Dave and Jean 2012: Unbelieveable Panoramas

Friday, September 28, 2012

After a hearty breakfast of breads, cheeses and meats and oh yes cereal with strong coffee too we were off on the trek up through Gimmelwald (takes 20 minutes from one end to the other) on up toward the equally car free town of Murren. As the sun rose and brought to light the scenes of the Lauterbrunnen Valley above and below, we had to marvel anew at the beauty of God's creation.

Jean is on the move.

It is a steep climb so we took it slow and stopped often. What the sign says takes 40 min. up there we made in 120 min. Coarse we had to step aside on the narrow path for the farmer taking manure up higher and the man and women and 2 kids driving 8 cows down to their winter home barn. We love the scenery as the trail winds higher and higher in numerous switchbacks.

A look behind us on the way up to Murren

Once up in Murren we decided to tke the funicular up through the mountain to a plateau at Allmendhubel. From this point most trails head downward in various directions. In summer there is the Allmendhubel Flower Trail which by now has pretty much dried up.

Oops there were 9 cows I see.

We decided on the Blumental Panorama Trail and what a panorama it turned out to be. Shortly after rounding the corner from the Allmendhubel Station, the trail opened up into a whole new valley we did not know existed.

Look closely at the very top for the gondola in 007 movie

Lunch break on the mountain trail

It is like a huge bowl with one side open that falls abruptly back down to Murren. But the views as we circled the "bowl" were breathtaking. High mountain peaks blended in with the grey rock then sparse grasslands then high summer pasture grounds sprinkled with mountain barns and houses - we spent 2 hours descending the trail back down to Murren.

Just open the fence, close it behind you and keep on walking. Their motto "It's here to enjoy just take care of it and keep walking"

Trails are well marked.

Words alone cannot describe the views and neither can picture but we tried to capture a bit of what we experienced today.

At several spots we stopped and talked with people - it seemed to be the thing to do - "where are you folks from" - "have you been here before" - all common questions of discussion . A couple from Boston - mid 70's - a couple from Colorado here for one night wanting to know what to see in a day - a couple from Scotland - all of us commenting on the views we were able to take in.

The trail back down to Murren - this was the good part.

We were told of the possibility of late afternoon snow at some elevations but it did not show. Dressed in sweaters, coats and longjohns, we were overly prepared so soon into the hike the sweaters came off. With benches sprinkled along the way we were able to rest or have a snack when we felt the need.