Day 5 – The Infamous Apfelchüechliwäg

Today’s Blog Entry

On Friday, the fifth day of this adventure, Cindy and I took a long 3-1/2 hour hike from Grindelwald to the Holenstein gondola station. Part of this hike, i.e. the initial climb off of the valley floor, followed a well-worn path known as the “Apfelchüechliwäg”. This classically German word means quite literally ‘The Apple Fritter Trail’. Falling prey to the on-trail advertising we decided to stop for some homemade apfelchüechlein in warm vanilla sauce with coffee at the Bergrestaurant Brandegg. So much for burning any calories today!

In addition to those apple fritters, today’s hike also featured great views of the Wetterhorn, which dominates the skyline over Grindelwald, as well as the famous Eiger. The Eiger is best known by some as one of the world’s great climbing venues, but for many others it’s best known as the backdrop for the Clint Eastwood movie ‘The Eiger Sanction’. It’s a dramatic piece of landscape, that’s for sure.

Our path, which often followed the tracks of the Wengernalp cog railway, took us across the valley floor and then partway up the climb to the high pass at Kleine Scheidegg. I say ‘partway’, but we still managed to climb 2,000 feet before weather forced us to turn back.The day started out with blue skies and sunshine but by the time we reached the Holenstein gondola station the forecast of rain and wind had proven to be accurate. Fortunately we had already covered quite a bit of terrain, saw some lovely views, and enjoyed some wonderful apple fritters so we were ready to get warm and dry.

Today’s Map

Today’s Photos