Oeschinen See Hike & Alpstein Hike

During the first week of October 2014 one of our good friends from NYC, Sameer, came for a visit.  While he was here we went on two hikes.  The first hike was a day trip to Oeschinen See (Oeschinen Lake) near the city of Kandersteg in the Oeschinen valley.  We took the train from Zürich to Kandersteg, rode a cable car up the mountain, and then went on an easy hike to the lake giving Sameer a great introduction to the beauty of Switzerland.

Oeschinen See Hike

Walk from train station to cable car

Mya LOVES to pose for a photo.

Hike to the lake

Row boat on the lake

The second hike was a biggy.  Kevin, Sameer, Mya and I (and about 17 of our friends plus Lenny), took the train over to Appenzell to hike the Alpstein mountains (a subgroup of the Appenzell Alps).  This was our first overnight hike where we stayed in a hut called The Meglisalp.  The second day we hiked from The Meglisalp to The Aescher, a famous guesthouse and restaurant nestled into a dramatic cliffside.  HP (who is from Appenzell) had organized the trip, and had forewarned us that the hike from The Meglisalp to The Aescher would have exposed passages like this:

I saw that picture and thought Umm, Hells to the no!  I don't want a 5 Lakes repeat panic attack.  Although to be honest, this one would have been much worse.  Most likely requiring a helicopter rescue.  Luckily my Preggo in Crime, Mel, went on the trip as well and wasn't up for that intense of a hike (I was 9 weeks pregnant at the time and she was 19 weeks).  So while everyone else braved the challenging hike to The Aescher, the pregnant ladies along with their husbands and puppies just walked back the way we came the previous day and took a cable car up to The Aescher instead.  Much more sensible if you ask me.

Day 1:  Hike to The Meglisalp

The Hiking Crew

Mel taking a "short cut".

We reach! 

The big house on the left is The Meglisalp.

Day 2: The Preggo/Scaredy Cat Hike to The Aescher

The rest of the group was hiking up this.  No thanks.

Mya checkin' out the view.

Mel and I playing in the leaves.

Mya and Lenny playin' in the leaves #myamisseslennon.

The is the same mountain and lake that's on the beer Quöllfrisch (a Swiss beer from Appenzell).

Mya and Lenny did not care for our lunch guests.

Getting real close to The Aescher.

I, apparently, was so over the hike by now.

The Aescher

A post hike reward for Mel and me (Jose ate one of these bad boys all by himself slow clap).

Oh, and let's not forget that this happened while Sameer and I visited Sprüngli - a chocolate shop in Zürich....