Advertisement
Published: June 20th 2011
Edit Blog Post
Bachalpsee below the Pass
This lake is superb with a clear blue sky, but not for today The farmers have been cutting their grass for hay so the weather must be okay for a long hike. We took the chairlift to First to start the hike through to Schynige Platte. We did this hike 11 years ago with Kay, Kerry, Chris and Kathy so it brought back a few memories of sunburn, sore feet and racing to get to the transport before 6pm. This time we left plenty of time and we were doing it in reverse as we remember what a steep haul it was last time going the other way.
First is at 2168m and we were to walk up to just below the Faulhorn at 2686m (about the height of Mt Taranaki). It is a well formed track up to the Bachalpsee (lovely) then on up to the Pass. From there you are basically walking parallel to Lake Brienz below, in and out of old glacial valleys.
It was a very cold 7 degrees added to which it was very windy so I guess even colder with the wind chill factor. Despite it being a lovely clear day we had to have all our gear on to keep warm. From the Faulhorn
Looking down to Lake Brienz
Looking down from a ridge over snow to a tarn then down to Lake Brienz in the distance we wound our way around rocky cliffs and across snow patches still remaining. There are soaring rock faces, rock slides and wonderful views down over Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. Schynige Platte could be seen in the distance which didn't look too far until we got over another Pass and had to circumvent a huge valley before dropping down and finishing uphill to the Platte. The hike took us 5 and a half hours and it is not an easy hike. You do need a good level of fitness for this one. However, it is worth the effort as you get up to a great height to be looking at the high alps and way down into the valleys. The wild flowers at this height at this time of the year are lovely. Blue violas, forget-me-nots and gentians dominate, but there are large numbers of yellow, white and pink flowers as well. Many we have in the garden at home but these are stunted by the environment. It's also a great place to look at the geology. There are huge folds in the rocks, it is easy to pick out unconformities, there are soaring limestone faces, and fluted limestone as
Looking towards the high alps
The high alps of Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau and others seen over Mannlichen. we see in Nelson at home.
On reaching Schynige Platte (2068m) there is a very old cog wheel train to take you down to Wilderswil. It is incredibly steep for a train and extremely slow - 35 minutes to get down.
Then back to Grindelwald to complete the circuit. Schynige Platte is worth a visit to see the Alpine Garden - essentially the wild flowers around the area. There is also the inevitable restaurant and great viewing platform.
For those who are fit and have the time, this is a "must do". But, ensure the weather is fine or the views will be totally missed.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.062s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 10; qc: 30; dbt: 0.0344s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb