Statistics: 11.6 miles ascent: 3417′ descent: 0’ish Pass #6: Grosse Scheidegg
After a delicious breakfast our day’s hike began. Most of the morning was spent walking uphill in the shade. As we approached Grosse Scheidegg we were once again in open pasture with the Rosenlaui Valley behind us and the Grindelwald Valley before us. At the pass the awe inspiring Bernese Oberland mountains began to come into view.
The north face of the Eiger is a famous climbing route where many have lost their lives in the attempt to master this Goliath!
At Grosse Scheidegg we decided to take a detour to Berggasthaus First for the night which is about 1 1/2 hours off the trail. We were rewarded with spectacular views, a lovely B&B and an afternoon of exploring. First is a gondola station on top of the mountain with a front row seat of the Bernese Oberland. Dozens of paragliders swooped past us, some close enough to be in speaking range!
We dropped our packs in our cozy room with red and white checked curtains. We headed out to explore, free from our gear, on a hike to Bachalpsee. Bachalpsee was the lake on our hiking guidebook’s cover; we wanted to see it for ourselves. Unfortunately, clouds were quickly rolling in so the mountains were not very visible. (The cows on the cover picture also failed to appear!….bummer!)
We took an interesting walkway around a cliff face on the way back to First.
In the evening we witnessed quite a rain and hail storm and then a starry night!
The views from First were spectacular!