Schynige Platte to First: Berner Oberland, Jungfrau Region
There is so much more to cover about this hike: the classic red and gold Schynige Platte cogwheel train that ever-so-slowly winds it way up the mountain, the unobstructed views of the impossibly-blue Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, the way the trail started out completely sheathed in fog and then the peaks slowly revealed themselves over the 6 hours whisp by whisp. It was long and strenuous, and at certain points, the wind so bitingly cold it felt like my face was being jabbed with a million invisible pins.
But then there is one point when you are at the top, and you’re alone, and the Alps are just…there. Right there in front of you. The Eiger, the Mönch, the Jungfrau, those three famous brethren looming with their immensity and fierce beauty. It’s overwhelming, it’s majestic, and you immediately realize why this region is so popular.
Start: Train to Wilderswil Bahnhof, cogwheel train to Schynige Platte summit station
End: Trail ends at First, then gondola to Grindelwald.
Basic Route: Schynige Platte - Oberberg - Loucherhorn - Egg - Faulhorn - Bachalpsee - First
Length and Rating: Challenging. 16km, 6 hours.
