Today we are facing the first big mountain stage: To get to Zernez, we have to make the ascent to Davos and then the winding road over the Flüelapass. After consulting his clever technical equipment, Thomas knows that we are facing a juicy 1600 meters of altitude today. With between twenty and thirty kgs of luggage each, its means a lot of sweat and perseverance. Reinforced with porridge, we pedal and are already brought to our knees by the first steep gravel path. Push? Doesn’t work, my bike is way too heavy. I unsuccessfully slip on the loose surface; I need Laura to help me push. It quickly becomes clear: we have to leave the cycle path and prefer to continue on the tar road. At noon we finally reach Davos, already we need to take a break to mentally prepare for the “right” pass.
The conditions are right: It’s afternoon, perfect weather and as a bonus we get a refreshing tailwind. The cow pastures and conifer forests will soon be replaced by alpine flower meadows and rugged rock faces. The landscape is spectacular and more than motivating. A mountain stream runs through the valley floor in interwoven wavy lines and the road with its gentle serpentine lines looks delicate in this mighty backdrop.
At some point on the hour-long journey up the mountain, we actually meet a wolf. Not one with bared teeth and a fur on its neck, but a nasty, insidious one that gets worse if you ignore him (Getting “a Wolf” means to get chafed between the legs in Swiss German). After a quick brief down on the situation, we have a plan: First of all, without underpants in the bike pants and if that doesn’t drive away the beast, there there is always a bus over the pass. The “wolf” can be kept at a distance in this way and with our pride intact we reach the top of the pass at 2383 MSL.
It is now evening and we are starting to look out for a nice place to sleep. Soon we will find what we are looking for and with the permission of the local farmer we pitch our tents in a dreamy spot between old Fir trees and a rushing mountain stream. OH YEAH! The clear night gifts us a a fantastic starry sky and a well deserved deep sleep.
Tomorrow we will conquer the Ofen Pass!