Hiking up the Shilthorn, A James Bond Adventure

Water available in spigots.  Safe to drink and spring fed

Downtown Murren

Man out hand cutting his hay field...

This was a very large winter barn for the cows

sheep crossing the trail, they all have bells on.

WOW

This might be the only flat section of the whole hike...I was enjoying it so much I had to take a picture!

On the Birg deck 

One of the very few alpine lakes we saw

Trail marking up to the Shilthorn at the top

Steps chiseled into the rock

Ridge walk...

Nice sign

final steps to the top

Where we have been

Where we are going

James Bond saves the day

Kathi getting the mission call from M16

I'm taking the bobsled down the run, I am watching a movie and sitting in the bobsled. acting it out.

Please put the sound track from any of the James Bond movies into the sound track of your mind because today we are going to hike to the Schilthorn.  In 1968, the 007 movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was filmed at the top of the mountain, in the yet to be finished revolving restaurant. The building at the top of the Schilthorn was partially finished when the movie studio discovered it and the surrounding mountains were a perfect fit for the next James Bond movie.  The movie company swung a deal to finish the new building so it would fit with the design of the movie. When shooting for the movie was completed, they restored the building back to what it was originally going to be.  Sounds like a great deal for the area!

Many of the outdoor scenes were shot in the surrounding area of Murren.  Local people of the area were employed by the movie company to be skiers or extras in the movie.  The movie brought much excitement to the quiet area as well as an infusion of money and a revival of a bobsled run that had closed down

We started hiking at 8:08, made some really good time as we followed the signs to Schilthorn right out of town, and then the signs changed to some Wanderweg trail.  What?  We hiked back to the last sign, and checked our bearings and found we were on what we thought was the correct trail.  We retraced our steps, and while heading back we ran into a lovely lady and her dog who spoke English and reassured us we were on the right track.  (OK, the lady spoke English, I suspect the dog understood only German…)

There are three ways to the top, one steep shorter 7 mile hike, another route, which is the one we took, that was steep but stretched out to 7.85 miles, or just take the cable car up to the top of the mountain.  The hike we chose has lots and lots of up and then even more up.  This hike gains 4,300 feet of elevation over some 7.85 miles.

The hike to Schilthorn, direct from Murren is slightly less than the route we took, but we decided to take a side trip to Birg.  Birg is a cable car transfer station for people headed to the top of Schilthorn.  (A cable car from Mürren can be taken to Birg, which is the midway change before the Schilthorn cable car. This cable airway is the longest and was the most technically challenging airway to be built.) Birg has a skyline thrill of its own.  They have built this extended arm reaching out over the cliff with grated metal squares and glass so you can look straight down.  The grated system also allows for all of the wind to rush up at you.  Very freaky...hang on to your hat, as the updraft is significant.  The two outer corners are made of extreme plexiglass and for those who want to walk on air can venture out to stand there.  The whole time we were on this platform I witnessed one brave sole go for an air walk, a little girl around 9 or 10.  Her mother said something in a different language and she headed directly off the air walk.  Kathi ventured out onto the deck to shoot some pictures, but I don't recall if she walked over the clear part.  I know I didn't.

Out on this platform we were asked by some Asians to join a lady in her photo shoot.  The guy shooting the pictures had two very large cameras hanging around his neck and a third in his hands.  It seems very strange to be asked for a picture with someone you don't know.  I will keep that in mind when I see an important person with whom I might want a picture. 

We left Birg to hike the last up section.  If the first two thirds of this trail were steep, then the last third is just as steep and exposed.  The Swiss in their efficiency of engineering and building have made this a very efficient trail.  Every step having a purpose of getting you to the top with the least amount of steps taken.  This is the hike I have chosen to dedicate to a fellow teacher who had her third hip surgery in two years.  I am totally breathless thinking about having three difficult surgeries in such a small amount of time...  or maybe Im breathless as this trail is steep! The trail is well marked as it winds its way up the head wall.  Most of the time we stepped up and over the boulders, a few spots have steps chiseled into the rock and a cable handrail drilled into the sidewall. Well Kelly this one is for you!  I like the name of the mountain, it is an upward physical challenge, and full of mystery and adventure.

The last section features a ridge walk.  The ridge walk does have an installed cable looped through poles to hang onto as you negotiate the three-foot wide ridge.  At the half waypoint the cable loses it’s purchase on top of the ridge. The cable is in fact far off to the left and would require a person of my height to take a few steps in the air!  These are tiny details one does not notice when standing at the far side.  Just to add a bit more suspense to the story, did I forget to mention that the wind was blowing hard enough to flap clothes around? 

I see Kathi is just finishing her ridge walk by the time I get to this spot.  I have a hiker pretty close behind me, and judging by Kathi's facial expression, this ridge walk does not seem to look like this was a challenge...  for her.  So I put both hiking sticks into my right hand and take ahold of the cable with my left hand.  The ridge is about three feet wide but sort of hump back leaving the outsides of the ridge lower than the middle.  At the half waypoint I begin to notice the cable is really not in the middle of the ridge, it is progressively leading me to some serious steps of air.  So I stopped and stood with my clothes flapping and evaluated my choices.  I could just let go of the cable and walk forward trusting my ability to balance.  The wind was pretty nasty at this point, so I went to my next option. I was quite certain I needed to let go of the cable but what to do....  So I backed up a few steps and got down on my hands and knees and crawled across the skinny spot.  As I was getting back to my feet Kathi yells back at me inquiring what I was doing.  Well, besides praying, I was trying to keep moving forward, while staying alive!  Perhaps the fellow behind me was taking notes on what to do or maybe not do when passing this point.  Getting back up to my feet after my five feet of crawling, was nothing short of a concentration of exact movements.  Trust me I was thinking through every movement before I did it, and while I was doing it. When I finished my ridge walk, Kathi was standing there waiting for me and wanted to know if I was talking pictures while I was down on my knees.  Nope, I’m sorry no pictures of this event?  Some before shots, but that's all.  I asked how she got through that area and she reminded me her arms are longer...well yes, longer arms would have been helpful.

About 50 feet from where we will actually step on the building site of the Schilthorn there is a very funny sign reminding people not to hike in high heels.  This shows the good humor of the Swiss, or it shows the poor judgement of past hikers who made poor choices and the Swiss felt they needed to post a sign.

The hike up today was 7.85 miles which we covered in 5 hours.

The Schilthorn Mountain sits at the beginning of the Alps and you have an amazing 360-degree view of famous peaks along the range.  The building is called Piz Gloria, which was the mountaintop hideout of the villain in the James Bond movie.  It has a full 360-degree viewing deck with photos and helpful information detailing which mountain peaks you are able to see from the various views. On a good day one can see the Black Forest in Germany and all the way down to Mount Blanc.  Our view today was partly cloudy and very hazy, so no Black Forest or Mount Blanc, but certainly many other peaks to look at. 

We went inside to walk through the gift shop and were mistaken for Swiss.  The lady in the souvenir shop thought we were locals.  Yeah, we love to not look like tourists.  She started off with a big long paragraph in German, we said sorry we did not understand and asked if she spoke English. Yes, she was fluent in English.  She talked to us about the hike up, and said the hike down was very steep, better to  hike it up, and even better to take the cable car down.  No need to wreck your knees.

We did not buy anything but enjoyed the hiking chat.  We walked downstairs to spend time touring the 007 Bond Museum.  We had fun playing the different interactive features they had including riding in a bobsled and going for a helicopter ride.  We also watched some of the movie clips they shot at the site.

Our trip today included a stop at the revolving restaurant and seeing the plaque of the winter Inferno race results from Schilthorn down to Murren.  Our Host, Albert, won the event two times and his daughter won it four times.  We talked about this race yesterday with Kitty and Albert, but today we are standing at the top. It seems like it must be for ski crazy people, because this mountain is pretty steep!

After shooting some photos we decide to take the cable car down to Murren.  At half price it was still $48 Swiss francs for the two of us, but it definitely saved our knees.  We walked into our flat, changed our boots and walked downhill one mile losing 900 feet of elevation to visit the town of Gimmelwald.  It is a very authentic farming town.  We walked through it and found this barn right in the center of town with all of their Alpbuzug bells hanging on a rail outside their barn.

In September the farming communities celebrate the returning of the cows to their villages as they make their way down the mountains after having spent the summer months up on the alpine pastures. The villagers get ready to greet them by dressing in traditional costumes and preparing a celebration. You can hear the cows’ bells ringing from afar as the herd makes the descent adorned with beautiful flowers and their special ceremonial bells.

We returned home to pack and get ready for the next leg of our adventure.  What a great experience we had in Murren.  Tonight the stove worked great, perfect veggies and perfect potatoes.  We have not seen a microwave yet. 

9.85 miles hiked today.

Hmmm learned about Alpburzug’s, hiked and crawled on my hands and knees, Enjoyed a special moment with James Bond, walked the famous town of Gimmelwald (according to Rick Steves).  Saw a no hiking sign we have never seen before.  A very enjoyable day!  Returned to our flat to pack up and get ready for the next adventure.