The Alpine Pass Route - Switzerland
Mürren to Kandersteg (Day 9 and 10)
All images © David Noble. No image can be used for any purpose without permission.
Day 9 - 22 September 2008
Another fine morning. It was icy and frosty in the morning. The valley
was again filled with mist. This day would provide some of the finest
walking and views of the trip and would take me to the lovely hamlet of
Griesalp.
Above - Here we look across to the Mönch and Jungfrau.
Above - there is some ice on the tables at my accomodation. The host -
Steve, was originally from California and was a good source of
information about the area.
Above - High above Mürren is the Schilthorn - whose summit has a
restaurant reached by cable car. It was the main location of the James
Bond Film - "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"
Above - Looking down into the valley
Above - ice in the grass
Above - The trail, with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau
Above - Looking ahead to the Sefinenfurke (pass)
Above - Another view back of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau
Above - View from the Sefinenfurke. It was quite icy getting to the
pass (and getting down from it!). The next day I would cross another
high pass which you can see on the horizon about a third of the way
from the right, just to the left of a rock band that reaches the ridge
crest.
Above - The Sefinenfurke (2612m) - the highest point of the walk so far.
Above - the way down - icy steps with a cable to hang on to. The wet and frozen screes lower down where trickier.
Above - view down the valley
Above - crags above the valley
Above - a view of the next pass - the Hothürli - just to the left
of the notch on the right of the photo. Blümlisalp is the peak on
the left.
Above - I'm not sure what this sign meant.
Day 10 - 23 September 2008
This was another very fine day of walking that would take me over the
highest pass of the trip and then down to the town of Kandersteg. I was
a bit worried that the pass may be too icy to cross. It was tricky but
not too bad.
Above - This was where I stayed at Griesalp - the Pension Restaurant Golderli.
The hosts and staff were very friendly and I enjoyed an excellent
dinner the night before that included and magnificent platter of local
cheeses.
Above - Heading up through valley mist (or so I hoped) to the Hothürli.
Above - approaching the pass - and now above the mist. Great views.
Above - Near the pass - wooden steps and a cable made the going easier.
Above - Looking back down
Above - View, looking back from the pass.
Above - The Hothürli (2778m) - the highest point of the walk
Above - looking ahead
Above - a last view looking back the way I had come up (note the nice seat!)
Above - me, with a nice backdrop of mountains
Above - icicles
Above - a glacier coming down from Blümlisalp
Above - the lower part of the glacier
Above - Limestone outcrops
Above - a small salamander
Above - The beautiful Oeschinensee - fjord like lake above Kandersteg
Above - the trail around the lake passed through an interesting area of sculptures
Above - Kandersteg. Two years earlier I had passed through this town in
the train on a journey from Zermatt to Luzern. The train emerged from a
very long tunnel into a most beautiful valley and stopped at the
Kanderstag Bahnhoff (station). The mountains surrounding the town were
magical and everyone getting on or off the train seemed to be a
hiker. I thought at the time that it would be a nice place to
pass through on a long hiking trip. So it was good to return to this
town. I stayed in the camping area. I found a nice terrace at the back
to pitch the tent.
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