Grindelwald - Eiger Trail

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What a thunderstorm we had in the night! House shaking stuff with wind and rain. It was not condusive to a good sleep. However, in the morning it had cleared with some low patches of cloud remaining. What to do? The Eiger Trail or over to the Neiderhorn away from the high alps. As the morning progressed the band of cloud coming over the Klein Scheidegg came and went across the Eiger. What the heck, let's go regardless.

We got the Jungfraujoch train from Grindelwald up to the Scheidegg and on up to Eigergletscher where we began the Eiger Trail. The clouds came and went and mist swirled in around us and up the mountain face then disappeared. The track is not a hard one to do and passes directly under the North Face of the Eiger. It is rough in places and is tough being continously downhill. There are views of glaciers, streams, cairns, waterfalls, ice in some valleys, grassy slopes, cows, people and always that huge wall of rock and distant views to Grindelwald below. A superb sight.

There were no climbers on the face. I'm not sure what time that usually happens. Perhaps when there is even less snow about. For the uninitiated, the Eiger has had a checkered history of success and failure to climb to the top. It was originally thought to be unclimbable but it now has been conquered by many. It has also claimed many lives of those making the attempt. It is not hard to see how. The face appears to be a vertical wall of rock with lose rock and snow patches. Crazy people these climbers.

The trail finishes at Alpiglen 6 kms across the mountain. We chose to walk on down to Grindelwald. Silly. It's continously steeply downhill and takes another 2 hours. We arrived at Grund station 12kms later hoping for a bus or a train back up to the village. Nothing. So, walk again. On arriving very hot and foot sore at the village the heavens opened up and we got rain and thunder. What a way to finish the day. Despite that, it was a very good day.

Tomorrw will be much more restful watching the World Rowing Champs in Lucern.

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Photos

The North Face
Walking under the North Face of the Eiger