Grimsel Pass to Trübtensee and back

Hiking in the Swiss Alps is a completely different experience for me than hiking in the green pastures I love elsewhere. One of my favourite landscapes here is glaciated terrain — mountains and valleys shaped by ice over millions of years, with dramatic slopes of rocky scree. It’s a shame the main mountain pass roads here have become so popular over the past 20–30 years — though as one of the motorists adding to the traffic, I can’t really complain. Twenty years ago there were plenty of visitors, but nothing like the motorbikes, cars and camper vans you see today. Enjoying the mountains up here, far above everyday life, takes a little more patience than it used to, and getting away from the main road is the only way to enjoy them in peace. The rocky summit of the Sidelhorn, above the Totensee lake and Grimsel Pass summit Each time I’ve crossed the Grimsel Pass over the last few years, since I took up hiking properly, the summit of the Sidelhorn has tempted me to visit. I drove up on a…