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KLEINE SCHEIDEGG
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Kleine Scheidegg [62 Kb]
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Kleine Scheidegg is a 2061 meter pass between Grindelwald and
the Lauterbrunnental. The setting is spectacular, located at the base
of Mönch and the famous north face of Eiger.
Kleine Scheidegg can be reached from either side
by a scenic ride on a cogwheel railway.
We took the train from Lauterbrunnen on a windy fall day, 27 October 2002,
with a plan to walk back down to Lauterbrunnen via Männlichen and
Wengen.
Our lunch at Kleine Scheidegg was my first introduction to rösti,
which became a habit on many walking trips to follow.
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Approaching Männlichen [55 Kb]
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From Kleine Scheidegg the trail heads along a ridge, contouring
beneath Lauberhorn as it works its way toward Männlichen, about
three kilometers north. There are fine views of Grindelwald, Grosse Scheidegg
and Wetterhorn to the east, with Eiger and Mönch
to the south. The extreme wind, which I attributed to local mountain
conditions, turned out to be part of a large storm system which caused
widespread damage, closing airports throughout Europe.
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Looking down to Lauterbrunnen [65 Kb]
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It started to rain lightly by the time we reached 2229 meter Männlichen,
but the strong wind made it feel rather more intense. The remaining part of
the hike was a 1430 meter descent, through Wengen, to Lauterbrunnen.
Fiona was not impressed when she peered over the edge to see the steep trail below.
The trail weaves its way through a network of avalanche breaks, which protect
Wengen and Lauterbrunnen during winter (and would also have protected Fiona
had she fallen...). Views of the classic U-shaped
glacier carved Lauterbrunnen valley are excellent, although ours were
partly obscured by the inclement weather. She had had enough by the time we reached
Wengen, and opted to wait for the train. I continued on foot to
Lauterbrunnen, then waited 20 minutes for Fiona and the train to arrive before
driving back to Geneva.
Other stuff:
Other pictures
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