Dave's Solo Trek in the Swiss Alps
Dave messaged me from New Jersey with a simple request: "Hi! I'm new to hiking and fell in love with Switzerland after my last trip." He wanted to hike solo in the Swiss Alps. Exciting, yes, but also intimidating, as he'd never traveled alone or hiked seriously before. So he reached out to me for help with a custom itinerary. Together, we planned a 4-day hut-to-hut trek through the Uri region, a quieter part of Switzerland.
He completed the hike in August 2025. What happened on the trail shows what's possible when you step outside your comfort zone and chase an authentic experience in the mountains. I talked to him recently about his trip:
What inspired you to take this trip in the first place? Why Switzerland, why hiking?
I traveled to St. Moritz a few years earlier. We rode cable cars to the top and saw 70 and 80-year-old hikers power up and down the mountain. I wanted to know their secret. Later that day, I spoke with a saleswoman at a sporting goods store and asked what these people's secrets were to staying fit into their later years. She said two things: one, we eat real food, not the processed stuff you eat in America, and two, we start hiking with our families when we're 4 or 5 years old. Now I had the answers I needed. I still needed my hip replaced, but I knew that once I was recovered, this was the place for me and the experience I wanted to have.
Next, I found a fantastic book on Alpine cooking. It's a detailed story of one woman's journey through all four countries in the Alps. She chronicles her personal stories of her hut stays and includes recipes from various restaurants and huts. So it's food, hiking, adventure, and best of all, the people she meets. I wanted all of this!
Before working with Wander We Go, what hesitations or concerns did you have about planning a trip like this, especially stepping outside your comfort zone?
Before working with you, this trip was just a fantasy. I investigated websites, books, and watched YouTube videos. Nothing got me closer until I googled "hut to hut hiking" and the Wander We Go site came up. I was taken by Alex’s stories of hiking adventures (on her personal blog), but more than that, it was her sense of humor and authenticity that I felt.
Everything was out of my comfort zone. I've never booked any trips myself—my wife, who passed away in 2021, did it all. I've never traveled by myself, and I've never hiked, much less by myself. But immediately during our first call, Alex put me at ease. This hike was really going to be my hike. She asked questions, listened carefully, and designed the details based on my past experience, the time I had available, and what I wanted to see. I could trust that every detail would be carefully thought through. That gave me the confidence to actually do this.
How did you physically prepare for your hike, especially as a new hiker?
Once I committed to doing this trek, I wanted to make sure I could actually enjoy it (not just survive it). I found a company called Fit For Trips that designs custom training programs for adventure travel. I sent them my hike details, and they built me a 6-month plan that combined strength, balance, and endurance work. I did a lot of walking with a weighted pack, gradually adding more weight and time each week. There were endless step-ups and step-downs—forward, sideways, you name it—to mimic the constant up-and-down of hiking in the Alps.
I also focused on ankle strength, because I kept thinking how finished I’d be if I rolled an ankle out there. Calf strengthening helped for those steep climbs, and balance training was surprisingly challenging but made a big difference on uneven ground. For cardio, I mixed in short HIIT workouts: 40 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest, things like jump rope, step-ups, or stationary bike sprints. It built that “reserve energy” for when I was gassed but still needed to push to the next plateau.
By the time I flew to Switzerland, I felt strong, steady, and ready.
How did having the logistics taken care of affect your ability to just be present and enjoy the adventure?
With Alex taking care of the plan, all I had to do was get there. I knew that traveling by myself could be a challenge. I didn't want the stress about the routes, which huts to stay at, and connections to impact my trip. When we did our consultations, I thought, "She's got this. Now just go prepare so I can enjoy the beauty of the Alps."
You mentioned the trip felt like it was truly "your hike." How did that level of customization change the experience for you, compared to something more touristic or packaged?
Anybody can walk a well-worn path. But I didn't want a generic experience. I wanted the real thing: to see and feel what the locals see and feel, to meet the people, to experience the raw natural beauty of the Alps the way they do. I wanted to leave my assumptions, preconceptions, and biases behind in the only way I knew how.
Most package tours funnel you through the same places. But I didn't want that, something sanitized for tourists. I wanted the quieter valleys, the huts where locals actually go. And that's exactly what I got. These were huts I would never have been able to find on my own. They weren't in any guidebooks. I got to experience the Alps in a really unique way, a side that I think the non-Swiss rarely get to see! And, of course, it was just really helpful to get a plan for the exact number of days I wanted, with an amount of distance and elevation gain that I could handle.
What was the most challenging part of your trip, and how did you feel once you overcame it?
The most challenging part was the second day's hike up and over a mountain pass called the Pörtlilücke. It was a 5-mile hike with over 4,000 feet of elevation. It was no joke (and by the way, when Alex tells you that the Alps are steep - believe her!!). About a mile from the highest point, it was all boulders. Every step had to be carefully planned. This was no time to lose focus. It seemed like just when I thought I was near the top, I saw yet another ridge. Was this some kind of trick from the Gods of the Alps to test my will?
In this vast rock valley, it was just me. I saw no one, and this became personal. So I said to myself, "This is why I put in all the miles and feet of elevation. This is where the training pays off." Strangely, a calm came over me. I just relaxed and remembered: one step at a time, rest when I need to, and enjoy the view. This is just how life goes.
Can you share a moment on the trail or at a hut that really sticks in your memory? Did you have a "this is why I came here" moment?
The sunrise over the mountain at the Windgällenhütte. There were about 10 of us witnessing this spectacle, and no one said a word. Words and a photo do not do it justice—you had to be there.
Looking back, how do you think this experience changed you, and what did you learn about yourself in the process?
Oh wow, where do I start? I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment and pride. Each day's hike provided different challenges. Each day, I felt my strength and confidence grow. It was like something dormant inside of me was coming alive. At the end of my last day's hike, I said to myself, "This isn't the finish line—this is a new starting line!"
What surprised you most about the hut-to-hut hiking experience?
The people. When Alex told me about the people she had met at these huts, and how she wanted me to arrive by 4pm to meet other hikers, I knew this was the "secret sauce" of the trip: the people you meet along the way. And of course it was. When we leave our comfort zones to open up to all experiences, there is magic! I remember asking her how I would be accepted by the more experienced hikers. And her answer was, "We all share a respect for the mountains, and that's the bond." Armed with this advice, I knew I was good to go!
Another cool thing worth mentioning was the hiking for hours, and not seeing any buildings or other people. Then, out of a clearing or from behind a hill or through dense cloud cover, the hut would appear, like an oasis in a desert. There's something magical about that contrast. I was completely immersed in what felt like raw wilderness, and then suddenly, there is this inviting refuge just on the horizon.
You said that "when we leave our comfort zones, there is magic." Can you describe what that magic looked like for you, and what you'd say to someone hesitant about trying an adventure like this?
The magic is this: the Universe conspires for our good. Every adversity is the seed for something new and wonderful. The people you meet on your adventure will do more for your spirit, education, and sense of possibility than any book, course, or lecture. This is real life, not someone else's experience neatly packaged.
I would say, "Just go." Don't overthink this. Alex has your back. She loves the Alps, she’s done the homework and above all, you can just tell she wants you to have an amazing experience.
I would use the quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."
Thank you, Dave, for sharing your story!
If you're interested in planning your own Swiss trek, I'd be happy to help. Get in touch and let’s start planning.