The first trails in the Western Alps

The best thing about the guesthouse at Grimsel Pass was breakfast. Not that it was a culinary highlight. But you could pile on as much as you wanted. Since arriving in Switzerland, I have been almost constantly on the brink of starvation. The combination of a constant high daily calorie consumption from cycling and the cost of living far beyond reasonable have pushed me to the brink of death by hunger. Not only are prices astronomically high in general, but portions can shrink so much that it feels like every single calorie is worth a Swiss Franc. By now, I have reached such a level of emaciation that nothing helps anymore. At the Coop in Andermatt, there was a special offer for ravioli - 500 grams for 4 francs, plus a packet soup for 4 people. I thought there would surely be leftovers. But no, instead my stomach still growled afterwards. Accordingly, I was very happy about the breakfast buffet at the guesthouse, which should already give me a taste of what will happen once I reach Italy. A path of destruction will be left in the supermarkets and restaurants of the Aosta Valley.

Finally well-nourished, I was allowed to go on my way without any further consequences. The highlight of the day was supposed to be the trail from Grimsel Pass to the Rhône Valley. The reason why I cycled up to the pass in the first place. And it was truly worthwhile, 1000 meters of downhill fun. First on a medieval cart path with many steps and then on a pretty steep flow trail over meadows and alpine pastures. After this was accomplished, the relatively short day of biking ended with a leisurely ride on well-built bike paths to Mörel in the deep-cut valley below the Aletsch Glacier.

The next day, there was another day tour without luggage. I am probably the first person who seriously decided to conquer the 1800 meters of ascent to Bettmerhorn without a cable car. At least I was the only one around who was uphill to Bettmeralp, a true tourist hotspot and an intermediate stop. From there, the flow of tourists poured out from numerous cable cars and directions. Some also took the footpath from there for the final 600 meters through the ski area. It was certainly not a beautiful ascent, passing the ski lifts up to the mountain station at Bettmerhorn. But there, the reward for all the effort awaited. The view, even in the best weather, was truly breathtaking - the Aletsch Glacier on the right, emerging from the 4000ers of the Bernese Oberland, and the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa on the left. With this magnificent view, I went on a technically very challenging descent that demanded all of my attention. It was quite bumpy, and in many places, not rideable for me (S3 with sections of S4). But what did work was worth it. And occasionally pausing to enjoy the panoramas was also not a bad idea. The only downside was the crowds of hikers who were on the trail with me, watching with questioning looks at what I was doing. Eventually, the hikers became fewer, and the trail became more flowy, until I arrived back at my campsite in the late afternoon, feeling pretty exhausted.