King of the Glaciers

11 Sep - Leave Loetschental, heading further east for my first sight of the Grosser Aletschgletscher. 23km long, this is the daddy of alpine glaciers. For something so big, its well hidden. I've noticed from the map that Eggishorn seems like a useful viewpoint.

Park at Fiesch and take the cable car to Bergstation Eggishorn at 2869m.

There are many documented hiking paths but suspended above the slopes, its obvious that this is pretty serious terrain - these paths would make some of my previous experiences in the Alps look pretty tame. Its unforgiving rocky ground, with little greenery.

First glimpse of the glacier - wow - just like the pictures, but more impressive! Unfortunately, there's low cloud, so the classic panorama shot will have to wait for another visit. On a clear day, you can see the full set of alpine peaks from here - a 360 degree vista - that must be amazing.

The peak of Eggishorn is signposted as a 15min walk - its at 2926m. You gotta lose some height first though, and either side of the connecting ridge are precipitous drop offs, a glacier 600m below on one side and ...erm...nothing but more jagged rocks on the other!

Gotta go for it, so strike off down the rocky steps, with one eye on the metal cross which marks the summit - better not to look down too often. Occasional rain drops suggest incoming weather!

The rain becomes heavier. Meet another walker near the summit - she doesn't hang around. Thunder is approaching from the west - you can see the storm crawling along the valley. A 15 min scramble for a good photo suddenly becomes a survival exercise. I take my pics at the top and retreat back down the slippery rocks to a crevice where I shelter as the storm passes directly overhead. Luckily I have my jacket, but my trousers are soaked through by the time I emerge from my hiding place and tentatively scramble back to the cable car station.

A lesson learned today - at these altitudes, things can change in a moment. The shorts and T-shirts brigade you'd find on Helvellyn could quickly become statistics up here!

However, I've seen the prize, the fabulous Aletsch Glacier and sworn that I'll be back to do it justice with the camera, on a day when the sun's shining!