Last weekend it was time for another weekend hike with an overnight stay in a mountain hut. As the hut that I wanted to book was full already I settled with one close by and that turned out to be not a bad decision at all. This time three friends joined in and luckily one offered to be the driver of the weekend. So we left Zurich not too early at around 8 am and made our way towards the Bernese Alps. Our starting point was Griesalp in the beautiful valley of Kiental, which we reached after an adventurous drive at around 10 am. Strengthening ourselves with some coffee, we started our hike half an hour later. The way led more or less straightforward through the forest in the beginning and as we were not sure how the weather would be, we were glad that the sun was out and that the mountains around us kept the clouds at bay. We passed several turnoffs, a farm with some lovely cows, crossed a river once and followed the path deeper into the valley. We made good way as the trail still didn't really go up or down and we soon arrived at the Alp Gamchi. There I had a look on the signpost and suddenly it hit me. The path was that easygoing, because we were on the wrong one. :) Well, we were walking into the right direction, but the original intention was to walk on a path on the other side of the valley. Telling my friends, that we missed a turnoff somewhere, we decided right away to head over to the originally planed trail. So we crossed the river again and found ourselves minutes later in a steep ascending slope. The slope basically ended once we merged with the other path and after the strain of the ascent the lunch break was well deserved. After our stomachs were filled, we continued on the correct path and walked among rocks, flower beds and tons of sheep further towards the end of the valley. The sun was still shining and we were now able to see the Gamchi glacier and all the moraines at the bottom of it. The closer we got to that part of the hike, the more the landscape changed. The grass made way for stones, rocks and gravel and soon we felt like we were walking on the moon. :) The way through all the rocks was well marked and bridges and planks helped us over the couple gaps we had to cross. All the time the glacier and the high mountains loomed around us. Together with the sun, the clouds, the water rushing all around us and the occasional bush between all the grey rocks made this part quite epic.
Once we were out of the moraines it was time for a break to regain our breath. And that was a good idea. We were able to chose between two different trails and we decided to go along the one that was on the map and it looked pretty steep from where we stood. We also saw the hut from there the first time and it was clear that a strenuous hour stood before us. Nevertheless we started walking again rather sooner than later. The still good view made up for the steepness of the ascent and we paused a couple times to take in the amazing surroundings. How lucky we actually were with the weather, we only realized when 10 minutes before arriving in the hut, clouds and fog moved in and we couldn't see anything anymore. The hut itself was quite modern and spacious and once we dropped our stuff in the room we settled for some beer and wine on the terrace. Passing the time with playing cards, talking, making new friends and eating a nice dinner, bed time was upon us before we even knew it. :)
Getting up at 6.30 am after a rather bad sleep we had some breakfast and got ready for our hike back to Griesalp. But first my friend and I decided to climb up to the Wildstein, a peak just above the hut. The friendly lady from the hut explained the way but somehow we managed to get lost in the beginning already. Climbing over wet rocks and walking upwards on loose gravel, we only found the right way again just before we reached the peak. :) Today the sky was a bright blue and the first sunrays of the day enlightened the mountains in front of us. What a beautiful sight to behold!
As our other friends waited for us in the hut, we enjoyed the view not too long and were soon back on our way to joining them again. Combining the correct way with some cross-country descending we arrived at the hut 20 minutes later. From there we continued right away and started our descent. We decided to walk down a different way from the hut and that was for sure a good decision. The trail we took was more in curves and therefore not that steep and it led as close to the glacier as possible. We even witnessed how a small part of the glacier broke away. To top it off, this part was the best marked path that I ever walked on, with markings on every second stone. :) Once back on the trail from yesterday we took the same way again over the moraines. With no more clouds the scenery looked different, but still as stunning as the day before.
We already agreed to walk all the way back on the same side of the valley, so we passed the spot where we had lunch yesterday and kept on walking. A short ascent and descent later the view of Bundalp greeted us as well as a crowd of people. It seemed that this area was most beloved by other hikers. A bit under the restaurant of Bundalp we found a bench with a view and enjoyed our lunch there. Once all the food was gone we started the descent down to the bottom of the valley. The trail led over fields of grass and through a forest and about 45 minutes later we joined the path at the bottom on which we were walking yesterday already. Now we also knew where we missed the turnoff the day before. The rest of the way was a piece of cake and arriving back at Griesalp at about 1 pm we sat down for a well earned refreshment. Tired but happy we left the beautiful valley of Kiental and made our way back to civilization.
Highlight of the weekend: the landscape of the valley
This hike is for you if:
- you're looking for a doable two day hike with a lot of different paths to take
- you want to experience the diversity of mother nature in one hike
- you always wanted to walk over moraines
- you don't mind to share the trails with some other hikers
This hike is not for you if:
- you mind to hike over stones, rocks and gravel
- you don't want to have the same surroundings for two days in a row
- you want a 360° panorama that only a summit can provide
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