To reach the peak of pleasure in Switzerland, the only way to go is up. Join our trip to the summit and see how Swiss alpinism lifted our spirits like no other drug.

The Mountain as a Destination &ldquo;You have good shoes for hiking,&rdquo; our tour guide said. We were in Vitnau, a picturesque bay at the foot of Rigi, known as the Queen of the Mountains. Across us was Lake Lucerne, a fjord-like spectacle of glimmering turquoise waters and coastlines punctuated by luxury resorts and little villages.
 When you&rsquo;re among the Swiss, Rigi&rsquo;s altitude of 1,797 meters is considered a hill. However, as a flatland dweller who resides within 18 meters above sea level, I welcomed this reasonable entry for acclimation.
 I stared at my XT-6, relieved my fashion purchase would soon fulfill its intended purpose. As an armchair mountaineer wretched at the outdoors, my will to witness idyllic views kept me from bolting out.
 We hopped on a train, wary of the weather. The fog obscured our journey uphill. Resistance against gravity in low visibility revealed the trade-offs of alpine living. Had there been no rails, people would have to climb on foot every day.&nbsp;
 Fortune, however, tipped in our favor. Upon exiting the station and hiking to the top of Rigi, we were greeted by the sun&rsquo;s blinding rays. Our knees thanked the verdant meadows which rose in moderate curves. I didn&rsquo;t expect to be floored so early in the trip. But there I was, a speck of earth, encircled by white fluffy clouds parading toward the endless horizon.

Swiss Alps

The Mountain as a Metaphor Considering nature&rsquo;s variables such as wind and terrain, we weren&rsquo;t entertaining the illusion of taking on monster massifs like Matterhorn unless they showed themselves on a clear day, if only from a distance. Besides, the joy of being above the clouds wasn&rsquo;t limited to where our feet landed; it was also about how far our eyes could wander off. Across us, the Swiss Alps hovered like sleeping giants.
 In the face of a steep descent, our guide advised, &ldquo;Walk like an old man,&rdquo; which entailed leaning forward to avoid slipping. I plodded along craggy trails using this technique.
 Scaling a mountain, high or low, requires patience and perseverance. To see the Aletsch Glacier involved riding multiple gondolas until our point of origin vanished below the vertiginous heights. At this junction, I had to remind myself that fortune favors the brave, and that the best sceneries are often only visible from vantage points.
 This belief fueled our ascent to Moosfluh, Bettmerhorn, and Eggishorn, which showed the Aletsch Glacier from various angles. Its powdery slopes and sharp crevasses held us spellbound. While exploring its twists and turns, we learned that J.R.R. Tolkien&rsquo;s visit to Switzerland inspired the landscapes of Rivendell and Misty Mountains, stations which were essential in propelling his hero&rsquo;s journey in The Lord of the Rings.&nbsp;
 Mountains represent different things to different people: a home, a resource, an escape, a sacred place. For Swiss thinker and psychiatrist, Carl Jung, they symbolize a quest for spiritual enlightenment because their splendor and isolation lead to the ultimate goal of individuation.&nbsp;
 When traveling to alpine countries like Switzerland, mountains mirror forces that transform our resistance into resilience. It could present as overcoming a fear of heights, increasing one&rsquo;s tolerance to the cold, or muscling your way through a path while lugging a 30-liter backpack. The mountain won&rsquo;t budge, but you will.

Cablecars Covering Long Distances

Gondola ride overlooking the beautiful Alpine scenery

Bernese Oberland

The Mountain as a Playground Switzerland resembled a simulation where I was the main character navigating a world of blue and green. Though each destination posed risks and challenges, not all adventures had to be played in hard mode. In between hikes, we slowed down and stopped over mountain villages. Levity sweetened our hustle.
 Colorful chalets and herds of cattle dotted the car-free village of Fieschertal in the canton of Valais. Summer lingered while autumn ripened. But the town, along its hills and hamlets, was already brimming with the spirit of winter. It was a scene straight out of a fairy tale.
 When we arrived at M&uuml;rren, the highest inhabited settlement above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, the mood shifted from rustic to rugged. Imposing peaks enveloped our surroundings, but they were softened by the highland&rsquo;s flora and fauna, which included rows of edelweiss and hooved animals like red deer. A quick funicular ride to Allmendhubel brought us to the playground of our dreams, which included a flower trail. Its floral aromas wafted as we walked downhill, accompanied by a string of paragliders flying from a distance.
 Since M&uuml;rren rested at the foot of Schilthorn, we took a cable car to reach its summit. Towering at 2,970 meters, Schilthorn opened our eyes to the alpine triumvirate of Eiger, M&ouml;nch, and Jungfrau. We ate at the revolving restaurant, Piz Gloria, and immersed ourselves in the location of the 1969 Bond film, On Her Majesty&rsquo;s Secret Service. At this altitude, nature loomed at an epic scale. Breathlessness set in.
 The ordeal was designed to get our adrenaline pumping so we leaned into it by doing the Thrill Walk, which had us crawling through a tunnel, traversing over a glass floor, and balancing on a rope suspended above a cattle grid &mdash; all while staring at the abyss underneath.

Fieschertal

Allmendhubel

Murren

Restaurant Bettmerhorn

Photos by Tin Dabbay

The Mountain as a Drug After Schilthorn, we were ready to tackle the mammoth, Jungfraujoch, which proudly stood at 3,454 meters. Known as the Top of Europe, it can be reached by the highest cog railway on the continent.
 A prudent traveler knows a sudden rise in elevation can leave you gasping for air. Worst-case scenarios can cost someone&rsquo;s life. Though the conditions we faced weren&rsquo;t extreme, they were without a doubt, out of our comfort zone. Slow was the way to go in maneuvering Jungfraujoch&rsquo;s icy tunnels. Upon exposing ourselves to the open air, snow poured in. We zipped up and clutched our gloves at -4&deg;C.
 Shifting from warm to freezing tossed us in a seesaw of sensations. In that sense, Switzerland has the efficacy of a drug for the way it induces emotional and biological effects. It can hurl anyone to great highs and lows. Mark Twain wasn&rsquo;t spared from its polarities. During a three-day climb to Rigi in 1878, he had to endure the dipping temperature to enjoy a majestic sunrise. &ldquo;And how we did sleep! &mdash; for there is no opiate like alpine pedestrianism,&rdquo; he wrote.
 Woozy from our post-pinnacle high, we settled in Interlaken, a melting pot between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, two of Switzerland&rsquo;s most beautiful lakes. Despite being a popular tourist area, its bustle comforted our altitude-hammered disposition.
 We stuffed ourselves with raclette and hot chocolate, but the endorphin boost wasn&rsquo;t enough. We craved a stimulant. We went to B&ouml;nigen for a jetboat ride whose 360&deg; turns shook our core and drenched us with Lake Brienz&rsquo; natural freshwater. On our way to Giessbach Falls, we saw Iseltwald, the small fishing village famous for its cameo in the Korean drama, Crash Landing on You.
 There&rsquo;s something about Swiss lakes that fills the soul with romance and contentment. Unlike the mirage of infinity that beaches conjure, lakes have a grounding presence. Their breadth and proximity suggest belongingness &mdash; a sense of being enclosed, blanketed, embraced, and loved.
 In 1954, Audrey Hepburn married Mel Ferrer in B&uuml;rgenstock, a luxury resort overlooking Lake Lucerne. It was her home for 14 years. Perhaps, she felt it too &mdash; that intoxicating calmness from the mountains as if love was in the air.
 While these thoughts flooded my mind during our cruise, I remembered a painted facade in Lucerne that had the Latin inscription: Amor medicabilis nullis herbis. It means no medicine can cure a broken heart.
 Maybe medicine can&rsquo;t, but Switzerland can.

Switzerland Immerses Us to the Ecstasy of Elevation

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