It was early on a Sunday evening in mid-December. Too early for proper skiing, but too dark and damp to do much of anything else. Freddy and I were taking a walk by the lake, our moods matching the weather. It is tough when it gets dark around four for a California Princess like myself. But it got us thinking, how much light would we get on the Summer Solstice?

The answer, including twilight, is 19 hours. Wow! Only 5 hours of darkness? You can see where this is going.. 

I had never done a 24 hour push before. I’ve done grueling days that include dawn and dusk patrol, but a full day of moving one’s body was really appealing to me. A lot of it has to do with pushing the mind further than it thinks the body can go. Part of it is the ability to cover a lot of ground. The biggest reason we were set on doing 24 hours is that we had decided on the title of the project far before having a plan: “24 hours of Lisa and Freddy.” 

Our first wedding anniversary would fall on June 22nd 2022, and we wanted to do something awesome together, as long as we were outside and having a good time with each other. I wrote a google keep list of potential activities we could do:

As many of you know, Freddy is a purist, so not only did it have to be self-powered, but we had to start and end at the house. This certainly narrowed the geographic range of possibilities, but with the help of SAC’s amazing route portal and detailed topo maps, Freddy came up with a really clean plan:

We would bike from the house to Amsteg (85 km). Then we’d hike up to the base of the Southeast Ridge of Mäntliser (10 km + 2000m of vert). Next, we would climb the ridge (350 m, 4b). Then we’d descend and go home!

We were set to leave Friday evening, June 24th, but it began to rain and thunder mid-day. We regrouped and moved our start to Saturday afternoon, giving ourselves a couple hours to nap while the sun came up.

Now for my least favorite part…PACKING. Trying to fit a sleeping bag, climbing gear, biking gear and snacks into a frame bag and Butt Rocket (bike bag that attaches to your seat post) is no small feat. Though the velominati looked down on me, we opted to wear backpacks as well - there was just too much stuff!

We finally left the house at 2 pm on Saturday en route to Amsteg. We took this ride very easy, stopping around Schweiz for an ice cream and to buy more snacks around Altdorf. We followed national bike routes, meaning there was either a dedicated bike lane or bike path for 95% of the journey. The highlight of the route was biking around Lake Lucerne from Brunnen to Altdorf. The lake has a glacial hew and the road is cut into the side of a cliff about 100 meters above the water. In some parts, they had blasted into the cliff for a dedicated bike tunnel! This all felt really safe, and was more beautiful than around the East Shore of Tahoe! 

We took an extended break in Amsteg, having an Italian dinner. Our Milanese friend Pit told us that the more flies that buzz around you at an Italian restaurant, the better the pasta. Well folks there were a lot of flies and the food was so good that I would have licked my Tagliatelle with cream and spinach plate clean if it weren’t for the other patrons who seemed aghast at how quickly we consumed our meal. We capped the bike ride off with Doppel Espressos because we had a long night ahead of us…

It was just getting dark when we parked the velos and began the night hike from Amsteg to the Leutschachhütte. It was hot and humid down low, but we were making great time after a slower than expected ride. The beauty of a headlamp is that it laser focuses you at the task at hand, putting one foot in front of the other. At one point I looked up and saw a field of shining eyes looking in our directions. We tiptoed around the slumbering cows, who seemed uninterested in our presence. Finally at 1:30 am, we made it to Nidersee, a lake below the Leutschachhütte, and it is probably one of the most beautiful places ever.

Though we didn’t know that at the time..we plopped down on the shore of the lake to nap until the sun came up. It became clear rather quickly that we had gone a little too light on the layers. With no sleeping pad or down jacket, we shivered for a few hours while the wind began to pick up. Alas, it did feel good to give the feet a rest for a bit.

Around 4:30, Freddy was over shivering and there was light in the East. We started moving and made it to the base of the climb just as the sun emerged over the Alps. The route was 12 pitches of max 4c climbing on bolted Gneiss. Freddy did most of the leading and we moved quickly, which I really appreciated. The Foehn wind really began to pick up and blasted me as I stood shivering at the belay. I would have enjoyed myself more if I had brought a puffy, so I improvised by sitting in my sleeping bag while Freddy climbed. Freddy gave me the last pitch and we topped out on the subsummit of Mäntliser, where I gave him a big fat kiss - WE WERE HALF WAY.

The descent to the hut was brutal and exposed and involved a fair amount of butt sliding. While I was struggling to stay on my two feet, some four footed goat friends perched high on the pass watched us hem and haw while they moved easily from grass patch to grass patch. Though we were on a nationally recognized route, I would not recommend the ​​Ruch Pass/Steinchalenfurggi trail.

We made it to Leutschachhütte for lunch, where we ate Alpine Hornli mit Apfelsauce before the walk down. The descent was by far the worst part of the day: rocky steep switchbacks and a howling wind. Though it was absolutely beautiful terrain of jagged peaks, glacial fed lakes, and pungent wildflowers, my brain mostly focused on my toes being crunched by gravity and my aging knees creaking with every bend. We chatted and sang and freestyled beats and tunes to keep up morale, but by the time we made it back to Arnisee, I was spiritually crushed. I started crying on a park bench along the lake shore, surrounded by families grilling and happy hikers. I truly didn’t think I was going to make it down to the bike let alone home. That’s when Freddy employed his secret weapon of caffeine to coax me down the hill. 

We made it back to the bikes around 4 pm, and packed up shop. I knew I had to bike to Altdorf because there was no train station in Amsteg. Oddly enough, I got on the bike and was thoroughly enjoying myself. We had a strong tail wind from the Foehn, and I was drafting Freddy along a slightly downhill gravel path - basically hero riding. Damn.. I couldn’t quit now, so I mentally chunked out the bike sections: Altdorf to Brunnen, Brunnen to the top of the hill, the top of the hill to Zug, Zug to home. I could do this!! I even felt so good that Freddy drafted off me on a particularly fast section of Sihlstrasse; I just couldn’t help myself!

We got back to Albisstrasse at 9:15 pm, concluding our 31 hour push. It was 7 hours over what we expected, but if you take out the nap and food breaks, the math more or less works out!

I am so proud that we followed through on this plan. I really did not think I would be able to do this, but completely surprised myself. Freddy, bless his heart, was sure I was capable from the beginning. He, of course, has had a front row seat over the past three years of watching me become an uphill athlete.

I am so grateful we found a meaningful way to celebrate our love and commitment to each other. And who knows?! Maybe we’ll try 48 hours next year! Or maybe we’ll go to Mallorca 🙂 

I'm also grateful that Freddy filmed a lot of the trip!! Here's the edit: