Gruben - Augstbordpass - St Niklaus
- Distance: 14km
- Duration: (with breaks): 8h 15min
- Elevation gain/loss: 1150m/1000m
Welcome back, sun! Kev Reynolds (the author of the guidebook) is telling me that today we are getting some spectacular views. We still have to work for them, but at this point we’re kind of used to it. I also don’t have that much ankle pain or lazy thoughts (remember my morning on day 8?), so bring it on!
We left the hotel around 8:00 and steadily climbed up towards Augstbordpass (2894m).
This section is also popular with cows, I’d say very cheeky cows. A few of them just went straight to us while we had a sunscreen break. I love petting dogs I meet on the trail, but cows… I must admit they scare me a bit, so I prefer some distance in between. Edo, on the other hand, was having a true bonding moment with one ginger Milka (aka cow).
Besides this encounter, the climb was pretty uneventful but definitely enjoyable. The weather was back to awesome again, we could see layers of mountains far in the distance. The path ascended rather gradually, allowing us to keep a steady pace.
Around 12:00 we arrived at the pass to enjoy a fine panorama from both sides. Technically this is our last pass to cross this trip. Wooohooo!…? Yeah, hold the fireworks, we still need to climb up and down in the coming two days. While no more mountain passes to cross, elevation gain & loss challenge stays 🙂
On our descent we came across a field full of sheep that were also crossing our path. Nothing compared to cows, I like sheep! While I thought we’d just continue on this idyllic path down, we soon entered the boulder kingdom. I think we hopped on them for at least 45 mins.
At some point I was really done while it seemed there’s no end to it. It also felt as if we were actually going up instead of down. I had to check the guidebook several times to make sure we are on the right path.
After the boulders we entered a narrow path alongside a steep ridge and followed it for a while. This section might be a bit uncomfortable for those with fear of heights. I was glad we didn’t have to compete for the path with any other people.
We were planning to grab late lunch after the boulders, but this path forced us to walk a bit further for a better place. And what a place we came across. The whole panorama of the Mattertal valley with the tallest Swiss mountains opened up in front of us. Kev was so right, the view was just breathtaking. I just sat there soaking in the views. This moment was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.
After a long lunch/appreciation break we descended to the village of Jungen. This was the decision point again: descent to St Niklaus on foot or take a lift? There was still around 800m elevation loss left and it was already 15:30, so we decided to take the lift, a safer option. Or so we thought.
The lift was a tiny cabin for 4 people, to which we squeezed with a local couple. It went down almost straight vertical swinging into every direction. Now, I’m usually enjoying these rides, but this lift felt waaaaay too basic for such a hill. Even our companions didn’t seem to enjoy the ride too much. We saved quite some time by taking the lift, but I’m not sure if we’d take it ever again 🙂
The town of St Niklaus is pretty small, we even had to hurry for dinner as many places were either closed or closing soon.
We stayed in hotel La Reserve, which was clean and modern, what a luxury. I think we trashed the room just by walking in with our boots. Sorry! It was awesome to have a room with a fancy bed all to ourselves (mattress!), we slept like babies. We’ll need all that rest for tomorrow – the famous and demanding Europaweg.
Day 12 tips
- If you need groceries at St Niklaus, make sure you arrive early, the stores close around 18:00