The last destination of my round trip was Jungfrau-Aletsch and its Aletschgletscher, the largest glacier of the Alps. To get there from Italy I had to cross the Simplon Pass at 2.005 meters and drive into the Rhonetal to reach Camping Eggishorn - z' Moosji in Fiesch. The car ride was stunning again. I just love driving in the mountains.

Jungfrau-Aletsch & Aletschgletscher

I normally never visit the same place twice but in case of the Aletschgletscher I had been there before, a little over ten years earlier. We hiked from Camping Eggishorn - z' Moosji along the glacier to Betten Talstation, if I remember correctly, and then by train back to Fiesch. This time I walked the same route alone. I also wanted to see the glacier again because our Alpine glaciers are symbols of climate change. It is estimated that by 2100 (just 80 years from now) only one tenth of the current ice mass of the Aletschgletscher will be left. A sobering thought. Because it is the largest glacier, the proces will be slow. By 2100 many other smaller Alpine glaciers will be long gone. Jungfrau-Aletsch is an UNESCO World Heritage property due to Outstanding Universal Value but that will not prevent the disappearance of its glaciers.

I hiked the following route: Fiescheralp - Mountain hut Gletscherstube - and along the glacier towards Moosfluh. At some point before Moosfluh I hiked back to Fiescheralp.

The first day in Fiesch I hiked to Fiescheralp from the camping but got lost halfway because I tried to take a less traveled route and ended up in the wrong valley. Time to execute plan B the next day. There is always a plan B.

The temperatures in the valley were well above 34 degrees Celsius and even high in the mountains it was quite hot. There was only one way to celebrate the last long hike of my journey: half a liter of ice cold beer, a fresh salad and a basic rösti.

Fußnote

On my way from Switzerland to Amsterdam I camped in Sankt Martin (Pfalz) for one night. It’s a lovely wine village with plenty of Weinschorles to order. I drank a Riesling, Blauer Portugieser and Müller-Thurgau-Schorle, which was one too many.