Friends in Five women set out to fulfill

A
s I hiked through a cool,
wildflower-studded for-

High Places
est on the first morn-

a decades-long dream ing of a weeklong trek

in the Swiss Alps, I was

of trekking the Swiss Alps struck by the quiet. There were no cars.
No sirens. Not a single person yelling
BY COLLEEN DUNN BATES into a phone. But as my ears adjusted,
I started hearing more: birdsong, the
sound of my friends’ poles spiking the
trail, and wasn’t that rushing water
somewhere?
When my friends and I reached a
vast meadow with mountain views
so astounding we needed a stop to
catch our breath, we heard something
else, too.
“Where in the world are those bells
coming from?” asked Susan.
“You’re not looking up enough!”
answered her sister Marianna.
Sure enough, in a rocky meadow
high above us, we spied grazing cows,
each wearing a clanking bell. (How did
the cows get up there, anyway?)
I’d been longing to do this inn-to-
inn Alpine trek since 2000. During an
annual ski trip that year, my friend Lynn
Angell raved about the Alpine trek she
and her husband had done the previous
summer. I didn’t know such a thing was
even possible and promptly made it a
life goal. For me, walking is the best way
to experience a place, and ever since I’d
taken a spectacular train ride through
the Alps in my early 20s, I’d dreamed of
returning to explore the region on foot.
With boon companions? Even better.
I’d hoped to do the trip with Lynn
and several other women, but the next
year, she and her husband were killed
on one of the hijacked planes on 9/11.
We were, of course, devastated. It
took 2 decades for me and the other 2
founding members of our old ski group
to make the trip happen, and we found
The author and her friend Marianna 2 other brave women to join us. Jen
take in sweeping views of the Engadin

SALLY REEDER
was the baby at 49, and the rest of us—
Valley on the first day of their trek.
my friend Sally (Jen’s mom), my friend
Susan, and my new friend Marianna

28 | AAA EXPLORER APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2023 APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2023 AAA EXPLORER | 29

 to a Via Engiadina trailhead well above
the tree line. Setting out at an eleva-
Clockwise from top left: Marianna greets tion of at least 7,500 feet, we all felt
cows on the trail; lunch at the Alp Laret the altitude as we hiked about 3 miles
stone hut; a handy water trough in the to the Alp Laret stone hut, where we
ancient village of Guarda.
plopped down at a picnic table for
lunch. (While some hikers spend their
nights in huts, we visited them only for
midday meals.) With warm sunshine
on our backs and the Alps spread out
before us, we dined on barley soup
(a tasty staple of Engadin huts) and
radlers (a refreshing drink blending
lager and lemon-lime soda). Marianna,
who’d lived in Germany for many years
and knew the language, chatted with
the waitress, whose family had resided
here for the past 14 summers while
serving food and drinks to hikers and
mountain bikers. The 5 of us also got
to know each other better. For exam-
ple, we learned that Jen had donated
a kidney to her husband, who’d been
stricken with a kidney disease when he
was very young; clearly, the donation
hadn’t slowed her down.
After lunch, we took off on what
she said, gingerly leading us past. We
soon spied the flock of sheep far above
Engadin
and understood why the dog was so Treats
protective. That night, at the wood- You’ll find an Italian influence in the
paneled Hotel Meisser in the ancient Swiss cooking here. Be sure to sample
village of Guarda, we enjoyed a dinner these specialties:
of local vegetables, pasta al pesto, and
chocolate mousse, then slept the sleep Bündner Gerstensuppe
of the exhausted. A hut staple, this barley soup (pictured)
is a clear but richly flavorful broth
Let It Rain scattered with bits of ham or bacon,
carrot, celery, potato, white beans, and
The next day, the weather turned. After
a handful of nutty, chewy barley.
getting a late start due to confusion
over our train ride to the trailhead, we Bündner Nusstorte
climbed a steep farm road for a mile or A shortbread pie with a walnut-cream-
so, watching the skies grow increasingly honey filling, this treat is ideal to pack
dark. Sally, our most senior hiker, was for a hike.
feeling the elevation gain, and when she
decided to slow down, Jen stuck with Bündnerfleisch and Salsiz
her, telling us, “You guys go ahead, and Historically, surviving Alpine winters
we’ll meet you at the hotel tonight.” meant mastering dried meats, and
these air-dried beef and sausage
An hour later, as Susan, Marianna,
snacks are exceptional.
and I entered the broad, treeless
Es-cha Valley, thunder rumbled; a little

(Susan’s sister)—were in our 60s and
70s. But we were a pretty fit bunch,
Tips From committed to training for 10-mile
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: SUSAN HARMON; JEN REEDER; COLLEEN DUNN BATES; CLAUDIO COLOMBO/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
looked to be the obvious trail. But 20
minutes later, I noticed we hadn’t seen
any of the red-and-white trail markings
painted on rocks. Had we missed a
turn? Fortunately, a friendly Swiss hiker
enlightened us: We’d walked right past
language and English is widespread.) a tall pole with a clearly marked yellow
We’d planned a self-guided trek sign—we’d been studying the footpath
on a few trails, but mainly on the Via so closely to avoid tripping on rocks

the Trail day hikes, and if we didn’t go now,

Beware hiking times. The copious
trail signs note hikes by time, not
distance. These seemed to be based
on how long it would take for a
30-year-old who’s been hiking these
trails since toddlerhood. It will likely
take you longer.
Bring hiking poles. Trails are often
steep, rocky, wet, slippery, and/or
then when?
So this past July, we all converged
on Scuol, a small town in southeast
Switzerland with 300-year-old houses
decorated with ornamental paintings,
lushly planted flower boxes, and arched
wooden doors. The picturesque village
is the gateway to the Engadin, a long,
narrow valley cut by the Inn River, dot-
ted with a string of time-stands-still vil-
Engiadina, the path that runs the length
of the valley. The route blends high-
and roots that we’d missed seeing the
marker. So we backtracked. Lesson
quality hotels (6 in all) and great food learned: Look up!
with spectacular scenery. Importantly We c o n t i n u e d o n , a c k n o w l -
for us, our daily hikes of 8 to 13 miles edging occasional hikers by call-
were said to be only moderately diffi- ing out “Allegra,” the customary
cult. (Though we would soon discover Romansh greeting. At one point, 50% O FF
that “moderately difficult” was in the while traversing a huge, flower-
eyes—or legs—of the beholder.) dotted meadow, we heard distant PRESCRIPTI O N LEN SES
when you purchase a complete pair*
“baas” but couldn’t see their source.
Hitting the Trail Not long thereafter, a large, uncol- *

narrow. lages and punctuated by snowcapped After a night at Scuol’s handsome lared dog barked at us, refusing to 3 0% O FF SU N G L A SSES
COLLEEN DUNN BATES

peaks and Alpine lakes. (The Engadin is Guarda Val hotel, we had breakfast cede its spot on the trail and clearly
Stay hydrated. Every village—and also one of the only places left in the and reviewed maps and route instruc- unhappy with our presence. Thankfully,
often huts and trails, too—has troughs world where people speak Romansh, tions. Then we snagged rolls, cheese, Jen, my journalist friend who special-
that pipe delicious Alpine water to refill a first cousin of Italian, Spanish, and and cured meats from the breakfast izes in pets, also turned out to be a *Restrictions and other conditions apply. Visit AAA.com/Lenscrafters for details.

your bottle or pack bladder. French, although German is the official buffet to snack on and rode a gondola dog whisperer. “That’s a good girl,”

AAA.COM AAA.COM
lenscrafters-ad-redo.indd 1
APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2023 AAA EXPLORER | 31
2/10/23 7:44 AM

Switzerland
If You Go
Several outfitters offer guided
treks in the Alps or arrange
self-guided hikes. The author
booked a self-guided Engadin
Trek with Ryder-Walker
Alpine Adventures, which
reserved the 3- and 4-star
hotels (breakfasts and dinners
included), transferred luggage
each day, and provided route
information. The treks are
offered from June to October.
On a scale of 1 to 4, this trek
was rated a 4 for comfort
(hotels and food) and a 2.5
for difficulty (there are no 2s
in the Alps). Prices for 7 nights
start at $3,120.
Your AAA travel advisor
can help plan and book
your next trip. Visit a AAA
branch, call (800) 814-7471,
or go to AAA.com/explore.
32 | AAA EXPLORER APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2023
From left: Marianna
navigates a boulder
field; Guarda is one
of several storybook
villages along the
Engadin trekking route.
later came the rain—and then light-
ning. We were the only people foolish
enough to be out in the exposed val-
ley, but we donned our rain gear and
slogged on. As the trail grew rockier
and steeper, we heard a distant “yoo-
hoo!” and saw Sally and Jen far below,
signaling that they were turning around.
My group didn’t make it to the hut for
lunch until 2:45, soaking wet and starv-
ing. When Marianna and I ordered soup
with a side of wienerli (Vienna sau-
sages), Susan said, “Make it 3.” She’s a
pescatarian who hadn’t touched such
a thing in years—but this day had done
her in. As she inhaled a wienerli, she
said, “This is the best damn thing I’ve
ever eaten!”
The storm passed and we stag-
gered into the village of Zuoz, our stop
for the night. Jen and Sally arrived
safely, and over glasses of Chianti, we
learned that Sally had slipped on a wet
rock and cut her hand. With rain pour-
ing and lightning flashing, Jen appar-
ently had told her, “Let’s get the hell
off this mountain!” Now safe and dry,
we all laughed. Jen sipped her wine
and announced, “We’re doing the
pinks from now on and will meet you
for happy hour.” In our guidebook, the
“pinks” were the easier hiking options
each day. They led to the same desti-
nations and still involved plenty of jaw-
dropping scenery, so when we reunited
each evening for Aperol spritzes, all par-
ties inevitably glowed.
“No Sorry on the
Mountain”
Over the coming days, we encountered
all sorts of new sights and experiences.
One sunny morning we rode the ador-
ably red Muottas Muragl funicular. At
the top, we enjoyed watching kids on
the playground (all the summertime
gondolas and funiculars have play-
grounds at the top and bottom). Then
Jen and Sally took a lower hiking route
to a little mountain restaurant, where
an enchanting alpenhorn quartet
played. Meanwhile, Susan, Marianna,
and I climbed what seemed like a mil-
lion stone stairs to the Segantini hut,
AAA.COM
FROM LEFT: COLLEEN DUNN BATES; MATTIAS NUTT/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
which is famous for its barley soup.
“You wouldn’t believe the little kids
who made the hike to our hut!” said
Sally when we met for spritzers later
that afternoon.
“Same at our hut,” Susan replied.
“And the parents with toddlers in back-
packs, climbing all those stone stairs!”
We agreed that Americans could learn
from those hardy Swiss families.
They got the music, we got the
delicious soup, and despite our dif-
ferent routes, we all took in magnifi-
cent views of the mighty Bernina and
other peaks, as well as a glider catching
the mountains’ wind currents. It was a
perfect day.
For our final hike, a 10-miler, Sally
said, “I want to finish this together—no
pink for me today.” We walked a couple
of miles uphill and she paused several
times, saying, “Sorry, I need a break.”
Then I announced a new rule: “There’s
no sorry on the mountain.” We were in
this together, and we were all happy to
slow down and ogle the close-up wild-
flowers and distant glaciers. “All right
AAA.COM
then,” said perpetually cheerful Sally,
“I’ll just say ‘thank you.’ ” Which she did,
every time we paused for a catch-your-
breath-and-take-in-the-views break.
Late that afternoon, the 5 of us
descended ancient stone steps into
Soglio, an unspeakably charming vil-
lage on a hilltop near the Italian bor-
der. We were giddy with the sense of
accomplishment, and ready for one last
Aperol spritz to toast the bonds we’d
made. We had arrived here with a range
of ages, fitness levels, and hiking expe-
rience. We were a mix of old and new
friends. But after trekking more than
60 miles together on foot and shar-
ing great meals and lots of laughs, we’d
become a team. “I’d walk anywhere
with you all,” said Marianna when we
said our goodbyes. “Funny you should
say that,” I replied with a smile. “I have
a couple of ideas.”
Longtime AAA contributor COLLEEN
DUNN BATES frequently goes hiking
near her home in Southern California.
APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2023 AAA EXPLORER | 33