About Staubbachfall, Waterfalls, the Jungfrau and Swiss Things

​The Hardergrat trail is a 24 km ridge hike, starting from Harder Klum at Interlaken. “GRAT” means ridge in German and Harder is only a name but it is a “harder ridge” 😊

This spectacular ridgewalk is ONLY for people who do not get dizzy as you are walking along the exposed ridge most of the way. The ridge drops steeply on both sides, like 1500m steep!, that’s steep. There is no water or food so you must take it all yourself and start before sunrise as it’s over 10 hours long with a 3000m elevation gain. You must also plan your day and read the map before your go, if you don't make the Brienzer Rothorn’s last train down to Brienz you will have another 1700m down, probably in the dark. NEVER DO THIS PATH IN THE WET.
 
But a “taster thrill” walk exists. Catch the funicular from Interlaken to Harder Klum. Then from Harder Kulm follow the sign to Augstmatthorn  (3 hours and 30 minutes) to the feet of Suggiture is mostly through the forest walking up about 400m of elevation taking around 80 minutes to reach to “the feet” of Suggiture. Coming out of the forest you will see the Suggiture. Climbing up the Suggiture is steep and very rocky, but also very short. It is about 150 m of elevation gain and about 30 min to reach Suggiture. (photo below)
 
From Suggiture to Augstmatthorn is walking along the ridge . From Augstmatthorn and way back you can walk down the steep trail to Lombach (about 45 minutes) and then walk another 1-1.5 hour to Habkern and then take a bus to Interlaken. P.s. be sure to check the bus schedule as they are infrequent. This “Taster thrill” walk whet your appetite to prepare for the whole 24 kilometers.

Yes, but with a permit. There are lovely lake or brown trout there. Only from Mid-March to end September. You must be able to agree to fishing by the methods stipulated by the Bern Fisheries department and it is quite costly.
 
New regulations from 1 January 2020 say that a Bern fishing license can in principle be obtained by anyone - with or without a residence in the canton.  Although you can buy online, it will be posted otherwise you can buy from Tourism office in Lauterbrunnen.
 
The fee system is a bit complex, but basically a weekly permit is around 100 CHF. It is personal and non-transferable and you need to report back the catch statistics. Each person who is fishing needs a license even if they share the rod except for kids under 9 if their accompanying adult has a permit.
 
You can find information here: www.vol.be.ch/vol/de/index/natur/fischerei/angelfischerei/patente/preise.html

​While it could all sound a bit hard, the good news is fishing without licence is allowed in Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. There you can find your own nook around the lake, spread a blanket on the grass and enjoy a picnic while you wait for your catch.
 
Of course there are some rules to observe such as fishing from the shore with a single rod and only one single barb- less hook is allowed.  Naturally limits to numbers and sizes apply, so best to investigate the above website further. 

Kornbalmhöhle GPS Co-ord: N 46° 35.047 E 007° 55.003 ​

October is a great time for walking in Lauterbrunnen and the Jungfrau. Many golden colours come out, the crowds have gone and there are lots of discoveries to be made in this quiet and serene season.
 
Have you discovered Geocaching? Do you have a sense of adventure? Geocaching takes you to places that you most likely would never explore. One such place is the Kornbalmhöhle, a cave high up on the Wengen side of the Lauterbrunnen Valley towards Stechelberg as shown by this Photo from http://vanzon.nu/
 
https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3WR80_kornbalmhohle?guid=63814f8e-3386-4ab6-997c-d8763d2aa26c
 
It is a steep walk up to these unusual caves with fabulous views back to Staubbach Falls. Good solid shoes and clothing are a must, as well as a sense of balance, scrambling skill and adventure. Even if you don’t find the cache inside (bring a torch), the view and scramble is worth it. 

It is not an outing for everyone, but it has a real sense of exploring and sitting on the boulders and cave entrance gives you a sense of smuggling or hidden treasure. The treasure of course is the beautiful view that everyone else forfeits since they lacked the curiosity to seek out these caves.

​An easy walk to a real glacier is possible. Search on your tube for Kilchbalm and you will find someone’s vid of this magical place that no one seems to know about and it’s not far from the apartment.
 
Kilchbalm (Gimmelwald - Sefinental - Kilchbalm) Glasier
Time one-way: 1 1/4 hours
Distance one-way: 2 3/4 miles (4 1/2km)
Lowest point: 4134 ft (1260m)
Highest point: 5046 ft (1 538m)
You can get cable car from Schilthorn Bahn up to Gimmelwald. (Bus from outside Eyhus along to Schilthorn Bahn  in the direction of Stechelberg)
The gradient is not very steep, and you can walk to the very end of the Sefinental valley, where only freezing-cold streams flowing from the snow and ice ( real glacier) and the heartiest vegetation exist. There is a small hut along the way , but it is lovely to have a picnic at the end. The scenery is beautiful in both directions. Since there is only one road in Gimmelwald, it is difficult to get lost. Where the road loops back on itself, by the fire-house, is a road leading into the Sefinental. From this point you can see all the way to the end of the valley and quickly realize that the end is not much higher than Gimmelwald.
 
After walking downhill for 7 minutes you will come to a bridge that crosses a torrential waterfall that has gouged deep holes, through the years, in the side of the mountain. It now flows deep in the rock and splashes from pool to pool, plunging some 20 feet into a huge cavity beside this bridge to continue its way down to the valley floor. This waterfall is the same as "Sprutz" higher up and is called the "Schiltbach" which is the stream created by the runoff from the Schilthorn and the Schiltalp. After walking 8 minutes further you pass a firing range where locals come to practice, usually on weekends. A minute more and you come to the end of the road and the beginning of your ascent on a rocky trail. Here a signpost says that Kilchbalm, your destination, is 1 hour away. (It is also from this point that you can stay on the main road which leads to a trail that descends to Stechelberg or back up to Gimmelwald.) As you leave the main road and continue straight ahead through the gate, the mighty snow covered ridge on your left, called the Tschingelgrat, grabs your attention. Watch this ridge for avalanches which occur frequently and at any time. Soon you're walking through a dense forest with the Sefinen Lutschine swirling and splashing on your left side, where it will be all the way to the end of the valley.
 
15 minutes later, after passing some old sheds and massive rock overhangs, you come upon an old storage building from 1812 raised up on rocks. Next to it is a cable attached to the cliff above used for transporting logs. Shortly the path becomes very narrow and rocky. In 7 minutes you pass through the second gate and in a few minutes more you'll cross the first bridge. At the third gate, 7 minutes later, the path splits. (Note: this area has been known to be full of snow well into the early summer months, depending on the previous winter you should exercise extreme caution and perhaps turn back here if it is too dangerous ). Assuming the way is dry, you will take the lower path, to the left (If you were to continue on the path to the right, you would pass a tiny waterfall, perfect for splashing under on a hot day, and eventually arrive at Boganggen and Rotstockhutte 600 meters higher up the mountain).
 
Just behind the trees, around the bend is a grassy meadow and an alp hut. Occasionally cows are brought here for summer grazing. The farmer will stay here with his herd until it's time to move to better pastures. It is beside this hut where the Sefinen river, on the left is joined by the Sefibach, on the right, which comes down from the Sefinen alp. Following the path, close to the river, soon brings you to a second bridge. Before crossing the bridge, venture up to the waterfall created by the Sefibach but be careful of falling stones and branches. Once across the bridge you come to the steepest part of the trip. Here you witness the power of the Sefinen river. In spring and during heavy rainstorms this river is so swollen that it violently tears at the hillside bringing tons of rock and debris down with it. Once at the top you can rest on the last bench before reaching the end of the valley and the Kilchbalm.

We think that Kilch is the word for goblet or cup and you will see how this valley looks like a deep cup. The towering cliffs make it a spectacular setting for a picnic without crowds and you will want to stay forever.

​Small things are hard to find in this area of massiveness. The mountains, the rocks, the panoramas, all seem just massive and one feels like an ant amongst this massiveness.
 
Standing in awe at the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau (the EMJ) from Kleine Scheidegg or up from the Lauberhorn behind, continues to be my favourite view. It is a small grassy hill climb up to the Lauberhorn, famous for being the starting peak for the World Cup downhill ski race each January. You can even walk through the starting gate hut. Even here, on the Lauberhorn, the massive mountains, each with their own glaciers, continue to touch the sky and remain massive.
 
So a small delight on the walk down from Kleine Scheidegg to Wengenalp is this small refection lake. Not known to many, passed by those in a hurry or who are still photographing the EMJ and overlooked as too small to stop for by others. It is worth the stop. Hear the creaking and spot the frogs. Of course you want to capture the reflection of the massive EMJ behind. Here in this Autumn photo, you can see all three mountains. In 12 weeks it will be blanketed under fresh white snow.