Wednesday 26th August: Warm with clear skies all day: 19°C to 12°C to 19ºC.
Meiringen to Tannalp: 9K: 9.30am to 1.15pm: 3hrs 45mins, including 30 mins cable car to Tower Alpen
Accommodation: Berggasthaus Tannulp
A STUNNING SPECTACULAR DAY IN THE ALPS! Say no more. But I will. Perfect warm sunny weather at about 19ºC for most of the day, clear blue skies, 360º panoramic view of the snow capped alps and an almost level ridge walk of about 9k on a gravel track. We're not alone. Today there's hundreds of day walkers out – they clearly knew something we didn't about this area.
The day begins with a lavish breakfast at the Meiringen Hotel, once again the room full of tourists not hikers. Then over the road to Migros for a leisurely 15 minute shop to buy enough bread and cheese for the next two days. There's no shops and only a Guesthouse at Tannalp where we're headed.
We load up Graham with food, as we think he's been dodging the food carrying for a few days. Then it’s just 15 minutes up the road to the start of the gondolas. We've already decided to take the 4 stages to Plan Platten at the top at a height of 2245 metres, a would-be climb of 1600 metres. The first stage is to Reuti, then Bidmi, Magislap and then in the Eagle Express to Plan Platten. At 10am we're at the top and the 360º views are stunning. It's the start of an amazing day in the alps. Behind us is the last we'll see of the Eiger and ahead is the continuous wall of the Bernese Oberland with their craggy snow capped peaks, dominated by the Wetterhorn, one of the most celebrated and easily recognised mountains in all the Alps, although it is by no means one of the highest. There are three main peaks: the Rosenhorn (3689m), Mittelhorn (3704m) and the true Wetterhorn, the Hasli Jungfrau (3701m). It's peaks are often likened to a giant meringue topped cake. Further ahead over hanging Jochpass is the Titlis (3238m).
Todays walk at an average height of 2,000 metres along the ridge put us right up there in touch with these fabulous mountains of the alps. Interspersed with this are the broad open pasturelands dotted with farm buildings and a myriad of mechanical intrusions of chair lifts, gondolas and cable cars. There's a small rise to the Balmeregghorn at 2255m, the perfect spot for coffee after just an hour of walking. More photos to take. The track is busy with hundreds of walkers hiking in both directions and the next section along the narrow Balmeregghorn ridge is spectacular in all directions..
Another hour and the first of the many high lakes appears - Melchsee, with Hotel Fruttle near the edge. Over another rise and down to Tannalp, a collection of a dozen farm houses, chalets and our home for tonight the Berggasthaus Tannalp 100 metres from the Tannalpsee where there's a few trout fishermen. The Berggasthaus is a busy place with more than a hundred people crammed around its verandahs having lunch. Lunch for us is on a seat overlooking the Tannalpsee, with our butter, cheese, tomatoes and Grahams avocado and onion mixed with chicken salt which he managed to acquire.
Then after a beer on the verandah, we book in. We're in a 4 person room with a toilet and shower up the corridor. When I booked, I thought the Berggasthaus was an unbusy hotel in the middle of nowhere. Yes, it's in the middle of nowhere, but it's overflowing with guests who have come for the hiking. This area of the alps was considered in 1866 by Professor John Tyndall, vice-president of the Alpine Club, to be ‘one of the most charming spots in the Alps’. And we're here on this picture perfect day.
Dinner is at 7pm. It's nice. Salad, followed by pork stew, vegetables and mashed potato, then icecream and apple streudel - with a Tocino Cab sav. At AUD35 per bottle, it's expensive vinegar. With 4 of us crammed into a 4 person dorm, Jenny and Graham move next door to a six person dorm where no one is staying but the beds haven't been changed yet from the night before. The night is so quiet, there's only 9 people staying in the Berggasthaus Tannalp. All the day hikers left after lunch. There's no cars and only the occasional sound of a cow bell in the distance. Bed before 9pm.