it was hard not to stop and keep looking back toward the mountains.  We met a family from Belgium on our way around and enjoyed the watefalls, eating chocolate, and the views.  After a rather long hike, we made it to the Hotel Weisshorn where we had Fondue.
 
It turns out, we didn’t know how to eat Fondue, because no sooner had we started to eat, a rather obese French man sitting next to us came over grabbed a piece of bread and taught us how to eat Fondue properly.  He mostly used gestures and grunts to teach us, until he discovered that Mike spoke French. At that point, he used words to do the instructing.  Just watching his big meaty hands break the bread and dip it in the warm melty cheese was somewhat surreal.  We would see him and his wife later hiking down into St. Luc.  We will always be grateful for the random man who decided to put his hands all over our food so that we would no longer be stupid Americans eating Fondue incorrectly.  
 
Interestingly, our waiter was from Portugal and Mike got to speak Portuguese with him.  We headed out from the Hotel Weishorn with the intent of taking the Funicular down into St Luc, after all, we were pretty hammered from all the hiking.  However, it was about 45 minutes to the Funnicular and 45 minutes to just hike down to St Luc, plus, the family from Belgium told us it was a pretty hike, so we headed down.  It turns out, that it was a pretty hike and it was a nice way to end a long day of hiking with a leisurely stroll down the mountain.   The weather was amazing, and the views wonderful.  What a great place to be and a great time to be alive.  

We made it into St Luc and hiked past the Funnicular station straight into a Wes Anderson movie at the Hotel Bella Tolla.  It is hard to describe a place like this and do it any justice.  It is a storied boutique hotel wherein everything is perfectly appointed and prepared so that you can enjoy a quaint and terrific day in the mountains.  The staff were prepared for our arrival and knew us by name as we walked into the hotel. Our bags were waiting for us in our rooms with a bag of fresh fruit and a personal note from the host and hostess welcoming us to the hotel.  What a great place to spend a couple of days.  One thing of note throughout our trip was that the room keys in Switzerland are all attached to giant items.  At the hotel Bella Tolla it looked like a peppershaker for Andre the Giant. Where do people put these giant-ass keys?
 
Once we had gotten ready for dinner, we were greated to a phenomenal meal that was more a celebration of taste and design than anything in recent memory.  The décor of the dining room, the service, the presentation of the food were all over the top.  The host and hostess came to each table, speaking fluently in several languages making sure the guests were not only well cared for, but felt that their stay was personally important to the hotel.  It was a sight to behold and to experience.  After dinner, we sat outside under the stars and a furry blanket listening to the piano music drift into the night sky.  You could imagine that the stars in the night sky wished they could be so cozy and warm.

​We were up early and ready for breakfast.  Again, there was wonderful bread, cheese, granola, and fruit to get you ready for a day full of hiking.  Heading out of La Sage was spectacular.  The skies were bright blue and the mountains stood in brilliant contrast to the clear skies. We hiked steeply up through the farmland above La Sage.  With each step, more mountain peaks came into view and it was hard not to stop and constantly be taking photos.  We were glad to be in the trees for much of the initial climb because the climbing was tough and we got warm quickly.  Soon more glaciers came into view and we arrived at a little collection of chalets on the side of the mountain.  The path wound further up the mountain until we came to an amazing lake with waterfalls all around.  We only had to hike through a herd of bulls to get there. It was a little intimidating! This part of the trail reminded us of New Zealand! We took advantage of the gorgeous view to stop and eat some cookies and enjoy a little rest.  After leaving the lake we climbed steeply from there up to the Col du Tsate which is a pass at 2868 m.  We hadn't ascended too far from the lake when we heard a boy scream at his parents because he couldn’t make it.  Even in Switzerland, parents torture their children by making them hike in the mountains.  We were tempted to yell back, "You can do it," but decided against it.  With the lake in view we came across the most beautiful butterfly who joined us for part of the ascent.  It landed on Mike's hiking pole and stayed there for quite some time.  We loved our little orange buddy.  

​The views from the top were spectacular.  We could see the lakes down below and began to see the Glacier du Moiry around the bend.  We were excited to get down to the water!  It was a steep hike to get down! As we hiked, more and more of the Moiry glacier came into view.  It stood with its immensity at the top of the valley and was truly magnificent to behold.  I don’t think we realized how many glaciers there were in the Alps, but they were stunning. The lakes were dotted with little flowers and we were glad to be off the steep part of the mountain.  We had just missed the bus that went from the Glacier back down to Grimentz, so we decided to hike along the lake to the dam.  The water was a rich copper toned color of blue that it was hard not to just stare at it.  Looking back toward the lake with the the glacier in the background, it was hard not to be overhelemd by the grandeur of it all.  The hike was quite long and our feet were quite tired.  Sara had a close photography encounter with a cow, which was nice because it was hot down in the valley and the sun was beating on us.  By the time we made it to the dam, we were spent.  The thought of hiking another 2 hours to Grimetz was daunting, so we decided to take the Post bus down….and oh how grateful we were for that bus!  Even with its snarky English driver.  We took the bus down the impossibly steep terrain into Grimentz.

Grimentz was a pleasant surprise as it is an incredibly beautiful little ski town nestled on the side of the mountain.  It was so striking, so fun, so pretty that we spent the rest of the evening just walking around and admiring the quaintness of this little village.  Even the souvenir store was charming.  We stayed at the Hotel de Moiry and had dinner there. The thing that struck us most was the guy standing by the fire with a block of cheese the size of a Volkswagen with a giant samari sword of a knife sheering melted cheese off the side of the block of cheese onto plates.  It looked like liquid heaven.  We had another wonderful dinner and walked back through the town getting pictures and admiring the views, the flowers, the neatly stacked woodpiles, and the quaint old cottages.  We would spend the next few days here in Anniviers, and it would be well worth it. ​

​A gentle downhill day to start!  Or at least that’s what we thought.  It turns out there is no gentle grade in Switzerland. It’s either straight up or straight down…nothing gentle about it.  We awoke and had breakfast at the hotel (more bread, cheese, granola, and deliciousness!).  From there, we headed out along the lake.  There were lots of people fishing from the shore, speaking in French, smoking, and generally looking very European.  We turned behind the Hotel Alpina and started heading down from Champex to Sembrancher.  Our legs were quickly reminded of the many miles of steep downhill we had done just yesterday.  The views, however, today were excellent.  The clouds had lifted and we could see well the peaks of Valais.  It was truly breathtaking.  The trail followed mostly grassy fields down the mountain.  Along the way, there were many benches that allowed you to sit, relax, and enjoy the amazing views.  It was fun walking through little farming communities with their victory gardens, large farms, and quaint chalets.  It was so green and so majestic.  It was hard to take it all in.  This place was truly a beautiful and pastoral part of the earth.  ​

After winding down the mountain ,we made it to Sembancher.  It was exactly 11:00 AM when we were supposed to meet our driver, so we hurried through the town square as the church bells rang out the hour to make it to the train station.  We didn’t want to be late!  Fortunately, we weren’t late….in fact, they had totally forgotten about us, so we sat around for an hour before calling the tour company.  Eventually, someone called us back and 3 hours later, they came to pick us up.  We got to go back into town and walk around a little more, down to the river, but it was Sunday, so nothing much was open.  We did enjoy the vending machines in the train station, especially the pregnancy test called, “Maybe Baby”. Finally, a girl from Nampa, Idaho picked us up and took us back down into the central valley and onto the next valley to La Sage.  

Unfortunately, we got to La Sage a little late in the day, so we decided to go for a stroll through the town and down one of the country lanes.  La Sage is at the feet of a few peaks and is truly one of the most striking views to be seen on the planet. There are 2 peaks that sit right at the end of the Val d’Herens.  They rise above the green farmland and truly blow your mind.  It is so big, and so sudden that it is hard to imagine being around something so grand.  These peaks sit in a backdrop of other peaks forming a little fiefdom of grand vistas.  We took this time to go on a little hike through the farmland and made the bend toward the glacier that feeds the river that comes down through the Valley.  We enjoyed the farmland and the little chalets and of course the ridiculous views of the mountains.  We made it back to our hotel, Hotel de La Sage, in time for dinner. Dinner was magnificent and was punctuated by a chocolate mousse that we both inhaled so quickly we were sad that it was gone.  The dinning room windows faced out over the peaks making the food taste all that much better because the views were so immense.  After dinner, we got packed up for the next day and went to sleep.  ​

​Of course, being excited, we didn’t realize that we took the hardway to Champex Lac over the Fenetre d’Arpette instead of the easy way up the valley.  This ended up being great, because the views and the scenery were amazing.  When we got to the end of the flat trail, we found ourselves at the base of a glacier and a beautiful river running from the glacier. The water has a milky white appearance and the thing that surprised us was just how much water there was and how green everything was.  Everywhere you turned you could see waterfalls, lush vegetation and sharp mountain peaks.  From the stream, we started to make our way up the mountain.  The trail was amazing, hard packed dirt winding up through trees and stones that appeared like they had been borrowed from a Lord of the Rings movie.  The weather was overcast and the misty mountains would stick their heads out now and then to remind us that we were small little dots climbing up formidable terrain.  After a few miles, we came to a mountain hut that overlooked the glacier and the river. We sat on a bench and ate some chocolate and cheese.  Some other hikers were making their way down from the pass and they looked fairly haggard and beleaguered.  Undaunted, we continued our climb toward the Fenetre.  The path grew steeper and steeper and it seemed like the Swiss didn’t believe much in switchbacks.  Further and further into the mist we climbed until we made it to the pass.  The views weren’t great due to the mist, but just making it to the top was exhilarating.   It even snowed a little at the top. It was a steep climb!  We could tell that this trip would be no joke.  After a quick lunch, we started down the other side toward Champex Lac.  We could see why everyone looked so destroyed coming down the other side….this side was steep and boulder filled!  It must have been terrible coming up this way.  We continued down until we were back amongst the trees and flowers.  We saw a hiker eating huckleberries but didn't’ try any ourselves.  We continued down toward our destination and made it into some area with some cows and came across our first Swiss electric fence.  It was kind of cool because it was a solar powered battery that was attached to some line that was electrically charged.  It looked like it was easy to move around and change depending on where you wanted your cattle to graze.  

We continued down (it just seemed to keep going) until we came to a beautiful waterfall.  After some pictures, we ambled into the lake town of Champex.  It’s a little village / ski resort that sits on a pristine mountain lake.  The water was so clear you could see everything in the lake.  We found our hotel, with our luggage waiting at the hotel du Glacier.  We ate a wonderful dinner filled with salad (watermelon southern salad to be exact), meat, and cheese and then went for a walk along the lake.  We came back to our little hotel, talked with the kids, and then fell asleep.  It was quite a hike afterall! ​

Speaking of which, Geneva airport looks like it fell out of the 1970s.  The 1970s will forever be known as the era where all construction should have been halted. It produced the ugliest buildings on the planet, with the airport in Geneva being one of them.  Now the approach into Geneva was beautiful. Flying along the lake, mountains in the distance.  But the airport is not much to look at.  You deplane and hop on a little bus and then go into the arrivals hall and border control. Soon you are waiting for your luggage and then zipping off to find out that your van doesn’t leave for another 1.5 hours.  Fortunately, the Geneva airport has many spots to get bread, chocolate, and other expensive and tasty things.  We opted for chocolate (having just had breakfast on the plane).  Eventually, it was time for the AlpyBus.  We followed the guy out to the bus and then he took roll call….Michelle?  Michelle? Eventually, Mike stepped forward and said, “Michael?”.  He responded, “In France, you are Michel.”  So it was and off we went on the bus to Chamonix with six other lost souls starting their next adventure in the middle of the Alps. ​

From Chamonix, you ascend at a ridiculous pace and angle on the cable car with swoons of other awe struck tourists from all over the world. Interestingly enough, the Indian tourists were the pushy ones cutting in line and trying to squeeze ahead for some mysterious purpose.   In the end, we all made it to the top and all got to see the amazing views of Mont Blanc and the valley below.   The entire experience was much more grand than we could have realized.  The first cable car takes you only so far, and then you change to a smaller car and then take an elevator to the top.  It is ridiculously high and with each ascension you get another ridiculous view of the stunningly beautiful Alps and the overwhelming Mont Blanc.  While waiting in line to do “standing in the void” (a glass box hovering over the abyss), Mike ran into some Brazilians and chatted with them for a while.  Once the view and selfies and pictures were done, we descended back down into the now gathering clouds to go back to Chamonix.  We walked around the town, which was fairly crowded with tourists and touristy shops.  We did find a cool shirt for Sara that was for the Tour de Mont Blanc, which is an ultra race that goes all the way around Mont Blanc.  The race looked well organized and seemed like something that would be fun to do at some point in your life.   As always, its fun to see the butcher shops, pastry shops, and super markets which are so different than what we have and do in America.  After walking around and looking in the various shops, it was time for dinner. Mike had made reservations at at little restaurant called Panier de 4 Saisons.  It is a cute little restaurant well decorated with the feeling that you are in a well-appointed ski cabin.  It was absolutely charming.  We ordered the set dinner and quickly dove into the fresh bread.  Everything was delicious and immaculate from the salad to the desserts.  We both got the duck and it blew us away.  You can’t go to France without having a great dinner.  If only we knew that our gastronomic vacation was just beginning.  From dinner, it was back to the hotel.  Having been awake for a long time at this point, we were ready for bed…and ready for the next day’s adventures.  

​Everyone was a bit tired this morning so Mike and I took advantage and went out skiing without the kids.  Andrew joined us mid morning and then Mike went back to watch the kids and start packing up our stuff.  Andrew and I did some harder runs.  We headed up the Silver Queen Lift and went down Crystal, Twister and Upper and Lower International, which were all black runs.  I definitely preferred the black runs that did not have a ton of moguls. Upper and Lower International were actually fantastic runs.  It was so much fun skiing with Andrew.  He is such a fantastic skier. 

It was a sunny Sunday on the Mountain.  Everyone was a bit slow to get going, but once we did, we were off into a beautiful sunny day.  Andrew stayed behind with Madeline to get some rest and to let his hand recover a little more.  The rest of us went up the Silver Queen lift and took some of the first turns through Paradise Bowl.  Early morning is a lot better than when the lines have been all chewed up by everyone else.  Bright sunshine was nice as well because it was easy to see where you wanted to go.  The lines were fast and the bumps were easy.  It was a nice way to start the day.  Abby crushed another black today, so it was nice to see her progressing toward hitting any run on the mountain.  Paradise Bowl is a wonderful cruiser that you can follow all the way down to the East River lifts.  It's quite a run.  At lunch, we all met back at the apartment.  Madeline ate half the watermelon and then put on Abby's helmet because she didn't want to be left out.  Sorry Madeline, you can't ski yet!  After lunch Sara and the boys headed out, then Emma joined them for some more afternoon turns.  Abby and Dad watched Harry Potter while Madeline took a nap.   

It's hard to imagine a more serene feeling than carving down a mountain in the early morning sun.  That's how our day started.  Bright sun.  Fresh snow.  Empty mountain.  Actually, our morning started with eggos and milk, but the snow came soon after.  At the end of our condo, you drop down to a little lift that takes you through the Aspens.  From there, you can grab an express lift to the top of the mountain.  Sara stayed with Madeline for the morning and the rest of the kids and me took the first turns on fresh groomers and fresh powder.  It was sublime.  Abby even crushed her first black run with no problem.  Andrew was catching good air and floating in the powder and Peter was ripping down the mountain as fast as possible.  It was fun to see the kids crushing it.  Unfortunately, Andrew got some huge air off a jump and landed weird and messed up his thumb.  Since it was swelling quickly, I took him down into town and called the on-call Orthopedic Surgeon.  He came in with his daughter, took some X-rays (no fractures!), and put a cast around Andrew's thumb and wrist.  He was one of the nicest most mellow Surgeons I have ever met, and he didn't charge us as a professional courtesy.  People like that are the reason I became a surgeon, and its good to see there are still great people like that out there.  

After lunch, Sara went back up with the other kids and I met up with them a little later.  The kids had fun skiing down the Paradise Bowl down to the Paradise Express lift while Sara tried out her new GoPro 6.  With voice control and a bunch of new features the GoPro was fun to use.  She even got a new handheld stick so that she could get lots of great angles.  Eventually, the clouds rolled in and it was a little overcast, but the cruising was still good.  Any day on the mountain beats a day in the office.  Life is just better in the mountains.  

Today we got up and finished the rest of our packing before heading to Crested Butte.  Mike had a few patients to see up at the AFA and Urgency Center and stopped by Memorial Hospital to see our friend who was admitted to the hospital the night before.  It was a busy morning for both of us.  I wasn't moving very fast because I was sick with RSV that I got from Madeline who had been sick the previous week.  By the time everything was all packed and ready to go we double checked our reservation and had quite a scare as the website said our reservation had been cancelled.  We called the place where we were staying and were relieved that our reservation was still good.  We got in the car and headed to Rudy's and had quite a fabulous lunch of brisket, chicken, potato salad, and chocolate pudding.  From there it was a relatively easy drive all the way to Gunnison where we stopped at the City Market to stock up on groceries.  It's a good thing we were close to Crested Butte because we were all tired and hungry.  This year we found a VRBO at the San Mortiz Condominiums.  The placed was pretty great with enough space for all of us.  It was a little older than the place we stayed at last year but more convenient in many ways because it was a ski in-ski out.  We unpacked all our gear and made a quick dinner of hot dogs and milk.  After putting Madeline to bed we all watched the new Jumanji move and laughed so hard at all the funny parts.  

​Sometimes the best way to get out of hibernation mode is to have just one warm day. 
The weather was unusually warm today for this time of year and so Mike and I took advantage of it and went for a hike up Stanley Canyon.  It was a great start to our training to get ready for our 10-day adventure hiking through the Swiss Alps for our 20thAnniversary. The trail started out on a dirt path until we got to the trailhead.  From there the trail was a little like Barr Trail but with bigger rocky sections.  It was straight up for 2.5 miles.  Mike was so smart to grab both of our trekkers because it wasn’t too long before we had to put those on to scramble up and over the snowy and icy sections where the creek had frozen over.  It was so much fun walking through snow, then ice, then dirt, then snow again.  We kept our trekkers on most of the way up the canyon.  When we got to the top at Stanley Reservoir, we were saddened to see that they had drained it.  We walked around the once full reservoir to the other side and found a great place to eat our lunch.  When we were ready to head back down the mountain we walked through the empty reservoir to the other side and made our way back down the trail.  It was just as much fun traversing down than it was going up. My favorite section was in the middle of the canyon where we traveled through a snowy path.  It was a relatively flat terrain, which made it so much fun.  We made it back to our car in less than 3 hours from when we started.  The total distance we hiked was 5 miles.  Being in the mountains again really rejuvenated us and made us excited for more hiking down the road.