Andy and Rob paired up for a "new" trek with Kathy, in the wild and rugged country to the east of the Jungfrau / Eiger / Monch group of peaks.

The beginning of our trip was inauspicious, a storm brewing over the next couple of days. We started out from the Räterichsbodensee, along the highway leading up to the Grimsel Pass.

By the time we got to our hut, the rain had caught us.

That didn't spoil the beauty of the walk.

Thankfully it's a relatively short walk to the Bächlital hut, so we had time to dry out and relax.

In fact, we had lots of time to relax, as the following day's forecast was awful. We had a good lull in the morning, so got out on the rocks of the nearby crags for some amusement.

All too soon it was once again time to head to the barn and dry out once more.

The following morninng, the improving forecast thankfully turned out to be accurate. Morning mists gradually fell away below us as we reached the glacier.

The prospects kept on looking up!

In fact it was a glorious morning as we got up high.

Our first real obstacle, the ladders of the Bächlilucke, looking a bit steep and intimidating!

At the top of the ladders before we knew it; that wasn't so bad.

The other side—cold, dark, steep and loose, didn't look much better!

However, that too fell behind us and we stepped out into the sunshine once more.

Looking across at the Rosenegg, the distance we have yet to travel is a bit... daunting!OUr hut is just out of sight on the high meadows on the right background here.

Once off the glacier, it's still not over, with steep slabs to be negotiated beside tumbling rapids.

A little lower, we get fine views of the receding Gauli glacier, which is giving up some historical secrets: the wreckage of an airplane which crashed high on the glacier in the weeks just after WWII, is now emerging from the lower reaches of the ice.

A sturdy bridge and a well marked trail give us some encouragement...

However it's still a brutally long way to our hut! Domes and gullies of glacier polished rock form a complex and heart breaking obstacle to our destination.

But all things come to those who wait, and at last there it is!

And what a welcoming hut it is. Fresh baked bread, fresh herbs in the window, plenty of sunshine, and of course impeccable Swiss housekeeping.

The dining area.

After such a long day, nightfall brought deep and dreamless sleep.

The next morning dawned hot and windless.

The locals check us out as we head out.

Down, down, down to the Urbachtal. The imposing Engelhörner in the distance.

Alas, this was the end of this short trip. I look foward to discovering more of this intriguing and remote corner of Switzerland, another day.