Wheeler Farm Loops

Day 3

• Ran 4 miles around Grindelwald.
• Tram/Train to Murren via stereotypical ultra-efficient Swiss public transportation. Murren is only accessible in this fashion - no cars are allowed there. The town is really cool, perched up on a cliff above the Lauterbrunnen Valley (which is the Swiss version of Yosemite).
• Hiked up to the Schilthorn. It was a grind, so we snuck on the tram for a free ride back down.

Day 4

• Ran 6 miles w/ Andrea - Murren to Grutschalp and back.
• Murren to Gimmelwald (not to be confused with Grindelwald) Via Ferrata. For the most part it was a very easy route, but had an awesome exposed section and some fun bridges.
• Picnic by Staubbach Falls back down in Lauterbrunnen.
• Drove to Chamonix.

Day 5

• Ran 4 miles around Chamonix.
• Took the Flegere / Index lifts up and hiked across the mountain on the north side of the valley. First to Col du Lac Cornu and then to Planpraz, where we took another lift back down to the valley.
• The skies on the gnarly side of valley looked clear, so we took the cable car up to Aguille du Midi and hung out up there for a few hours.
• Wandered around town and finished the day by hot tubbing for a long time.

Day 6

• Ran 5 miles around Chamonix - town and nordic trails.
• Back up the Flegere/Index lifts - hiked to Lac Blanc, then up above the lac/lake, then to Lacs des Cheserys, and back to the Flegere refuge to complete one of the most stunning loops we have ever walked.
• Hot tub recovery.
• Another evening of Chamonix wandering. Had dinner outside right in the town center while a jazz group was playing. It couldn't have been any more perfect.

Day 7

• Ran 7 miles in Chamonix - town and nordic trails.
• Took the lift up to the top of Grand Montets for some viewing pleasure.
• Hiked from Lognan out to the Argentiere Glacier.
• Listened to some CosmoJazz at the glacier icefall.
• Drove from Chamonix to Lake Garda (Malcesine).

There's a helicopter in the photo above (for scale)

Day 8

• Ran 6 miles in Malcesine on the path along Lake Garda.
• Canyoning!!! I didn't know what to expect going into this adventure, and I'm not sure how to describe it beyond: IT WAS SO DOPE!!! We basically spent hours working our way down a canyon by sometimes rappelling down but mostly JUMPING OFF waterfalls. It was crazy fun. We came out of the canyon on a beach in Limone, jumped in the lake, and then our guide bought us beers. None of this would have been allowed in the USA. I lost my wedding ring but at least I lost it with a good story!
• Beach walking in Torbole
• Ran 5 miles w/ Andrea along the lake... her idea and a total death march because it was so hot out! But running along that lake is totally worth it - so beautiful!\
• Lots of town walking and wine wandering after dinner on the water.

Day 9

• Ran 11 miles on the Lake Garda path.
• Took the tram up to Monte Baldo and went for a hike along the ridge overlooking the lake. It was a little cloudy so we didn't get quite the views we hoped for, but it was still a good walk.
• Walking along and swimming in the lake.
• More town wandering before/after dinner. We really liked Malcesine.