Took the bus to Scwarzwaldalp (half price with our Swiss Cards. Bus dropped off the daily paper to a few residents and shop owners along the way.
We hiked up about 2000 feet to the pass at Gross Scheidegg, the sheer walls of the Wellhorn Peak an impressive presence on our left as we hiked. 
As we topped the hill we were treated to sweeping views of the Grindelwald basin far below us, and up ahead to the left, the razor-sharp profile of the Eiger.
We hiked west on the Hohenweg 2400 path and the views were outstanding the entire way: towering mountains to the south; paragliders launching off the hills, soaring above and circling down to the valley below, cliffs and other chiseled rock formations jutting out, waterfalls, and the omnipresent Swiss cows (I swear they do look happy). You did have to watch where you stepped on the trail once and awhile! And to top it off when we reached our high point almost 3,000 feet above where we started, the Bachalpsee awaited us. Here we were treated to one of the classic views in the Alps, the entire Bernese Oberland chain laid out before us. Truly magnificent.
After a couple of hours of hiking down, we rode the gondola (again, half price with our Swiss Passes) the rest of the way from Bort to Grindelwald. One of the hardest bits was the final steep uphill walk from the gondola to our lovely little hostel, the Naturfreundehaus. But we were very warmly greeted by Vreni and Heinz who run this great little inn, and our simple private pine rooms were all we needed for a good night`s rest after a strenuous first day of hiking.
Today`s hike:
About: 12 miles, 2800 feet up, 2600 feet down.