After filling our bellies we got our packs ready and talked about what to do. We had never explored the very end of the valley and it sounded interesting. We looked at some trail maps and did some reading. There were some easier trails that will get you there....but we don't do easy! We hopped on the cable car to Grutschalp again, then took the mountain train to Murren. Jo decided to make some friends before we hit the trail....I think she is on the left
Just before leaving Murren we spotted this stump near the edge and decided to take a few pics. There is a para glider flying by in the background of Jo's shot. You can see them all day long in the valley, as well as the B.A.S.E. jumpers....Jo still won't let me try that :-(
The valley we are going to explore today is just a little left of me in the picture.....but we are going to approach it via the green ridge that is top right in the photo
We left Murren not sure what to expect. We quickly found the trail.....we knew that we had a lot of climbing to do, but before we could start that, we had to drop down into another valley to get across a river, then we would start to go up.
It doesn't matter where you go around here, you can be in the middle of nowhere and you still come across these wonderful little gardens. This one was perched right on the edge
As we dropped down into the first valley, the views opened up, and they were amazing. Here is a shot looking back up towards the area we explored two days ago
As there are 72 waterfalls in the valley, you can't go far without running across one...this one is carved deep into the rock
We made it to the bottom of the first valley and crossed over one of the raging rivers that the waterfalls feed
And then the climbing started. The trail went straight up the side of the valley. It was very steep and it never let up. Luckily we were in shade for a lot of the climb...the weather has been fantastic so far, but it was very hot today. We stopped at one of the small falls on the way up....Jo got a pic of me sitting behind the fall, but you can't really see the water in the pic - and no we're not going back to take another one!
A little farther up the trail we came across a memorial to a young German climber who had lost his life in the mountains here. Sadly there are a number of them in this region. The North Face of the Eiger is infamous in mountaineering circles and there are many tales of triumph and tragedy that surround that mountain.
On a more cheery note, not much further up the trail we got a great view of the waterfall that we had crossed a little earlier on the other side of the valley. This perspective showed us just how big it is, and how much it has carved itself into the rocks.
There is a major tourist attraction in the area called Trummelbach Falls. It is a series of deep caves that have been carved into the mountain by the outflow from the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau mountains. You take a funicular up inside of the mountain and then walk down a series of steps and paths to view the raging waterfalls that are deep inside of the mountain. If you are ever in the area it is very much worth checking out.
A little further up the trail and we came across some Swiss vandalism....LOL
We finally reached the top of the climb and emerged from the forrest into an alpine meadow....we kept climbing but fortunately it wasn't anywhere near as steep as the last section was
Jo stopped to take some pics of one of her favourite wildflowers. They turned out quite well
As we kept climbing, the views just left getting better and better
The next shot is great because it gives some perspective to the valley. On the left side you can see the town of Murren which is perched on a shelf about 600 meters above the valley floor. In the background on the right you can see the town of Wengen which is perched on a shelf on the other side of the valley. In the distance you can see part of the town of Lauterbrunnen on the valley floor. That is where we are staying.
Right beside the town of Murren you can see shear cliffs that drop straight down to the valley floor. It's a very popular spot for B.A.S.E. jumpers to launch themselves from....there is also a via ferrata that takes you out across that rock face. We did that one a few years ago - scroll down to previous years to see some pics. And if you look straight above that rock face as far back as the horizon....that's the ridge that we were on yesterday.
We finally hit the highest point of our hike and rounded a corner where we could see up in the valley that was our destination. To say that our minds were blown would be the understatement of the century. I took lots of pictures, but honestly, they can't capture what it was like to really be there and see it in person. Amazing views, snow covered mountains, multiple glaciers and waterfalls everywhere. We heard a glacier calving and the following avalanche from the other side of the valley. The large waterfall in the distance is called Schmadribach Falls, and we could hear it from miles away. We are not big arty types, but apparently the falls were made famous when they were painted by Joseph Anton Koch in 1794
Here is a short video to give you a feel for the scenery
The views were amazing, but we were still high on a ridge, beside a very steep drop and we had to pay attention while we worked our way down the trail. At points there wasn't even a real trail to follow, just some faint paint marks on the rocks. There were a number of spots where one wrong step would have sent you falling about 700 meters to the floor of the valley
If you zoom in you can see a few other people who were following us down this trail....they look like ants in the distance
After a long decent we reached our destination.....the Berghotel (mountain hotel) Obersteinberg. You can stay here for 69 Swiss Francs a night, with half board. It is rustic, there is no electricity and your room is lit by candles, but the views are fantastic as you look out at Schmarribach Falls. Falling asleep to the sound of a waterfall is an amazing experience
We weren't planning on staying at the hotel this time, but we always like to do our part to support the local economy. They have to fly in all their supplies by helicopter and they rely on hikers and climbers to keep them going. We did our bit by having some beer and a traditional dish of rosti.....it was SO good, and we really needed those beers!
While enjoying our snack a small butterfly landed on me and made its way inside of my glasses - if you look closely you can see it
Now maybe beer wasn't the best idea when it's over 30 degrees and we've just done a major hike.....but we're not big on details like that :-)
After we finished our snack we started back down the valley....there were many gorgeous views along the way, but the pics barely do it justice. You all have to come here to experience it yourselves! We also spotted some funny cattle and some goats on the way down
The hike back down was quite steep, and it was long. We were both feeling a bit tired and I kept saying to Jo "You have a recovery coming up....keep working!"
We made it back down to the end of the valley floor, walking past raging rivers and peaceful little Swiss houses, making our way back to where we are staying. A welcome shower and then a very tasty homemade dinner....and now we are spent! OK maybe just one more piece of cheese to go with the sparkling wine.
Thoughts and prayers with all those in Italy today!
Nighty night!
