Switzerland on All Fours - Hardcover

Clark, Lloyd

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1425185746 ISBN 13: 9781425185749

Publisher: Trafford Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

A Fox Terriers memoirs of his 250 mile walkies on the Swiss Alpine Pass Route, a spectacular 250 mile traverse of the Swiss Alps that includes 58,000ft of ascent.

About this title

From the Author:

Harry was just under a year old when I got him in January 1997. Despite living in the midst of countryside, he had never been beyond the confines of the small garden in which his kennel was located though he did have the company of his mother and brother. I had grown up with dogs and now I was living alone, I missed the company that a dog affords. I wanted a dog that would enjoy limitless exercise and be of a tenacious character and Harry provided both.

Due to a problem with his left eye, Harry had to have an operation within weeks of joining me and from then on only had one eye. The loss of his eye has never really bothered him though he does occasionally walk into things and has been known to step from the canal towpath into the canal on occasion. He looks shocked when he hits the water but just hauls himself out and gives a somewhat embarrassed shake to eliminate the water from his fur! As the missing eye is on the dark side of his face, it generally goes unnoticed by adults though children always seem to instantly realise that something is missing.

During our first few months together, I introduced Harry to walking and cycling covering anything up to thirty miles in a day. This lead to our first holiday together in Scotland and Harry's first mountain summit; Ben Nevis (which he was last on top of in May 2008) on a clear day but still covered in its winter snow and battered by gale force winds. Since then, Harry has scaled every mountain higher than 3,000ft in England and Wales, all those higher than 4,000ft in Scotland as well as countless munros. We have also ventured overseas and scaled many Alpine peaks reaching Harry's altitude record of 12,283ft in the process!

However, whilst Harry enjoys his day walks, it is on the multi-day routes that he really excels. More at home in a tent than in a house, this is one Smooth Fox Terrier who thoroughly enjoys waking every morning and embarking on a fifteen to twenty mile hike. A veteran of long distance routes in the UK; the West Highland Way (Glasgow to Fort William), Great Glen Way (extended version from Oban to Inverness) and Isle of Man Coastal Path and also of the Tour du Mont Blanc (the 110 mile circumnavigation of the Mont Blanc Massif), Harry's greatest challenge was yet to come.

At ten years of age, he was no spring chicken. However, ten years of going up mountains and munros, across bogs and moors, swimming rivers and crossing forests had prepared Harry well. The Swiss Alpine Pass Route makes use of a number of different paths both old and new to complete a traverse of the Swiss Alps between the medieval town of Sargans in the east and Montreux on the sun drenched shore of Lake Geneva in the West. The route is well marked and offers possibly the most varied long distance trail in Switzerland. Crossing 16 passes in 15 stages, the walker ascends around 58,000ft; the equivalent of two Mount Everests, and passes many famous peaks such as the Eiger, Monch and Jungrau, Todi and Titlis and the Wetterhorn.

Weather conditions in Switzerland can be extremely changeable and should always be fully considered prior to attempting any walks across or among the Alps. We were extremely lucky for much of the walk but, with hindsight and maybe armed with better weather forecasts, the crossing of the Foo Pass would never have been attempted in the heavy June snows. In fact, had time been available, it would have been prudent to delay the start. That said, any delay would have then meant walking the latter stages in extreme heat which has its own other sets of problems.

As with all long distance routes that Harry and I have undertaken, we were unsupported and camped wherever legally possible though occasional nights in hotels were necessary due to Swiss regulations that ban camping anywhere other than on official sites. This method provides freedom but the downside of carrying a 75 litre Deuter rucksack weighing in excess of 50lbs may put many others off.

Cows with ringing bells, dark timber chalets, brightly coloured flowers, cascading waterfalls, quaint remote villages and a chance meeting with Prince Hans Adam II von Liechtenstein and his Labrador were encountered as we crossed from the German speaking regions into the French speaking zone. The remoteness of Richetli contrasts sharply with the hustle and bustle of Montreux yet all areas are undoubtedly Swiss in character and each town, village, pass and remote Alp brings its own charms and unique flavour to this challenging route. The APR is a route that is challenging enough to a well prepared human but imagine attempting this route on all fours; that is exactly what Harry did.

Weighing in at 11kgs, Harry took the route in his stride despite sub-zero temperatures at the start and 30º heat at the end. Neither sore feet nor frozen fur halted his progress and Montreux was reached successfully and on schedule. Switzerland on All Fours is Harry's account of the Alpine crossing; his thoughts and experiences as he completed his 250 mile walkies through the Alps. A typical Fox Terrier, Harry is an intelligent and tenacious dog with the character of Shrek's Donkey though thankfully not the ability to talk.

About the Author:

The author and his Smooth Fox Terrier, Harry are experienced mountain walkers having completed numerous Scottish Munros and mountains in the UK and mainland Europe. In addition, both have completed the West Highland Way, Great Glen Way, Raad Ny Foillan, Swiss Alpine Pass Route and Tour du Mont Blanc as solo back packing routes.

About this edition

• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1425185746
• ISBN 13: 9781425185749
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 136