Permanent Tourist

The single track road from Stöckalp in the Melchtal valley up to the ski resort of Melchsee Frutt is quite an experience. Jo had told me about it many times before – and of her godfather’s habit of sledding down it at night by the light of a helmet-mounted torch – so the low cloud drove us to make the journey over the Brünig Pass to the area in canton Obwalden where Jo spent so many childhood holidays, and up through the clouds into the sunshine of the high mountain valley. With only 25 minutes remaining for the 15 minute drive up the hairy mountain road, time for photography was limited, so I made the most of it. The road is only open for 40 minutes on the “even hours” (12:00, 2:00, 4:00 and so on) so we had to be sure to be punctual.