Page 33 - asia

| STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALISON DAROSA |
“When I got lost, as I knew I would, could I surmount the Swiss/German lan-
guage barrier to ask for help getting back on track? Would somebody send out
a search party if I failed to show up at the night’s hotel?”

ike so many who read the
bestseller or have seen the
movie, “Wild,” I imagined my-
self in Cheryl Strayed’s boots.
I envisioned hiking alone in
L exquisite wilderness, savor-
ing silence, solitude. I saw myself conquer-
ing the ups and downs of a renowned trail
all on my own.

However, the “Wild” I envisioned was
uniquely my own. It didn’t include
Strayed’s horribly blistered feet or “Mon-
ster,” her impossibly heavy and overstuffed
backpack. It didn’t include sleeping in a
tent – especially one I had to carry and set
up myself. And forget freeze-dried food.

What I wanted was “Wild” for wusses.

I decided that a weeklong solo hike would
be “Wild” enough for me. I’d do it in Swit-
zerland, a hikers’ Mecca.
I signed up for a solo hike with SwissTrails,
a company that arranges hiking and biking
trips throughout the country. I asked for
what the Swiss call “soft” hiking on a rela-
tively flat route. We agreed I’d do the 6-day
Lake Lucerne Circle Hike. The company
arranges nightly lodging and transfers lug-
gage each day.

When I received my itinerary, I was excited
– and more than a bit intimidated.

Could I really do this alone? Hike 10-plus
miles a day, with daily elevation gains of
up to 4,500 feet? In addition to hiking, my
itinerary had me taking trains, boats, cable
cars and buses.

When I arrived in Zurich and met Swiss
Trails founder Ruedi Jaisli for my one-on-
one pre-hike briefing, he did his best to
reassure me: “This is one of the most spec-
tacular tours you can do in Switzerland,” he
said. “It’s a hike, not a climb. It’s self-guid-
ed; go at your own rhythm.”
Swiss hiking trails wander through bucolic
lakeside villages such as Bauen.

Wine Dine & Travel Winter 2015 33