Sunday our hike from Murren up over the steep and rocky Sefinenfurke pass and down to Griesalp was the most elevation gain and loss so far on our Switzerland hikes. Luckily, the weather was gorgeous as we took off; this isn`t a hike to be done in anything more than a light rain as it gets very steep with lots of loose rock near the pass.
Today’s hike was refreshing in that we have left the crowds behind again (as we did when we climbed to remote Obersteinberg). We meandered through high pastureland where (we assume) Swiss retirees are passing the summer in tiny little cabins, and remote huts sell their homemade apple strudel and suppen, and alpen farms sell their homemade cheese and jam (if the farmer happens to be around that day). We wish we spoke German or better yet, Swiss German, so we could have more exchange than a passing ‘guten-tag’ or ‘gruezi’.
As we climbed out of the valley, we had great views back down to Murren below, and Gimmelwald too (which we had hiked up through earlier in the week on our way to Murren). At the top of the pass, we paused for a last look eastward to the Jungfrau and the surrounding peaks… we had spent most of 5 days with those peaks in view from one angle or another, but still with incredibly varied terrain.
When you get to the top of the pass and get a view of the steep drop-off to the deep valley on the other side, you can see why there was only one place to make the crossover. Well actually, probably only the Swiss would count this as a hike-able pass, and to allow the rest of us to do it, they built in 250 (very steep) stairs down the other side of the pass. Some of my friends reading this with a fear of drop-offs, you would NOT have liked this (as in you probably would have gone down one step at a time on your bottom), and we were glad to reach the bottom of both the steps and the rocky scree below ourselves.
Our inn for the night was another Naturfrendehas, run by the delightful and helpful Heinz. It was a bit like a carnival fun-house with walls, windows and ceilings coming together at impossible angles. The chef, his son, served us another of those typical Swiss meals that keep one from slimming down.
There was quite a symphony of sound as every step or movement produced a squeak out of worn wooden floors, and the cowbells clanged until… well, they were ringing when we fell asleep and still (or again) when we awoke!