Looking back through my blog archive, I was quite surprised to realise that it’s been ten years since I last wrote about walking up to the Gemmenalphorn. That’s not to say that I haven’t visited this part of the mountain above Beatenberg since then. Jo and I have walked through the woods below the ridge several times, and I have been up to the summit three or four times over the past decade. The views in every direction are always rewarding.
I chose a beautiful autumn day for a visit last year and took the long way round to reach the parking spot—via Habkern—because the usual road up from Waldegg was closed. That gave me the opportunity to take a few photographs before I had even started walking, capturing some of the beautiful mountain scenery on the lower slopes of the mountain, before dealing with the mercifully-short section of unpaved alpine track which has a nasty habit of reminding me just how low the bottom of my car is.
The walk up from Chüematte to the farm building at Gemmenalp is as relentless as it has always been, even though it’s as mercifully short as the last stage of the drive in. As it’d been quite a while since I had tackled such a steep path, I found myself stopping more often than I had before, but I pressed on with some determination. There was no hurry, though, so I listened to my body and prioritised enjoying the walk rather than maintaining an unnecessary pace.
The final section leading up to the ridgeline below the peak of the Gemmenalphorn and is particularly steep and stepped, so I made sure to take it at a pace that suited my comparatively unpracticed condition. Once I reached the ridge, I decided to continue to the summit, which I had visited several times before; stopping for a short break at the summit marker to enjoy a packed lunch.
After resting for a while, I decided that the ridge walk towards the Niederhorn, including the highest point of the day at Burgfeldstand, should be achievable. I was finding it hard work, but the weather was beautiful, so I continued at my slow pace, stopping from time to time to take photographs. The section of the path right before arriving at Burgfeldstand is particularly dramatic, where the path narrows between high rock walls on one side and long drop-off to the other.
Although this ridgeline is well known for its ibex and chamois, there were no animals in sight for most of the day and hardly another person either, apart from a couple of hikers in a photogenic pose on one of the distant summits. Before leaving the main trail towards the Niederhorn, I stopped on the summit of Burgfeldstand for another rest. On the slopes leading down towards the path that would take me back to the car, I came across a small group of wild chamois grazing right beside the trail, and I and another walker stopped to silently enjoy this rare treat.
By this point, my legs were becoming quite tired, so I was glad of the gradual descent back towards Chüematte. The forest path winds through varied terrain, twisting through pine woods and crossing hillsides covered with bilberry bushes. Even on the return leg, I still needed to draw on the remaining strength in my legs to keep going up and down the twisty route.
It was during this walk that I first began thinking seriously about getting more regular exercise — not just walking in the countryside, but actively improving my overall fitness. I realised that walks like this had become more taxing and challenging than they should be. I don’t want mountain walks to become an exercise in simply struggling from one section to the next. Instead, I want them to be continue to be enjoyable experiences. Although there will always be a physical challenge because of the altitude and terrain, I don’t want my thoughts to be focused primarily on the next steep slope.
After becoming disciplined about taking near-daily walks over the winter and early spring, I recently joined a local gym. The benefits are already becoming noticeable: my legs are getting stronger and my upper-body strength, which contributes to overall fitness, is gradually improving as well. I can already feel the difference when cycling; uphill sections are becoming measurably easier than they were last year.
I am looking forward to seeing what this regular training will achieve on future hiking days. Once the weather cools down a little, I am particularly looking forward to returning to some of the paths and mountain routes that I have avoided for years because of my lack of fitness.
