The Eiger Trail
We were up at 6:30 to get ready for our big day. Breakfast at the hotel again was nice. Then on the way to the train station we stopped to pick up our lunch at the Co-Op.
At the train station we purchased tickets for the Eiger Express gondola up to Eigergletscher, which would be the start of our spectacular hike… The Eiger Trail!
The hike follows right along the base of the Eiger Nordwand (North Face). This was so special for me as I had read several novels of early climbs and tragedies such as The White Spider and Eiger:Wall of Death in my youth. I knew the stories and knew the climbing routes. I was able to pick them out as we traversed the base of this foreboding mountain. We were even able to pick out a group of mountaineers high on the face!
The North Face of The Eiger is completely in the shadows for most of the day which is part of the reason such extreme conditions frequent the climbing routes here. I had fun capturing magnificent rays of light as they filtered down through the spires high on the Nordwand! And the views of the Wetterhorn mountain always towering directly ahead were nothing short of amazing!
The trail is primarily downhill all the way, over 2500 feet! Which makes it pretty easy exertion wise, but my poor old knees were screaming by the time we reached Alpiglen where we would catch a train back to Grindelwald.
It was a magnificent hike with jaw dropping views the whole way, sprinkled with a handful of waterfalls! Definitely a hike to do if you ever find yourself in Grindelwald, Switzerland…
