Thinking back seventy-eight-odd days and thirty-something blog posts ago to what I envisioned for this trip, I definitely didn’t have an overnight trek into the mountains to stay at a hike-in chalet on the bingo card. Of course, our regular readers will know that my feelings about hiking have evolved—from “no thank you, this isn’t something I do,” to “sure, I’ll hike if it ends with a terrace and an Aperol Spritz,” to “okay, I think I’m actually starting to enjoy this… even though, once again, we’re hiking the trail backwards.”
This particular adventure, organized by Sabine and Yvan, took us from Chernex to Jaun, where we caught the Gastlosenexpress (a chairlift) up into the mountains, and then hiked to a remote mountain hut called Chalet du Soldat. Perched at 1,752 meters in the rugged Gastlosen range above the village of Jaun in the Canton of Fribourg, Chalet du Soldat is a classic Swiss mountain refuge. Originally built by Swiss soldiers, it now serves as a cozy overnight stop for hikers tackling the Tour des Gastlosen, a well-known circular trail in this region.
The hike itself wasn’t as intense as Dent de Jaman (or so I’m told), but it still had a solid vertical—enough to make the beer at the finish feel well earned. We were looking forward to a hearty mountain meal and were warmly welcomed by the hut guardians upon arrival. The accommodations are simple dorm-style setups, with awesome bunk beds that the kids wasted no time claiming and marking with their backpacks, while the adults relaxed on the sunny terrace.
Once the beds were claimed, the kids explored the chicken and goat pens just below the terrace, quickly making friends with the locals. Meanwhile, we enjoyed the late-afternoon sun, soaking in the incredible views. A short trail from the chalet led us up to a nearby lookout. Standing beneath the dramatic limestone cliffs, surrounded by alpine stillness, the silence broken only by an occasional distant cowbell, it was one of those moments that reminds you just how magical Switzerland can be.
Eventually, it was time for dinner. We’d been told to expect the chalet’s famous mountain lasagna, and we were excited. We all found seats at the long communal benches in the dining hall, but then the lady who had checked us in came over and spoke with Sabine in (we think) Swiss German. Sabine translated: no lasagna tonight. A new chef had just started, and he was eager to try some new recipes.
We were all pretty hungry, and—well—what choice did we have? The starter was an interesting soup. Velvety in texture, but hard to place the taste? (maybe cauliflower? maybe broccoli? hard to say). Then came a beautifully plated dish of roasted vegetables over mashed parsnips— This was an unexpectedly elegant choice for a mountain hut. The main course was a rich ham hock chunks in gravy, very rich, yet satisfying, if not what we’d pictured. Dessert was rice pudding (which Cedar mistook for an additional broccoli dish) and may, or may not be a traditional Swiss alpine ending (or may just have been what was left in the pantry) The kids were a little less enthusiastic about the dinner, but we all had a good laugh about the experience. When in Juan!
After dinner, we played cards and board games around the table. I thought I saw Sheila introducing everyone to the more cutthroat Canadian rules of Uno, and before long, it was time to crawl into our sleeping bags—or as the French charmingly translate them, “meat sacks”—and settle in for the night.
The skies had turned ominous by bedtime, and it wasn’t long before a full-on mountain storm rolled in. Safe in our bunks, we fell asleep to the sound of wind and rain—feeling especially grateful for solid walls and thick blankets.
By morning, the storm had passed, the sun was shining, and after a classic Swiss breakfast of bread, cheese, fruit, and coffee, we hit the trail back down. Another new Swiss first checked off the list: our first hike-in mountain hut. Not bad for someone who didn’t even like hiking at the beginning of this trip.
