Every year, we do a traditional Swiss hike up the “Mythen”, a mountain close to our home. It’s great to see the sunrise from the top.
Last Tuesday, we met up with MapMan Reto at 5.15am. The sun would rise at 6.30am, so this gave us a bit more than an hour for our hike.
It was quite a bit of a speed hike, but we were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise at the top.
The hut warden even played Switzerland’s national anthem over a loudspeaker. It’s very rare to hear the anthem – usually, it is only played on the Swiss national holiday (1 August).
The Mythen is also famous for its almond croissants. They were still warm, fresh from the oven. I’m sure this was the best breakfast I had this year.
On our way down, we did a little detour and were rewarded with a few animal sightings.
On Saturday, inspired by the Swiss anthem on the Mythen, we decided to visit the cradle of Switzerland. It’s at a meadow called “Rütli”, where over 700 years ago three Swiss cantons swore an oath. With that, Switzerland was founded. Or at least an early version of it.
The Rütli meadow is best reached by boat. Fittingly, we took a historic steamboat.
Of course, after our tour we had to visit a Swiss army knife shop…. we resisted the urge to buy any.
After so much Swissness, it was time to focus on South Africa for a bit. On Sunday, we spent many hours excitedly tracking Brigitta, who was running the 90k Comrades ultra. Of course, she successfully finished it.
Lara, a runner of my running club in Cape Town, did the Comrades for the 18th time. Unfortunately, she tripped over a cat eye at kilometre 10. She carried on running on a swollen foot for another 80 kilometres. I’m sure some runners have a superhuman pain threshold.
Talking of pain, many said that climbing the stairs after the race was harder than the race itself. I can’t even imagine!
- What’s your favourite historic place in your area?
- Any painful stair memories after a long and hard race?
I’m joining Kooky Runner and Zenaida’s link-up, Tuesday Topics. I’m also joining Runner’s Roundup with Mile By Mile, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner and Runs with Pugs.
Liebe Catrina,
“back to the roots”, also in dem Fall dann “swiss roots”! Da ihr im Morgenrot auf den Mythen daher kamt, passt doch eure Hymne ganz perfekt dazu! Das stelle ich mir sehr anrührend vor, bei solch einem prächtigen Morgen dann diese Musik zu hören (instrumental oder mit Text?). Eine sehr schöne Tour, gekrönt von Gipfeli auf dem Gipfel 😉 Die Bilder können das sicher nur begrenzt wiedergeben.
Da passte das Rütli dann ja auch perfekt dazu! Dort muss ich auch irgendwann einmal hin. Dann wäre ja noch die perfekte Abrundung ein Trip nach Altdorf zum Tell. Wobei man dort dann ja schon philosophieren müsste, ob sich unser Schiller da eure Sage kulturell angeeignet hat, oder ihr euch unseren Schiller. Ich neige dazu zu sagen, dass beides zusammen die perfekte Mischung gibt.
Ah, ihr habt den Comrades verfolgt! Brigitta hat ihn super absolviert. Und die arme Lara, mit solch einem Fuß zu finishen – auch eine Leistung! Wir haben den CCC mit den Braunis verfolgt, die sich auch prima durchgekämpft haben.
Ja, Treppen nach einem Marathon! Da erinnere ich mich an meinen allerersten in Paris, als ich zuerst über die armen Läufer schmunzelte, die die Treppe zur Metro hinabstiegen, bis ich selber diese Herausforderung angehen musste…
In meiner Region gibt es ja diverse historische Punkte. Aber als Rheinländerin ist es dann doch immer irgendwie der Kölner Dom, der einen anrührt.
Liebe Grüße
Elke
Liebe Elke
Ha, stimmt! Dass der Text so gut passt, ist mir gar nicht mal aufgefallen. Es war instrumental und schäpperte etwas aus dem Lautsprecher. Trotzdem fühlte es sich aber wie ein “majestätischer” Moment an. Wir hatten alle Gänsehaut!
Falls du mal mit Chris in der Gegend von Zürich bist, wäre das eine schöne Tour für euch.
Wie auch das Rütli! Die Kombination mit dem Tell in Altdorf wäre noch das i-Pünktchen. Die Aufführung haben wir selbst auch noch nicht gesehen.
Schiller ist überall – ein Dampfschiff hiess Schiller, eine Überbauung in Brunnen hiess Schiller und während der Schifffahrt sieht man einen Felsen mit einer Schiller-Inschrift. Da frage ich mich schon, wer wen angeeignet hat… 🙂
Den CCC mit Braunis habe ich auch am Freitag nachgeschaut. Wie immer bravourös abgeschnitten, die beiden! Eine unglaubliche Leistung.
Ha, ich glaube, Treppen runtersteigen ist noch viel schlimmer als hochsteigen. Die Pariser Metro wird für dich wohl ewig mit den Erinnerungen verbunden sein.
Unsere Nachbarin reist im September extra nach Köln um den Dom zu sehen. Muss schon sehr eindrücklich sein!
Liebe Grüsse aus dem sonnigen Zürich!
A very, very bad person planned that exit at Comrades… 😀 😀
What amazing trips you did, the sunset in the mountains looks beautiful. Are the altitudes “high enough” for the air to feel thinner at the top, I´ve always wondered?
Haha, exactly, Riitta! Or someone with a very weird sense of humour! 🙂
Funny enough, none of us felt any effects of the thin air. Maybe we would need to go higher, around the 2’500m level. We’ll need to find a higher peak next time and try it out! 🙂
The US is so much ‘newer’ than Europe, and the midwest even more so! I do want to visit Deborah and tour Washington DC. Can you believe i’ve never been there?
I always find going down stairs after a long race hurts much more than going up! LOL
Haha, you’ve never been in Washington DC, Wendy? You definitely will need to visit Deborah! 😄 It would be fun to see you both together again.
That’s what I thought too – at least upstairs isn’t as bad as downstairs!
Great photos of the trek. Sunrise & breakie at the top. Interesting looking chalet at the top. Very Swiss. Of course it is. We are in 🇨🇭😂
I love SA knives. I have two for over 35 years. Still in fine shape. Are those in the top of the photo expensive in 🇨🇭?
Favorite spot for me is a UNESCO world heritage canal between Kingston & Ottawa. Built to avoid the St Lawrence River to ship goods between the Great Lakes & eastern lower Canada at the time. (preconferation of Canada) Completed in 1836. Has 24 hand operated locks. Canal was hand built by many workers. Almost like building a Pyramid.
Why avoid the SL River? The insurrectionists living in the state of New York were attacking British shipments. War of 1812 between US & British colony, Canada, showed that the US was not a friendly neighbour. Colony Canada defeated the US in this war. The Brits proceeded on building the canal to secure its navigation route between eastern & central territories. Now the canal is recreational as Americans have learned their lesson that they cannot mess with 🇨🇦😂🤣 They behave toward us more or less.🤔
Step mountain to exit? You are kidding 😱
We all think it’s the cutest hut in Switzerland – it ticks all the boxes. You can even stay overnight there if you do a full moon night hike.
That SA knife with the many tools costs CAD 440… Quite pricey, but I guess it lasts a lifetime. The colourful ones were more like CAD 30 – great presents to take home.
Wow, that’s a bit of history and geography that I knew nothing about. Thanks for that, Yves! I just googled the canal – is it the Rideau Canal?
It’s quite amazing! Apparently, it takes quite a bit of work to maintain this heritage site – all the infrastructure needs to be inspected and repaired. But very cool to preserve it (and a good reminder for the Americans, too, haha! 🙂
This afternoon we were at a funeral (an elderly friend that died) and we met a very nice Canadian couple. They told us a lot about Montreal. Canada is on our “must-visit” list – just need to schedule it!
Montreal, Quebec City. Ottawa are near each other & definitely worth visiting. You could a spend a year and you would still have not seen it all. Of course if you ever come this way, you would have to stay w us! 🌞
I wonder if even 100 years would be enough, Yves! 🙂 Ha, of course we would come your way and visit you and the award-winning Radar!
Ein Dienstag ohne Catrina ist wie Suppe ohne Salz !! Aber heute geht es ja wieder weiter – und wieeeeeeeeee !!
Herrliche Impressionen von der Bergwelt, das macht richtig Lust, dabei zu sein, wenn auch nur an Hand der tollen Fotos !! Tolle Landschaften, dazu auch noch Wasser, ich glaube, ich muss auch mal wieder in die Berge zum Staunen, zum Wandern und zum Laufen. Dann der fantastische Sonnenaufgang, dafür lohnt es sich, früh aus den Federn zu kriechen, obwohl mir da immer schwerfällt, aber manchmal lohnt es sich, wie man sehen kann – Toll !!
Schweizer Messer habe ich natürlich auch, schon sehr lange – immer in meiner Handtasche – man weiß ja nie !!
Das mit den Treppen ist ja gemein, kann mir nur zu gut vorstellen, was es bedeutet, nach einem Ultra noch Treppen steigen zu müssen ! 🙄
Hut ab vor der Läuferin, die trotz der Verletzung noch so weiter gelaufen ist
!
Bin bei der Europa-Meisterschaft 100 Kilometer in Winschoten bei Kilometer 70 (man lief dort immer wieder durch eine Halle, in der die Zuschauer saßen ) direkt in der Halle gestürzt, Kameras auf mich, freundliche Menschen haben mir wieder auf die Beine geholfen, blutig, aber mutig lief auch ich bis zum Ende – logisch – was sonst ????
Liebe Grüße von ganz oben – Sonne, Wind, angenehme Temperaturen und weniger Touristen – YEAH !! 🙂
Haha, liebe Margitta, das ist aber nett!
Ich habe das Bloggen letzte Woche auch vermisst – ganz merkwürdig, wenn man sich nicht mit anderen austauschen kann.
Mir fällt es auch immer schwer, früh aufzustehen. Für diesen Sonnenaufgang sind wir um 3.45h aufgestanden – aber es hat sich gelohnt!
Ich glaube, du musst wieder mal einen kleinen Ausflug Richtung Berge machen. Du kennst ja schon vieles (wie z.B. Kitzbühel), du brauchst dir nur dein Lieblingsort auszusuchen.
Das Sackmesser immer in der Handtasche dabei! Vorbildlich! Muss ich mir auch angewöhnen.
Ich weiss noch, wie ich nach dem Bieler Lauf mit Müh’ und Not in den Zug gestiegen bin…. oder vielmehr gekrochen bin. Das hat wehgetan!
Ha, ich wusste schon, dass du eine von denen bist, die eine übermenschlichen Schmerzgrenze hat. Aufstehen und weiter – typisch Ultrageist! 🙂
Jetzt kommt deine Lieblingszeit! Angenehmes Wetter und leere Strände. Schön ausnutzen und die langen Kanten am Meer geniessen!
Liebe Grüsse aus dem dunklen und (endlich) regnerischen Zürich!
Liebe Catrina,
oh, vielen Dank wieder für die vielen, tollen Bilder!!! 🙂
Es war wieder ne Tour, die ich gerne mitgemacht hätte, zumal ich einen solchen Sonnenaufgang in der Höhe noch nicht erlebt habe! – “Wenn der Alpenfirn sich rötet …” 🙂 – … und dann noch Mandelgipfel und Kaffee zum Frühstück! TOLL! – Da steht man doch gerne früh auf!!!
Habt ihr aber ansonsten kein Gratis Trinkwasser mehr? 😛
Ab und zu auf historischen Wegen wandeln kann doch Spaß machen … und dann etwas Weittragendes nachempfinden! – Hättet ihr das nicht am 1. August machen sollen, oder wäre es zu voll gewesen?
Zählst du Burg Frankenstein als historischen Ort? – Dort tauche ich ja öfters auf und mit dem Roman von Mary Shelley im Kopf … ! Übrigens hätte diese Mary gerade heute Geburtstag, wäre 225 Jahre alt geworden! 😉 – Ansonsten ist Darmstadt voll von historischen Bezügen, es ist ja eine Hochburg des Jugendstils. (Darmstädter Künstlerkolonie Mathildenhöhe)
Für Lara hoffe ich, dass der Heilungsprozess nicht ewig lange dauert! Wahnsinn, was manche aushalten können! – Ich fand es schon sehr unangenehm 8 km mit einer großen Blase unterm Ballenbereich laufen zu müssen, bei einer Halbmarathon-DM! (Es war die einzige mich beim Laufen störende Blase ever!)
Ja, well done, Brigitta!!! Tolle Frauen … und du schließt dich dann in Berlin an! 😆
Treppenlaufen nach langen Läufen kann mächtig schmerzhaft sein, treppab finde ich noch viel schlimmer. Nach meinem 1. Marathon, dummerweise in Bräunlingen im Schwarzwald, konnte ich keine Treppe mehr runter gehen, musste es rückwärts machen! 😛
Liebe Grüße Manfred
Lieber Manfred
Das wäre was für dich gewesen! Wir haben noch gesagt, dass dir das bestimmt gefallen hätte. Sonnenaufgang, einen heissen Kaffee und warme Mandelgipfel – was will man mehr? Übrigens war es Retos Geburtstag, da passte so ein kleiner Hike bestens.
Anscheinend hatten wir Glück mit dem gratis Wasser!
Genau – am 1. August ist immer mindestens ein Regierungsmitglied auf der Rütliwiese, inklusive Gefolgschaft. Da ist man mit “off-season” besser bedient. Obwohl man dann die schönen Trachten und Alphörner verpasst.
Mary Shelley hätte heute Geburtstag gehabt? Was für ein Zufall! Dein Burg Frankenstein klingt immer wie etwas aus einem Halloween-Film. Schon cool, so etwas auf seiner Laufroute zu haben. Ich war noch nie “richtig” in Darmstadt – bestimmt mal einen Besuch wert!
So wie Lara hätte das auch nicht ausgehalten – und eine Blase im Ballenbereich klingt auch sehr unangenehm. Zum Glück war es nur ein Halbmarathon, da ist das Ende absehbar.
Mal sehen, wie Berlin läuft… es kommt immer näher, Manfred! Langsam bekomme ich Angst! 🙂
Da stimme ich dir zu – treppab ist VIEL schlimmer. Rückwärts oder kriechen ist manchmal die einzige Lösung!
Liebe Grüsse aus dem dunklen Zürich!
Your hike up Mythen to see the sunrise sounds fun, and those almond croissants look amazing! We are planning to hike up Cadillac Mountain in Maine in October to see the sunrise, the first place it rises in the contiguous United States.
Ouch on your friend’s foot. That looks painful and I hope she recovers quickly.
Having to climb those stadium stairs after running an ultra just adds insult to injury, but at least runners weren’t required to descend that many steps! I remember walking down steps backwards after running marathons to keep my quads from hating me. 😉
Oh, that hike in Maine sounds gorgeous, Debbie! Make sure you get an almond croissant on that trip, haha!
I hope so too… I don’t know how she could run on that!
Oh my goodness yes! Walking downstairs is so much more painful, even days after the marathon. Walking backwards is a brilliant idea!
Love love your adventures and pictures…
We have many historic places nearby from the French Revolution and Schuyler family-related sites (Hamilton!!)
No stairs but I didn’t want to take the subway after my full in NYC so I walked 50 blocks.
Wow, the things I’m learning today! You just sent me down a Google rabbit hole about Hamilton and the Schuyler family. I need to see Hamilton one day.
Haha!!! I agree, Darlene! Walking 50 blocks sounds so much easier than going down any stairs!
Yes. You do need to see Hamilton.
Catrina, that sounds like the best hike ever! That sunrise must have been incredible. Were you born in Switzerland? I’ve been assuming you’re Swiss but just realized I’m not sure about that.
Congratulations to Lara and Brigitta for finishing the race and getting up those stairs, ha ha. Lara is obviously super-human!
It was a fabulous hike, Jenny!
I was born in Scotland. My Mum is Swiss. When I was still a school kid, my parents decided that we all move to Switzerland. So that’s where we ended up. English is still our family language – or rather, Swinglish, a strange mixture between English and Swiss…
Lara and Brigitta did so well! I want Lara’s pain threshold! 🙂
OMG, these pics are amazing! I’m jealous… I bet that hike (pre-sunrise) was exciting, especially with the almond croissants afterwards. Amazingly, with all the stair climbing I’ve done, I’ve yet to have any mishaps ((yet, LOL).
I love that hike, Kim! It’s only an hour, but it’s very cool to get that mountaineering-like feeling while you’re climbing up. And that almond croissant is just the right incentive, too.
Ha, yes, you are the stair-climbing queen! You’d be hopping up those stairs like nothing, I’m sure!
Rutli looks stunning! Not that the croissants & view from Muthen look bad, either, but I do love a water view!
Congrats to your friends. I do not have a high pain threshold; my mom does though. That’s evil that they have to climb those steps! I swear RDs are sadists!
Rütli was beautiful, Judy! I’m always surprised by the colour of the lake below – and it’s crystal clear, too.
I think being sensitive to pain is a good thing – Kai is quite sensitive and he does a better job at avoiding injury than me.
Those RDs are either sadists or not runners, haha!!
OOOOH….I love a good almond croissant. Note to self, I will get some on my next visit to Trader Joe’s.
I hope that your friend’s foot is OK and bravo to her for staying the course. Ouch on the surprise stair climb after the ultra…yikes!
Get some, Birchie! And make sure they’re warm when you eat them.
I think Lara won’t be running for a few weeks – but I’m sure she will be back for the next Comrades. Some people are just addicted!
wow that hike view might even get me out of bed before sunrise! Gorgeous. I’ve got to get back to Switzerland sometime. Those stairs are just cruel!
Ha, I’m not an early riser either, Deborah, but it got me up at 3.45am!
Please come to Switzerland – I’d love to do a sightseeing running tour with you!
Liebe Catrina,
herrlich! Ihr seid jedes Jahr zum Sonnenaufgang dort? Was für eine wunderschöne Angewohnheit. 🙂
Aber – ist denn da wirklich schon so früh jemand willig, die Morgenwanderer zu bewirten? ich bin beeindruckt.
Mir hat der Mann einer Freundin erzählt, dass es da so eine Art Klub gibt von Menschen, die am häufigsten auf die Mythen gegangen sind, kennst du den auch (oder gehört ihr da etwa auch dazu?)
Liebe Doris
JEDES Jahr! Falls du mal in der Nähe vom Mythen bist in 2023, kommst du mit hoch!
Die Hüttenwarte sind krasse Typen. Dieser ist neu und voll motiviert, der schläft da oben und hat auch die Hymne initialisiert.
Das stimmt! Es gibt einen Club der Hunderter, die den Mythen in einer Saison 100 mal hochsteigen. Und dann gibt es einen ganz krassen Typen, der schon über 5’000 Mal oben war. Er nennt sich “Der Mensch”. Dieser Artikel ist von 2019, aber wir haben ihn letzte Woche auch oben gesehen. Unglaublicher Typ!
https://www.bote.ch/nachrichten/schwyz/mensch-war-5000-mal-auf-dem-mythen-art-1200814
As always, your photos are so stunning! That view is absolutely breathtaking.
It was, Kim, even if the photos aren’t as impressive as the real-life thing. I hope you get to do a sunrise hike one day, it’s worth it!
That hike and sunrise looks amazing! What a fun way to spend the morning. I definitely wouldn’t want to do those stairs after a long race. I’m not a fan of stairs even when I’m not tired from running 🙂
I’m not a fan of stairs either… although they’re a great workout.
If I’d live in a single-family house with stairs I’d always try to avoid as many stair trips as possible! 🙂
Oh, yay! I can comment again! For some reason, my comments haven’t been going through!
What a beautiful adventures! I love all the Swissness you share!
Ouch on the swollen foot. My foot hurts today and I could barely hold it together for my last mile, let alone 80km!
Oh no! So sorry, Jenn. Thanks for trying again! 🤗
Running on a swollen foot must be so painful. Well done for holding on in that last mile. I wish you a speedy recovery!
Oh my word! That ankle looks as bad as mine did! And I could not take another step, let alone another 80km!
But, feet pics aside, the scenery on your hike and boat trip looks fantastic! Catching the last of the good weather in the Northern hemisphere!
Insane, right?! Amazing what runners put themselves through, haha!
Exactly! It’s become really cool now. Thankfully, we are having some long-awaited rain too.
This morning I was looking forward to our return to Cape Town in October. Can’t wait!
I saw a photo of people climbing those stairs on Facebook. It looks so painful! I just can’t imagine doing that race! Especially with a foot/ankle injury.
That sunrise is spectacular! And now I’m craving an almond croissant.
Imagine, Debbie! And then descending the stairs on the other end! I think I would crawl.
I hope you got that almond croissant – and I hope it was warm!
That hut does look so Swiss! What a fun adventure. And you teased me for getting up to see the sunrise at the beach — i only had to get out of bed to see it. 😉
Love the then vs. now comparison of the Oath!
Those stadium stairs are cruel!
I love that hut! It fits the scenery very well. I only do this hike once a year – so it only means getting up super-early once a year, haha!
Historical places always make me wonder how it would have felt like to live hundreds of years ago… life must have been simpler, but also much harder.
Imagine descending those stairs on the other side, Coco! I hope they had elevators! 🙂
What wonderful adventures! Congrats to your friends at Comrades! That is an incredible accomplishment. Those stairs look positively treacherous post 90k. After the Tokyo finish line there was a 45 minute walk to gear pickup, with a long DOWNSTAIRS walk at the very end. It was brutal.
Oh wow! Sending marathon finishers down a flight of stairs is horrible! I think I would have crawled! Awful things like that make for good war stories, though! 🙂
Wow, that’s picture perfect Switzerland. The mountain, the animals, the hut etc etc. This would be a perfect vacation for me – though I’m sure I would have bought a colored swiss army knife. I have a tiny one with scissors that lives in my blister pack and has done good work for me.
Historical sights – I am not sure we have any in the not so old USA.
Oh yes, you would have loved this, Roni! You can stay overnight in the hut: walk up at night at full moon, stay overnight and get up the next morning for the sunrise.
I was so tempted to buy that little orange army knife! But Kai wisely held me back. We have too many already!
Wow, Lara’s foot looks tender. So incredible that she went the distance, Catrina. And wonderful Brigitta also finished.
The mountain hut is so amazing. And what a gorgeous day for your mountain hike/climb. The picture from the bottom of Mythen is would have been a strenuous climb. The Rütli meadow is what reminds me of Switzerland postcards. So beautiful, and what an amazing way to travel there.
When my wife Lynne and I have guests from outside the region we will take them to a place called St. Marie Among the Hurons. It is a reconstruction of the 1st European community in Ontario. It was among the indigenous people called the Hurons. There are excellent displays depicting the Huron way of life and their deep respect and reverence for the land.
Sadly though this was shortly before the push for colonization began. The Huron people relocated to reservations and white settlers moved in and cleared the dense forests. http://www.saintemarieamongthehurons.on.ca/sm/en/Home/index.htm
Isn’t it amazing how some runners can endure pain? I don’t think I could ever run that distance, let alone on such a tender foot!
Oh, how you would have loved this hike, Carl! It’s surprisingly short – only about 70-80 minutes. I’m always amazed at the sunrise and the glorious views it provides. The Rütli (you even spelt it correctly!) is in the heart of Switzerland – a very fitting place for it to be.
Oh, thanks for that link! I am always fascinated by places like that. It’s amazing how the first settlers and the indigenous used to live many centuries ago. No electricity, no cars, no gadgets – a very simple life. I never knew that the indigenous people in Canada were called Hurons.
The European settlers who claimed the land were ruthless, not only towards the people but also towards nature. It’s nice to see that they are trying to make amends with the people. Now the same has to happen with nature – especially the forests!
I certainly would have enjoyed that hike, Catrina.
When I was in college in 2010-2011, I took an elective course called History of Aboriginals. Something every Canadian really should take. There was a massive number of indigenous groups before colonization. Huron was just one of them. The proper name is actually Wendat (Huron is European in origin). So many indigenous groups that there were 70 distinct Indigenous languages in Canada, falling into 12 separate language families. Wendat was one of the languages and like so many others it became extinct soon after colonization.
Ah, that’s interesting! I know so little about the indigenous people in North America. My knowledge is limited to the questionable rendition of “Indians” in Hollywood films. Now I at least know that there was a people and a language called Wendat!
Taking a course to study the the aboriginals’ history and culture makes so much sense. You are right, it should be mandatory for all Canadians. I wonder if they now also teach the subject in schools? That would be great!
That sunrise over the mountains is simply mind blowing. Absolutely spectacular! And I can’t think of anything better than those croissants with mandelgipfel after a long hike up there. I’m not surprised it was one of best breakfasts in recent times 😂
My favourite (so far) local areas around me have to be the village we live in, which has evidence of mineral extraction dating back to Roman times. There are medieval records and references to it too (from somewhere in the years 1200-1300) in the Taxatio Ecclesiastica (a detailed database of English, Welsh, and Irish parish churches taxes).
That, and the Preseli mountain range nearby us too – they have bronze age burial mounds, and old fort ruins.
As for painful stair memories, I just remember recently on a 50 mile / 80km canal ultramarathon, it was so flat, that after all that flat running, trying to lift my legs any higher than mid-way up was very difficult. I tried walking up a bank at the finish line and had to use my hands – so I went up on all fours. Probably would have been similar to those runners coming out the stadium up the stairs at the comrades!
You would have probably run up the Mythen, Sean! 🙂 It’s always a treat to see the sunrise from the summit.
Oh, that must be so interesting to live in such a historical place! Incredible that they used to keep such detailed records in those days – a treasure trove for historians.
I’m always amazed at how many old forts were built in earlier times. Around Zurich, we have several, too. They’re usually built on hilltops – very inconvenient to build but probably practical from a strategic point of view.
Oh my goodness! Literally going on all course up a bank, haha! You clearly gave your best during that Ultra!
The Comrades isn’t a trail run – but still, I was wondering whether you had that race on your bucket list. You could easily do it!
Yes, a lot of tenacity required to build those structures in the most inconvenient of places (though convient of course for defense!)
I would love to tackle the Comrades. In my current training state I’m confident I could put in a decent time, but things are not aligned for flying all the way back to SA right now, so yes for now it stays on my race bucket list! I loved handing out water on the course every year as a kid (I grew up in Pietermaritzburg)
What?! You grew up in Pietermaritzburg? Yep, Comrades has your name on it at some point!