August 25, 2018
The Swiss Alps are comprised of some of the most iconic mountains in the world. Names like the Wetterhorn, Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau are synonymous with the towering peaks in the region. After completing the first six days of our Swiss Alpine Pass Route trek, beginning from Liechtenstein, we were ready to hike among these giants during our next 10 day section into the heart of the Alps.
Even though there were only about 90 miles of trail between Altdorf, where we had spent a rest day, and the town of Kandersteg, where our next layover was scheduled, we decided to take 10 days to hike the section. Not only would we have time to savor the beauty of the mountains, but it gave us the flexibility to work around any bad weather, as many of our hiking stages were only four to six hours long.
Back on the Trail to Our First Mountain Guest House
Our first day back on the trail from Altdorf was a short but intense day, with a four mile hike up about 3,500 feet. Our destination was a settlement in Brusti, at the top of a self-service chairlift. Once we completed our climb through the woods, we checked into our first berggasthaus (mountain guest house) of the trek.
This and the other four mountain guest houses that we stayed in during the next few nights were very similar. Accommodations featured small bedrooms with a shared bathroom and shower down the hall. The guest houses had restaurants where breakfast was served in the mornings. In two cases dinner (half board) was also included in the price. Typically this included soup, a pasta or chicken entree, and dessert. When dinner wasn’t included, we usually ate a la carte at their restaurant.
In almost all cases we had beautiful views outside of our window, with the sound of cow bells lulling us to sleep at night.
A Snowy Climb to the Surenenpass
Interspersed with our mountain guest house stays were hotel accommodations in several towns. Day two of our hiking section took us to the city of Engelberg, after climbing over the Surenenpass (7,516 feet). The ascent to the pass featured some beautiful wildflowers and included walking through a couple of snow patches, which was a little unnerving for me.
Once at the top, we had an incredible view of a long, twisting valley on the other side. There were several other day hikers at the pass as well, and we enjoyed a lunch break among them before continuing.
We walked down the valley, viewing many waterfalls flowing down from the sides of the mountains.
After completing our day’s hike to Engelberg, we walked past the Kloster Engelberg, the city’s 12th-century monastery.
Trying to Stay Ahead of the Bad Weather
Bad weather was an issue while hiking the next day. Clouds were already forming as we hurried up the first 1,200 feet of climbing. The path ran under a gondola. As we caught our breath during the last set of switchbacks, we waved to some of the riders just above us.
At the gondola station, we could see dark clouds moving in fast towards the Jochpass (7,241 feet). We took a short break, then continued up to reach the pass just as a few raindrops began to fall. Postponing our lunch break, we decided to stop to briefly eat a banana and drink some water before starting down. The rain intensified and soon turned to hail, pelting us as we walked.
Fortunately, the downhill grade was not too steep, and we rushed to make it to the Engstlensee Lake, where we were back in the tree line. Our destination for the day was a berggasthaus near the next lake, the Tannensee. The rain stopped, but the clouds ahead of us still looked foreboding.
Putting off our lunch break yet again, we decided to make a final push to the guest house, about a 45 minute hike away. We had to climb up a rocky ridge to reach our destination. As we hiked, it became a question of whether we could beat the next storm, as we literally saw a sheet of rain coming towards us. Our walk uphill turned into a light jog.
About 10 minutes before arriving at the berggasthaus, the rain come upon us, intensifying just as we got to the porch. After checking in, we could finally eat our lunch and enjoy a beer.
A Day of Ridge and Runners
We needed to have good weather for the next day’s hike, as the book only recommended walking the path in favorable conditions. Things looked better, so from the lake we climbed up to a ridge, where we were perched on a narrow trail. At times there were severe drop-offs on both sides.
While there was no rain, some fog began to move in, limiting our visibility. To complicate matters, there was an ultramarathon going on, and we had to contend with runners coming from behind and passing us. Because the trail was so narrow, we had to keep stopping to let them pass.
The suggested two hour hiking duration on the ridge stretched into more than 2 ½ hours before we reached Planplatten (7,365 feet), at the top of a gondola. The racers branched off to a dirt road, and our route turned down a different trail.
As we made the steep descent of about 5,000 feet to the town of Meiringen, the skies cleared. We marveled at the view in front of us. Above the valley where Meiringen was located were the giant mountains of the Wetterhorn and the Eiger. We were entering the Bernese Oberland, the highlands located in the canton of Bern.
A Nostalgic Visit to Reichenbach Falls
After a night at a B&B in Meiringen, we had a short stage of only about six miles on the next day. The highlight for us was a return visit to Reichenbach Falls, located on the trail just above the city. For anyone familiar with Sherlock Holmes, the falls are significant in the story, The Final Problem, where Holmes and his enemy Professor Moriarty fall to their “deaths” after an epic struggle. As we hiked out of town, we paused at a Sherlock Holmes statue.
We had visited the falls with our daughters 18 years ago, and it was nostalgic for us to see them again, this time while hiking across Switzerland. After reaching the top of the falls, we continued our climb along the Reichenbach River to Schwarzwaldalp, where our berggasthaus was located at the base of the Wetterhorn Mountain.
Hiking in the Heart of the Bernese Oberland
An early morning climb on day six of our section took us to Grosse Scheidegg, a 6,437 foot pass. After a long descent into the valley below, we walked through the city of Grindelwald, a popular destination for tourists vacationing in the region. At this point, we were passing many more English speakers on the trail.
In the middle of the afternoon, we began our final climb of the day to Alpiglen, about two-thirds of the way up to the next pass. The book had stated that the path was “surprisingly steep,” and it wasn’t kidding. We spent about one hour and 45 minutes walking almost straight up in the afternoon sun. Along the way, we paralleled the Wengeralp cog railway running from Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen.
Our dinner at the berggasthaus, located at the base of the Eiger, included rosti, a Swiss dish consisting of potatoes. Ours also included pieces of bacon, melted cheese, and a fried egg. For dessert we had an excellent berry torte.
Continuing through the Bernese Oberland the next day, we reached the pass of Kleine Scheidegg (6,761 feet). A busy junction for those traveling on the Wengeralp railway or on the Jungfrau railway to the Jungfraujoch, there were already many people congregated there at 10:30 am. We stopped to buy an apple drink and survey the scene before continuing downhill.
We had a clear day with a breathtaking vista of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau mountains to our left as we hiked. Turning a corner on a ridge, we could see the car-free village of Murren perched on the other side of the valley and our destination, the town of Wengen, just ahead of us.
Wengen is also a car-free village, and we had reserved a big splurge room with a mountain view. We were fortunate to witness a beautiful sunset that night from our balcony.
Another short day took us down about 1,600 feet to Lauterbrunnen and then up the other side of the valley to Murren, a climb of about 2,600 feet. The clear skies allowed us to soak in the mountain vistas as we ascended through the woods and meadows.
A Challenging Stage over a Difficult Pass
We were now in position for one of the most difficult stages of the entire Swiss Alpine Pass Route. The Sefinenfurgge Pass (8,570 feet) is the second-highest point on the trail. After three hours of steadily climbing the next morning, we reached a point that gave us pause. Looking ahead, we could see that the path went straight up a scree-covered mountainside for the final 500 vertical feet climb to the pass. We decided to break for lunch early to fortify us for the steep ascent. From the rock we sat on, we could look back at the mountains that we had hiked through the past few days.
Narrow switchbacks made the ascent feel slightly less vertical, but it was very steep and easy to slide backwards if your footing wasn’t just right. Towards the top a cable was installed to help hikers up the final few feet.
Finally at the pass, we sat on a rock and watched another couple come up just behind us. They were from Australia and were the only other Swiss Alpine Pass Route trekkers we had met on our entire hike.
After comparing trail stories with them for a few minutes, we needed to tackle the next challenge of the Sefinenfurgge: the descent. Also situated on a steep slope of scree, over 200 stairs and a cable were installed to make the downhill path much safer. Even so, it was slow going to descend so steeply. To make matters worse, about two-thirds of the way down, a mudslide had broken the cable and covered several of the stairs. It was very tricky to pick my way through that section, and I was glad when I was past it.
When the stairs ended, there was still more slick scree to contend with on the path. It was steep in places, but we took our time. Finally, we came to a dirt road and could hike faster. Good thing, because we arrived at our berggasthaus accommodations in Golderli just as some rain began to fall.
Bad Weather Forces a Difficult Decision
During our 15 total days of trekking the Swiss Alpine Pass Route thus far, the weather had not been a major factor. Sure, we had hiked in some rain, but also had many days with clear skies. However, when researching the trek before leaving home, I had not found anyone who had been able to complete the entire route without encountering at least one interruption due to weather.
The odds, already not in our favor, ran out with the storm that started when we arrived in Golderli. The rain continued, with just a few short breaks, for the next 14 hours. During one lull in the storm, a double rainbow filled the sky in front of us.
However, it rained so hard overnight that it woke us up a couple of times. The next morning it had stopped raining, but the skies still looked threatening.
The last stage of our 10-day section was a hike over the Hohturli Pass. Located at 9,114 feet, it is both the highest point on the trail and the most difficult pass, due to the slick terrain on both sides. Not only did the book caution against attempting the pass in bad weather, it also stated that Hohturli should not be approached after any significant rain, as the possibility of slipping and falling was just too great.
Because of the threatening conditions and the amount of overnight rain that had fallen, we knew it was not advisable to undertake the Hohturli Pass. Reluctantly, we walked 15 minutes to Griesalp, at the end of a paved road, and took the bus and train ahead to Kandersteg, where we would have ended the day’s stage.
Although we were disappointed about skipping a day of hiking, we felt better after we received an email from the couple who we had met the day before. They too had decided to forgo the stage. And, as the rain fell steadily for the next 12 hours, we were reminded that safety comes first.
A Rest Day Hike
We were scheduled to take a break in Kandersteg the next day, and the continual rain forecast made any consideration of hiking the skipped stage out of the question. Instead, we now had more time to relax with our change in plans. The next morning, on our full rest day, we decided to take advantage of a short break in the rain to hike up to the Oeschinensee Lake above the town. We had stayed at a berggasthaus there with our daughters, and the lake was also on the stage we had skipped. So we could at least hike a couple of the miles that we missed.
A 45 minute uphill climb brought us to the lake. Because of the inclement weather, very few people were there. There was heavy fog, but we waited patiently for the skies to clear. We got some fleeting glances of the beautiful turquoise lake, surrounded by mountain peaks. As soon as we returned back to the hotel, it rained again for the rest of the day. But hiking to the lake made us feel a little better about missing the stage.
The past 10 days had taken us through the best of the Alps, and we never tired of the spectacular mountain views. But we have more trekking to go before reaching Montreux, on the east end of Lake Geneva. Our final section of the Swiss Alpine Pass Route will take us about 65 miles over five days, climbing over seven more passes. The weather forecast looks good for the next few days, so we are anxious to get trekking again.
Beautiful photos. What an incredible trek. I have driven through Switzerland and it is breathtaking. Thanks for sharing.
Always great to hear from you John. And thanks for the encouragement. Yes, intensely beautiful. Sandy and I would just walk in silence for hours gazing in wonder. What a privilege to have visited. Stay tuned for our final story soon.