BOLLINGER TREADMILL

Saturday, July 3, day 17 of our bicycle tour of the Alps, was a zero day of sorts. We had an extra day to spend in the Meiringen area, and we decided to go hiking. After visiting the tourist information center the previous evening, we had narrowed our choices down to two options: taking the gondola up to the Reuti area and hiking there, or taking a tram to Innertkirchen, riding a bus to the Triftbahn, and hiking up to the Triftbrücke. We chose the latter, having been inspired by photos of the long, narrow suspension bridge that crosses a tall chasm with views of a lake and glacier.

After arriving at the Triftbahn, we had the option of riding a gondola halfway up the mountain then starting our hike, or skipping the gondola and starting our hike from the bottom, meeting up with the gondola halfway up. We chose to start from the bottom.

The hike to the top of the gondola was mostly pleasant, the only problem being that I was hiking in Vibram Five Fingers, and they weren't waterproof at all. It wouldn't have been a big issue if the trail had been dry, but there were occasional stream crossings that got my feet wet. And then worse, it turns out that in Switzerland, unlike in California, trails often cross private land, which for us meant crossing through farms. One particular farm had a number of goats, and, well, let's just say the goats were messy, and the only way for us to continue was to walk through it. Yuck.

Anyway, eventually we reached the gondola, then continued on toward the suspension bridge. At this point the trail started to get a bit uneven, with lots of stepping on rocks of various shapes. In hiking boots it would have been fine, but with the Five Fingers my feet started to ache. Still, we pressed on, finally reaching the bridge after more than an hour more of walking.

The bridge was quite a sight, but it was even more fun to cross. For one, it's high up, over 300 feet above the river below. But just as crazy, it's very long, over 550 feet, and it takes a while to cross. Once you get out to the middle of the bridge, you're so far from either side that it starts to feel like you're on a treadmill -- you get the impression that you're moving, because you can see the bridge passing underneath you, but at the same time you feel like you're standing still, because you don't seem to be getting any closer to the opposite side. And then on top of that, the bridge has a slight bounce to it, and you can't help but question whether it's going to hold you long enough to make it across.

I made several panoramas from the bridge area; this one was taken from the west end after crossing back from the other side. 6 photos, 3 wide by 2 tall, stitched using Hugin. The lake below is the Triftsee; the Trift Glacier is out of the frame to the right.

My foot pain continued for the whole return trip, and we were glad to finally reach the gondola so we could ride down. We returned to Meiringen the way we came, then enjoyed a nice dinner at a pub in town. Then, somehow, despite all the World Cup craziness, we happened to sit in front of a TV that ended up showing the Prologue of the Tour de France. Go figure.

A GOAT-View document is used to view, query, and report on the available geographic data. LOL;-)

Domestic goats are one of the oldest domesticated species. For thousands of years, goats have been used for their milk, meat, hair, and skins over much of the world. In the last century they have also gained some popularity as pets. Goats seem to have been first domesticated roughly 10,000 years ago in the Zagros Mountains of Iran. Ancient cultures and tribes began to keep them for easy access to milk, hair, meat, and skins. Domestic goats were generally kept in herds that wandered on hills or other grazing areas, often tended by goatherds who were frequently children or adolescents, similar to the more widely known shepherd. These methods of herding are still used today.

Panoramic view of Hemsedal taken in Norway.

Als huisdier is de geit door de mens in alle werelddelen ingevoerd, behalve op de poolgebieden. Wereldwijd zouden er ongeveer 450 miljoen geiten zijn, verdeeld over een tweehonderdtal verschillende rassen. In hun oorspronkelijke, droge leefgebieden werden ze hoofdzakelijk gehouden voor het vlees en de huiden. Later ontdekte men in Europa dat de geit in staat is om grote hoeveelheden melk te produceren. Voor mensen die allergisch zijn voor koeienmelk is geitenmelk meestal een goede vervanger.