First > Bachalpsee > Waldspitz > Bort Traverse

We arrived in Europe in the midst of a massive heat wave that would unfortunately last the entire duration of our trip.  The only time the temperature did not hit the 90s was our last day in Zurich before flying home.  When we were staying in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, it was close to 100 degrees every single day.  This was crushing for me, as we had to scale back some of our planned adventures.  For example, I had been hoping to hike from Schynige Platte to First, a high alpine route with spectacular view that would start with a 19th-century cogwheel train ride and end with a gondola ride.  However, that hike is 10 miles with 2,700 feet elevation gain and not a speck of shade.  It seemed like a lot to ask of an 8-year old on a 98-degree day.  So I did some research and found a shorter route that would still take us to the stunning alpine lake, Bachalpsee, but would be less likely to result in heat stroke.

We started the day by riding the train Grindelwald, then riding the gondola up to First.

train ride to Grindelwald

First offers a couple of adventurous activities that would be great for older kids, but though interested, Frankie did not meet the weight or age requirements for either the flyer or glider.  I had looked it up ahead of time, however, so there was no disappointment, and we set off toward Bachalpsee.  The trail climbs a few hundred feet straight away from the gondola station, but then levels off and is more rolling the rest of the way to the lake.  The views are incredible!

The trail passed through and adjacent to many patches of snow, which was thrilling for Frankie.  We all had to throw snowballs, of course, and he devised an elaborate point system to keep score of hits.  I made also made good use of the snow for cooling purposes, repeatedly wedging fresh chunks onto my scalp.  It turns out a visor does a pretty decent job on keeping snow up top. 

marsh marigold (Caltha palustris)

Although the views are spectacular on this entire hike, the actual trail itself isn't all that charming in this section.  The entire section from First to Bachalpsee is essentially a road: wide, flat, gravel-surfaced.  You could easily drive a truck down it.  The easy trail, combined with the allure of Bachalpse, made this section of trail pretty crowded.  But those views...

mountain violet (Viola calcarata)

aconite-leaved buttercup (Ranunculus aconitiifolius)

Bachalpsee was worth every minute on the truck trail.  Look at this place!  We lingered for quite some time, taking dozens of pictures and drooling at the views. 

When we were finally ready to move on, we circled around the far side of the lake and picked up the further of two trails headed down the valley toward Waldpitz.  We were a bit confused as to why no one appeared to be using this trail - was it closed?  But no, there were no signs.  It must just be that most folks want the easy trail out-and-back to the lake, and nothing more.  Their loss was our gain, as this next section of trail was super charming and we had it nearly to ourselves.  Sure, we had to cross some patches of snow, but on a such a hot day, that was a win.  And this trail is gorgeous!!

alpine azelea (Loiseleuria procumbens)

white crocus (Crocus albiflorus)

rusty-leaved alpenrose (Rhododendron ferrugineum)

yellow alpine pasqueflower (Pulsatilla alpina spp. apiifolia)

alpine butterwort (Pinguicula alpina)

creeping milkwort (Polygala chamaebuxus)

When you travel with kids and run them ragged, they get to have all the ice cream, so we promised Frankie we would stop at the Waldspitz hut to see what was available.  They didn't have strawberry, but vanilla is also acceptable, and they also had pistachio, so I got some, too.  Eating something cold in this heat was very appealing, and just sitting a few minutes in the shade was pretty nice, too. 

approaching the Waldspitz hut with hopes for ice cream

pistachio ice cream for me

Suitably refreshed, we set out for the last leg of our hike: the steep descent from Waldspitz to Bort.  This section of trail plummets down about 1,000 feet in relatively short distance, mercifully along a series of switchbacks.  And it is actually partially shaded.  Frankie was in a hurry at this point, because we'd promised him a session at the alpine playground if we had time before the Trotti bike rental closed.  That's right!  Our adventure wasn't quite done yet... instead of riding the gondola back down to Grindelwald from Bort, we would rent Trotti bikes and coast back down. 

starting down toward Bort

Frankie had a blast at the playground, diligently circling through all the equipment before returning to favorite pieces, and making friends with a by from Maryland.  Erwin and I had a welcome break in the shade.

I looked at my flora book while Frankie enjoyed the Alpenspielplatz

I eventually went and filled out the paperwork for the Trotti bike rentals, which are kind of like scooters.  They have no seats and no pedals, just a platform to stand, and then handlebars to steer and brake.  It was a little intimidating at first, because there is no warm up, no practice.  Right from the Bort station, the trail plummets steeply down.  Frankie and I were both a little nervous initially, though Erwin took to it like a natural.  We negotiated the first steep section fine, and continued on slowly.  Frankie did have one spill where he braked too suddenly, and skinned his knees pretty good.  We bandaged him up and stuffed some candy in him, and he was very brave about getting back on the thing and trying again.  Smooth sailing after that, luckily.  And then we were back in Grindelwald, where we stopped for dinner before catching the train back to Lauterbrunnen. 

Erwin waiting for us with his Trotti bike

train ride back to Lauterbrunnen

This was just a fantastic day of adventuring all around!  Maybe not what I had initially hoped for (clearly I'm still a little bitter about missing Schynige Platte) but Plan B turned out to be pretty awesome, too.  The above map, posted at the First station near where the gondolas disembark, shows the route we took: the green gondola ride from Grindelwald to First, the yellow number 1 trail from First to Bachalpsee, and the red number 4 trail back down to Bort via Waldspitz.  Then of course the orange Trottibikestrecke back down to Grindelwald.  MapMyRide tracked the hike at 5.2 miles with about 600 feet of elevation gain, and the Trottibike ride at 3.2 miles.