Niesen

With the Chemin de Jura and the Via Jura behind me, I decided that it was time to take a break and to reach a couple of summits. One that was recommended to me was Niesen, a massive pyramidal mountain near the Thunersee. I decided to take it on, and set a date.

Unfortunately, things don’t always go according to plan. This summer has been a mixture of rain and heat, with what seems less sunshine than usual. But I resolved that unless there was a bad forecast on the day, I would go ahead. Thus, it was that on a dull morning, I started from Basel early.

The nearer I got to the mountains, the more I began to wonder what I was doing. Low clouds seemed to be stuck onto every mountain, and I was very unsure as to what I might find on the ground at the higher slopes. But when I got on the bus at Thun, the bus driver engaged me in conversation, and his positive attitude was so infectious that I became all fired up and ready to go. I got off the bus in Wimmis determined. Wimmis is at 634m above sea level. I had a long ascent ahead of me.

The route out of Wimmis goes through fields at first, and then turns right into the forestry. After a long straight stretch upwards, the trail twists a bit and comes to the road almost exactly on the 900m contour. I was tempted to take to the road as amore gently ascent to the next crossing, but I decided against it and stuck with the mountain trail going straight on through the trees. There were those other crossings at 1022m and 1095m and then a seemingly endless zig-zag route through the forestry until I came out into mist covered fields at 1525m

I went through another short ascent through forestry before coming back out into the open somewhere above 1600m. In Switzerland, the treeline is usually somewhere between 1400m and 1600m. In that zone, the forestry peters out, giving way first to stunted trees and scrub. I was now in that zone. There were places where the clouds cleared briefly below me, giving glimpses into the sunshine of the valley. But above me it was still all cloud.

One of the things about the zone above the treeline is that the alpine flowers can flourish there, and there were several beautiful examples, all on display for no one but me.

There had been rain in the days before this trip, and that had brought out the Alpine Salamanders. These strange little creatures are usually hidden from sight, under rocks and under vegetation. But the rain brings them out. They are a terrestrial salamander, not spending any of their life cycle completely in water. And just as there are egg-laying mammals in some parts of the world, these salamanders are an anomaly among reptiles, giving birth to live young. I am told that one should never touch them, that there are toxins in their skin. Whether that is true or not, I let them get on with their day, while I got on with mine.

The ascent was gradual until I reached Stueffistei. There, the trail takes a sharp left turn and ascends onto the ridge, becoming steeper in the process. I was surrounded by cloud at this stage, but the route was easy to see. I continued upwards. I passed the shed at 2030m. I passed the trail junction at 2162m. All this with no sight of the summit. But when I went through the little zig-zag at 2297m, I knew I was nearly there. Not long after that, I could just make out the Berghaus through the mist. And then, there I was. The true summit is a little further, just a short distance past the Berghaus, at 2361m. I went there first, and then back to the Berghaus for refreshments.

I had expected the summit to be empty of people, and the Berghaus as well. I had seen no one on my ascent, and the weather was not great, so who would be on the Niesen apart from me. But there were plenty of people there. They had all come up on the funicular railway. And after rewarding myself with a beer, that funicular railway was also the start of my journey back to Basel.

My total step count for the day was 27,247. For once, though, the step count does not tell the story. An ascent of over 1700m is hidden in there.