Mürren

The Lauterbrunnen Valley. In the foreground, Wengen. In the valley, Lauterbrunnen. The diagonal slash through the forest is the gondola lift to Grütschalp, where you meet the little one-car train that takes you the last couple of miles to Mürren, at the top of the cliffs to the left.

A long lens look at Mürren.

A view of the Mönch from my balcony.

Moon over Äbeni Flue. Late afternoon clouds were a typical occurrence.

Sunset on the Eiger and the Mönch.

Along the North Face Trail, a long climb south of Mürren.

Along the North Face Trail.

Along the North Face Trail. There were certainly other hikers around, but never crowds. I was often alone for a half-hour at a time.

Along the North Face Trail.

A pastoral valley near Gimmeln.

Greater Metropolitan Mürren, with the ever-present Eiger and Mönch as a backdrop.

A cloudy morning at Chännelegg, a forested plateau above Mürren.

From Oberberg, the backlit Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau, the well-known trio. From the village, the peak of the Jungfrau was just barely visible, hidden behind other hills.

Dawn on Äbeni Flue.

Dawn on the Eiger and Mönch.

Flora and fauna.

The trail from Gimmelwald, about 300 meters below Mürren, down into the Sefinental.

The Sefinental

The trail junction at Im Tal, at 1259m. A long climb back to Mürren, at 1638m, was in store.

In the Sefinental.

A clear afternoon in Mürren - Eiger, Mönch, and a bit of the Jungfrau.

The Eiger and the Mönch.

A trip to the summit of the Schilthorn is on the required list. Here, the first long run from Mürren to Birg.

On the gondola from Birg.

The final gondola from Birg to the Schilthorn.

Piz Gloria, on the summit of the Schilthorn. It was used for some filming in On Her Majasty's Secret Service, hence the "007" connection.

View from the Schilthorn.

Paragliders over the Breithorn.

Paraglider.

View from the Schilthorn.

A paraglider swoops close to Piz Gloria.

The Eiger, the Mönch, the Jungfrau, the Gletscherhorn, Äbeni Flue, and the Mittaghorn.

Bustling downtown Mürren and the Eiger. Lots of day-trippers who didn't hike, but just wandered in and out of the shops, and had lunch on sunny terraces. They all vanished every day by about 5:00 pm.

The southern end of the Lauterbrunnen valley, seen from Mürren.

A congenial café. Had a good plate of käseschnitte and a large beer there.

Swiss National Day (Aug. 1) was approaching. Lots of flags.

It wasn't always sunny. In drizzle, I hiked down to the floor of the valley at Stechelberg, a drop of 750m, followed by a rain-soaked trudge along the valley back to Lauterbrunnen. But I'm not crazy - I took the gondola back up to Grütschalp, and the little shuttle train to Mürren.

A murky day.

North of Mürren, along the Mountain View Trail, the village of Wengen, on the opposite side of the valley, came into view. I would hike through it a few days later.

Wengen, favorite hangout of Mendelssohn.

A clear afternoon on the trail down from Allmendhubel.

There weren't a huge number of wildflowers, but enough to keep things scenic.

Another fine sunset. The southwest face of the Eiger is in full sun, while the notorious north face is completely socked in.

A lift takes you from Wengen to Männlichen, at over 2300m. Surrounded by spectacular sights, what are the kids interested in? A wooden cow with a slide for a tongue.

From Männlichen, I started an all-day ramble, dropping over 1000m. Sore feet.

From near Männlichen, Mürren in the distance, atop its cliffs.

Approaching Kleine Scheidegg, below the Mönch and the Jungfrau.

The north face of the Eiger, virtually always in shadow, and the Mönch.

In the valley to the east, Grindlewald.

Kleine Scheidegg, the railway junction. From the left, trains from Grindelwald. From the right, trains from Wengen. Leading away from the camera, the rail line that goes through a tunnel in the Eiger and terminates at the Jungfraujoch, between the Mönch and the Jungfrau.

A snowplow with attitude.

Continuing my descent from Kleine Scheidegg.

Just below Kleine Scheidegg, looking back at the Eiger and the Mönch. Left of center, a two-car train heading for the Jungfraujoch.

Approaching Wengernalp, at 1874m. Still lots of altitude to lose.

From Wengernalp, a little zooming in on Mürren.

Looking back from Wengernalp, where I diverged from the trail that parallels the railway and headed into less-charted territory.

Looking back from Mettlenalp, where I was virtually alone.

From Mettlenalp, I plunged into the forest at Stalden, where good views were more fleeting. Long, long series of downhill switchbacks through the woods.

Almost down to the level of Wengen, on the plateau at right, at 1274m. In the valley floor, Lauterbrunnen. A thousand meters of descent was enough for one day - from Wengen, I hopped the train back down to Lauterbrunnen, then lift and train to Mürren.

On the outskirts of Wengen.

Near Wengen.

Sunset clouds on the Jungfrau.

Sunset clouds on the Eiger and the Mönch.

Sunset clouds on Äbeni Flue and the Mittaghorn.

A clear morning at Schiltalp, about 300m above the village.

A rare clear sunset.

Climbing up from Im Tal through the Sefinental towards Firten, an unusual bit of trail routing, complete with bench.

Higher in the Sefinental.

Near Firten. Time to pack for the trip home.