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Published: September 22nd 2016
Glacial Super-highway
Grosser Aletschgletscher from aboveAfter waking up to the most glorious panorama of 4000m-plus peaks at the Berghotel Wildstrubel atop the Gemmipass on Thursday (28th July), I spent most of the morning walking contentedly around the scenic shores of the Daubensee, which unlike the day before was bathed in sunshine. Any thoughts I may have had about going for a swim were quickly dashed, however, when I heard the anguished cries of a young man nearby who had stripped down to his birthday suit and attempted to enter the water for a refreshing dip without attracting any unwanted attention... his undignified screams matched in volume only by the howls of laughter coming from an unsympathetic friend!
Eventually I made my way back to the Gemmipass for the scenic cable car ride down to Leukerbad almost a thousand metres below, and from there a postbus negotiated the steep descent out of that valley and down into the broad, fertile bowl of the Rhone Valley. Aside from being by far the most heavily-populated valley that I had encountered, the Rhone was also conspicuous in the way that it's southern flanks were all covered in forest, while the more rugged northern side was comparatively barren and rocky.
Riding the Rails
Heading upstream alongside the Rhone River Switching from bus to train in Leuk Stadt, I then continued my journey upstream alongside the Rhone River; though it was only after switching to another train in Visp that the scenery really started to impress, as the gradient of the climb increased while the walls of the valley began closing in on both sides. But as much as I would have loved to continue all the way up and over the Oberalp Pass (which at 2000m separates the headwaters of the Rhone Valley from those of the Rhine Valley) it was to another adjacent valley that I was drawn, and so I found myself disembarking the train at a small 'halt auf verlangen' ('stop on request') outside the town of Fiesch, where my accommodation for the night at the Sport Ferien Resort Fiesch resembled some kind of miniature Olympic Village! Still, with a massive twin room to myself I certainly wasn't about to complain...
The next morning I was up early to take the first cable car of the day from Fiesch (1049m) up to Fiescheralp (2212m), high above the Rhone Valley - though still over seven hundred metres below the summit of the Eggishorn (2937m), to
Bird's Eye View
Paraglider getting a closer look at the Fieschergletscher which most of my fellow passengers were headed. I on the other hand was set to tackle a trail - known as the Aletsch Panoramaweg - that would contour AROUND the lower slopes of the Eggishorn, on the other side of which lay a natural wonder the likes of which I had never seen before.
Setting out from the cable car station at Fiescheralp through a blanket of cloud, I was offered only fleeting glimpses of the Rhone Valley stretched out below me for the first hour of my hike; but thankfully as the sun rose higher it started to burn off the clouds, so that by the time I reached the first of the trail's highlights - the Fieschergletscher (Fiesch Glacier) - I had a perfect view of the glacier snaking it's way down the mountainside opposite toward the depths of the Fieschertal, which in turn led to the broad expanse of the Rhone Valley; above which a number of paragliders could be seen riding the thermals.
Turning away from the valley of the Rhone to follow the upper flanks of this new side valley (the Fieschertal) I then came to an artificial lake known as the
Bend in the (ice) road
Looking down on a ribbon of ice almost two kilometres wide Märjelensee, next to which a small mountain restaurant stood in splendid isolation amongst the barren surroundings. Soon after passing this solitary building I caught my first glimpse of the treasure that I had come all this way to see - the Grosser Aletschgletscher (Great Aletsch Glacier), which at 23km is the longest glacier in the Alps. While at this point I was side-on to the glacier and at almost the same height - and therefore only able to see a small cross-section a few hundred metres wide - there was no disputing the immense size of this massive ribbon of ice, given how it's mighty bulk towered over the hordes of people gathered at it's base.
But it was only after scrambling up a steep stairway hacked out of the rocks on the lower slopes of the Eggishorn that I was able to fully appreciate the glacier's epic proportions. From this new vantage point about a hundred metres above the glacier I was able to see right across to the other side almost two kilometres away; and with a number of small tour groups having made their way up onto the ice for a guided hike it offered some
An Unforgettable Experience
In front of the longest glacier in the Alps perspective to the otherwise unfathomable dimensions of this gargantuan river of ice. Indeed the people moving about on the ice appeared as mere dots on my camera lens, and it wasn't long before I had lost them altogether in the sea of white confronting me!
Having done a full semi-circle around the lower slopes of the Eggishorn since beginning the hike in Fiescheralp, the trail now followed parallel to the glacier for the next six kilometres; and since the trail itself maintained a consistent height (at around 2300m) whilst the glacier flowed downhill, it meant that with every step I climbed higher above the sheet of ice and was provided with ever more incredible views... and all without actually having to climb at all!
Sweeping down in a wide arc like some sort of icy super-highway, the glacier's likeness to a Swiss autobahn is enhanced by a pair of parallel dark lines running down the length of the glacier. Looking for all the world like lane markings, these dark lines are in fact the lateral moraines (piles of rocky rubble and debris that accumulate at the edge of a glacier as it advances) of three separate glaciers -
Pool of blue in a sea of green
The Bettmersee, with the Rhone Valley in the background the Grosser Aletschfirn, Jungfraufirn and Ewigschneefald - that converge at a spot high up in the mountains known as Konkordiaplatz, before flowing side-by-side for the entire 23km length of the Grosser Aletschgletscher without mixing.
With the Aletsch Glacier ever-present to my right, the trail undulated gently as it passed from the lower flanks of the Eggishorn to the Bettmerhorn, until eventually it emerged at a trail junction atop the crest of the ridge running down from the Bettmerhorn. At this point it was finally time for me to say goodbye to my icy companion of the past couple of hours and head down the other side of the ridge (towards the valley of the Rhone once more) where I soon came to the top of a steep slope and was confronted by the spectacular sight of the Bettmersee lake occupying a broad grassy bowl three hundred metres below.
Relishing the views not only of the Bettmersee below but also the Rhone Valley backed by the high peaks of the Valaisian Alps in the background, I made my way excitedly down to the shores of the Bettmersee for what would be my first swim in a Swiss alpine lake...
Reflections
View from the shores of the Blausee and while the water might have been somewhat chilly, I certainly wasn't disappointed! It was just as well that I had the opportunity to cool off though, for I then had to make my way back up to the top of the ridge that I had just come down from - though even this effort was duly rewarded as I passed another cable car station (all the settlements of these high pasturelands - Fiescheralp, Bettmeralp and Riederalp among them - being car-free and therefore accessible by cable car only) and arrived at the edge of the tiny but exquisite Blausee (Blue Lake).
From the Blausee I continued to follow the crest of the ridge separating the valley of the Rhone from that of the Aletsch Glacier, on the northern slopes of which lay the Aletschwald (Aletsch Forest) punctuated by hardy old stone pine trees. Having spent eight hours on the trail and covered more than twenty kilometres, I finally arrived at my overnight destination at the Berghotel Riederfurka - perched in a notch on the ridgeline at an altitude of over 2100m - just before 5pm.
This presented me with a problem. While I had been desperately hoping
End of the Trail
The Berghotel Riederfurka (and Villa Cassell) with the Riederhorn in the background to make it down to see the gravity-defying Aletschji-Grünsee Hängebrücke (ie the Belalp-Riederalp suspension bridge) far below in the Massaschlucht (Massa Gorge), the return walk - which would involve a 450m descent into the depths of the gorge, followed by a 450m climb back up again - was estimated to take at least three-and-a-half hours; and while there was still four hours of sunlight left in the day, I would have to make it back to the hotel by 7pm for dinner service in the restaurant or face a night without food!
So with neither missing dinner NOR missing the suspension bridge being an option, I was left with only one alternative... to try my hand at trail-
running for the first time! With the trail switch-backing steeply down through the forest of the Aletschwald, it was all I could do to keep my footing - but all the while I was only too aware that going down was the EASY part; it would be coming back up that would leave me cursing my decision! Though I made good progress down the steep hillside, I couldn't help wishing that I'd had enough time to relax and savour the sights, sounds
124 metres long, 50 metres high
The Belalp-Riederalp suspension bridge and smells of this unique forest - one that had grown in the very site that the glacier had previously occupied, as the great wall of ice receded slowly back up the valley.
Nevertheless, just fifty minutes after leaving Riederfurka I came upon the rocky shores of the Grünsee (Green Lake), and from there it was only a short time later that I caught my first sight of the suspension bridge stretched across the yawning chasm of the Massaschlucht, which had been carved by the Aletsch Glacier long before the forest had colonized it's fertile upper slopes. At 124 metres long and 50 metres high it might not have been quite as intimidating as the Triftbrücke that I had encountered in the Bernese Oberland, but with not another human being in sight it was still a somewhat nerve-wracking experience to find myself inching my way across the bridge whilst swaying precariously between the sheer rock walls of the Massaschlucht, as thundering waterfalls poured down from the glacier's snout into the head of the gorge just a few hundred metres upstream. Perhaps the most intimidating sight of all, however, was that which confronted me from the other end of the
Glacier-gouged Gorge
View of the Massaschlucht from the suspension bridge bridge - as I looked back up at the steep slope I had just come down and realized I had just under an hour to make it back up to the top in time for dinner...!
But if there is any greater physical motivation than an empty stomach (and the lure of a delicious meal with which to fill it) then I'm yet to discover it, so as soon as I had set my feet back on solid ground I was tackling the climb with almost reckless abandon - even running UPHILL where the gradient would allow it. From time to time my exertions would set off a sudden flurry of movement from the forest around me, as the unmistakably graceful profile of a chamois (a distinctive looking deer-like animal with small horns and a pair of thin black stripes on either side of it's face) would go darting off into the undergrowth. Again I could only rue the fact that I had to rush through such a beautiful and serene place, where a quick dash through couldn't possibly do justice to such an enchanting location.
But I had a deadline to meet, and sure enough just under
Stunning Sight
Waterfall beneath the Riederalp - Mörel cable car line two hours after I had set out from the hotel (and fifty minutes after I had left the gorge) I emerged from the forest back at the Berghotel Riederfurka to claim my prize - a delicious, filling, traditional Walliser (Valaisian) meal (some sort of pie/tart that was curiously half-sweet and half-savoury, but also incredibly tasty!) washed down with a nice cold glass of weissbeer. What a perfect end to an unforgettable day!
Having gotten a phone call from a Swiss friend of mine named Yann the previous morning - just as I was setting out from the cable car station in Fiescheralp - to see if I wanted to meet up and maybe do a hike together in Zermatt over the weekend, I had no sooner finished my breakfast at the berghotel on Saturday morning than I was heading back down towards the Rhone Valley on yet another cable car... only this one came with a bird's eye view of a spectacular two-tiered waterfall dropping down the cliffs directly below me!
After hopping on a train back down the Rhone Valley from Mörel to Visp, I then took the same train as Yann up through the steep-walled Vispa
Classic View
My first view of the Matterhorn from beside the Vispa River in Zermatt Valley towards the tourist resort/town of Zermatt, located 1600m above sea level and surrounded by 4000m-plus peaks - including, most famously, the Matterhorn. Never having seen the most famous of Swiss mountains up close before, I couldn't help feeling a little awestruck as Yann and I crossed the river in the centre of town to be confronted by the startling sight of the Matterhorn's sharp, angular peak piercing the sky immediately behind the town.
Having last seen (and first met) Yann on the big island of Hawai'i three years ago - when we proceeded to spend the best part of a week together hiking up volcanoes and across lava flows (not to mention snorkeling with giant sea turtles) - we were keen to add to our short history of unforgettable hikes, and so the decision was made to tackle the popular Five Lakes Trail on the slopes of the Findelalp just outside Zermatt.
Taking an underground funicular train up the mountainside to Sunnegga at a height of 2288m, we were immediately greeted by more superlative views of the Matterhorn across the valley - though these would be nothing new by the end of our hike. Setting off from
Sunnegga we soon caught sight of the Leisee occupying a grassy basin below us, though we decided to leave this lake until last in order to get most of the climbing out of the way as early on. Climbing past the cable car station at Blauherd, we soon came to our first lakeside stop for the day at the scenic shores of the Stellisee (2537m), which with it's crystal clear water and perfect view of the Matterhorn would prove to be my favourite spot on the trail.
Dropping steeply down into the valley of the Findelbach stream, we then came to the much smaller (though equally-beautiful) Grindjesee, after which we followed a somewhat precarious trail down across a steep scree slope, before climbing up the other side of the valley through a small patch of forest to the Grünsee - which despite failing to lure us into the water (as it did an older lady and a particularly energetic dog) provided as nice a spot as any for a lunch break.
With clouds starting to close in (just as Yann had predicted they would) we headed back down to the valley floor to check out the outrageously brightly-coloured
Mountainous Mohawk
View of the Matterhorn from the shores of the Stellisee Mosjesee, before completing our loop past the child-friendly Leisee on our way back up to the station at Sunnegga. After considering our options (and consulting Yann's smartphone to check the latest mountain weather forecast) we decided to prolong our hike by walking back down to Zermatt rather than taking the funicular back, which provided us with yet more Matterhorn views (minus the summit, which was by now covered in clouds) followed by a steep descent through a pine forest. As half-day hikes go, this was certainly one of the more scenic that I had ever done!
After checking into our respective hostels in Zermatt for a shower and a change of clothes, Yann and I met up again later for a couple of beers at a nearby pub before hunger got the better of us, at which point Yann decided to introduce me to the wonders of Swiss raclette! What followed was quite possibly the longest meal of my life - though also one of the more entertaining - as we proceeded to spend the next couple of hours eating little more than potatoes and melted cheese! To be fair though, we had opted for the 'all you can
Ridge-top Trail
Following Yann's footsteps towards a familiar backdrop eat' special - which as Yann rightly pointed out meant that we would need to finish at least four plates of cheese each to get our money's worth... I'm still not sure why we stopped after six plates, though I suspect it was because we had finally run out of potatoes to dip into our cheese!
With just one day left in the mountains, I was determined to spend it hiking the Edelweissweg - a 20km, full-day loop trail in the mountains above Zermatt - but with most of the trail lying well above the treeline at an altitude of over 2000m, my heart sank when I awoke on Sunday to be greeted by a low-lying blanket of clouds that extended to within a few hundred metres of the town. After bidding a fond farewell to Yann and promising to return to Switzerland sometime in the future to try my hand at 'via ferrata' (highly exposed trails that resemble obstacle courses and require scrambling with the aid of steel chains, cables and ladders fixed into the rock to reach otherwise inaccessible parts of the Alps) I went for a subdued walk through town, slowly resigning myself to the fact
Heading toward the Heavens
Waterfall on the lower Triftbach, with the bergrestaurant of Alterhaupt just visible high above that the previous day's hike might have been my last in Switzerland.
While I was quite prepared to brave the relative cold and occasional rain, my main concern was the low cloud cover; and given that the prominent landmark of Alterhaupt (a mountain hotel occupying a spectacular location perched atop a rocky knoll high above Zermatt, and visible from pretty much anywhere in town) had by now disappeared behind the clouds - and that a hike along the Edelweissweg would pass this building within the first hour and remain above that height for most of the day - my prospects weren't looking good.
Eager to avoid spending the day lying around at my hostel, I followed the river upstream until I ended up at the entrance to the Gornerschlucht (Gorner Gorge) and - devoid of any better ideas - forked out the inflated entry fee to check it out. While it might not have been the most exciting half-hour of my trip, by the time I made my way back down to Zermatt - mindful of the fact that it was by now past midday, and time was therefore running out if I was going to attempt a
Tumbling Waters
The incredibly scenic upper Triftbach valley full-day hike - the clouds were finally starting to lift, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and set out on the steep uphill climb through forest to the bergrestaurant at Alterhaupt (1961m). While the climb was every bit as gruelling as I had expected it to be, I was shocked to round yet another switchback and suddenly find myself alongside the seemingly-unattainable building only 25 minutes after leaving Zermatt, which was laid out scenically on the valley floor some 350 metres below.
With the steepest part of the climb already out of the way (though I still faced a further 800 metres of climbing to reach the highest point of the trail) and with the weather continuing to clear, I set out from Alterhaupt with a euphoric feeling that was only enhanced by the sheer beauty of my surroundings. Following the tumbling waters of the Triftbach stream up through an ever-narrowing hanging valley, I soon came to a beautiful waterfall spreading like a bridal veil from a narrow gap at the head of the valley; from the base of which the trail wound it's way up through another series of switchbacks (with impressive views across the
Scenic Lunch Stop
Taking a break beside the Berghotel Trift, 700 metres above Zermatt Vispa Valley to the mountains on the other side of Zermatt, though the town itself was hidden out of sight) to emerge in the steep-sided, v-shaped upper valley of the Triftbach, with sharp peaks rising up amidst swirling clouds in the distance.
After a further hour or so I finally reached the Berghotel Trift - a solitary mountain hotel sitting in the middle of nowhere (at 2337m) in an otherwise uninhabited valley, painted cheerfully in pink and doing a brisk trade for lunch amongst fellow hikers who had all walked for at least two hours to reach it - where I finally stopped for a rest and re-fuelling break nearby. The ingenuity of the Swiss to build a mountain hotel / restaurant in such an isolated yet beautiful location - where all supplies have to be either carried up from Zermatt or flown in by helicopter - is nothing short of extraordinary; though as Yann had explained to me the day before there are literally hundreds of mountain huts scattered throughout Switzerland (most operated by the Swiss Alpine Club) that offer accommodation and meals to anyone prepared to put in the effort to reach them, thus allowing ordinary people
Lonely Mountain
The mighty Matterhorn, from base to summit with no mountaineering (or even camping) experience to potentially spend weeks in the mountains without having to retreat to civilization for supplies.
If any further evidence were needed of the widespread nature of this incredible network of mountain huts, upon climbing up the side of the Trift valley to reach the undulating pastureland of Höhbalmen (2665m) with it's direct views toward the Matterhorn, the cube-shaped profile of the Hörnlihütte could be clearly seen sitting atop the mountain's prominent north-east ridge, at a height of 3260 metres. It is this hut that serves as base camp for mountaineering parties setting out to reach the Matterhorn's summit; though in typical Swiss fashion the hut itself is accessible to anyone willing to hike up to it.
From Höhbalmen the trail contoured it's way around the lower slopes of the Gabelhorn, with the Matterhorn's distinctive profile ever-present in the foreground and the Zmuttgletscher slowly coming into view at the head of the valley below, until I eventually passed a simple cross that marked the high point of the trail - and indeed the highest point I had reached during my whole trip - at 2788m above sea level (though still some 1700
Unexpected Waterfall
The Zmuttbach stream tumbling over the edge of a glacial moraine metres below the summit of the Matterhorn).
With the first signs of a return to overcast skies starting to appear from the west, it was with relief that I finally started my descent towards a group of lakes sitting at the base of the Matterhorn, in the hollow previously gouged out by the now-retreating Zmuttgletscher. After following a small stream alongside the crest of the glacier's lateral moraine, I was startled to find the moraine come to an abrupt end - at which point the stream plunged headlong over the precipice right beside the trail, which wound steeply down the scree slope through a series of switchbacks. It was whilst admiring this most unexpected of cascades that I came to realize just how threatening the approaching weather had become; and though I had already dropped over five hundred metres by this point I was well aware that with over six hundred metres of descent still ahead of me I was more exposed to the oncoming storm front than I cared to be.
And so for the second time in just three days I found myself trail-running (out of necessity rather than choice) as the inevitable thunderstorm bore down
Emerging from the clouds
Last look back at the Matterhorn from the end of the Edelweisweg on me. Of course I hadn't made it very far when the heavens opened and I was caught in a heavy downpour (with thunderclaps echoing from the surrounding cliffs for added effect), though at least this time I could see the bright side - that I had managed to (almost) complete a full day's hike that had only a few hours earlier seemed a virtual impossibility. And what's more, it had turned out to be one of my favourite hikes in all of Switzerland.
But there was still one more surprise to come, when after making my way down past the tiny settlement of Zmutt through pouring rain to finally emerge from the forest once more on the outskirts of Zermatt, I noticed that the weather had suddenly cleared once again; and upon turning back the way I had come I was amazed to see the familiar profile of the Matterhorn in all it's glory - it's summit appearing from beneath the clouds for the first time all day, just in time to say goodbye. What a way to end my three weeks in Switzerland!
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