GRINDELWALD TO KANDERSTEG
Day
8 Monday 14.8.00
Yet
another sunny and hot day. We left Grindelwald by losing height to the valley at
Grund and then climbing steeply uphill on paths and lanes to Alpiglen. Stephen
was able to pursue his passion for trains this day, with trains on the Wengenalp
and Jungfraubahn lines passing every few minutes. After Alpiglen the gradient
eased and the path broadened as height was gained easily to the summit of Kleine
Scheidegg (2061m), with the Eiger dominating everything.
Eiger and Jungfrau from Alpiglen
Kleine Scheidegg
Kleine
Scheidegg was a SHOCK. It’s a large railway junction, complete with
loudspeaker announcements, hotels, restaurants and, worst of all, hamburger and
gift stalls, all being used, so it seems, by thousands of people of all
nationalities. We walked a little way up the path to the Eiger glacier for
lunch. There were several spectacularly noisy avalanches and icefalls on the
Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger. The sight of these enormous mountains is beyond
words. We couldn’t believe our luck to have such perfect weather conditions to
see them in.
Jungfrau from Kleine Scheidegg
Gspalthenhorn and Sefinenfurgge pass from Kleine Scheidegg
Then
it was off down the hill for an awfully long, steep and knee wrecking descent
first to Wengen and then into the incredible sheer sided valley at
Lauterbrunnen. The hotel was beside the station with the track only metres away
from the window and the clanging of the trains going onto the rack section of
track every half hour!
The Lutschinental at Lauterbrunnen