11th of July we planned to take a break for a few days. Seven days of being on the bikes and six lectures along the tour can be quite demanding. Packing and unpacking the bike bags is another tiring part of the way of pilgrimage travel. You are always searching for something and it keeps you loading and unloading. We already have a system of bags within bags on which I marked their content, but nevertheless I drive crazy sometimes trying to find things.
Especially the camera-material and the strategy of charging batteries gets more and more difficult the less socket outlets are found. But nevertheless Robert stays always relaxed whenever I have a panic attack of missing something. Each time he is right, that it will appear somewhere. You just want to avoid being forced to bike back a day tour, because something important was left at the last place.
Today we were adding a new way of transport: the gondola lift up to Fiescheralp. Only one bike fit in one gondola, but it saved us from climbing with full luggage charges for more than 1000m altitude difference. The energy for the cable car came from hydro power plants, because there are no official roads up there. It is a complete car free zone.
The view biking from Fiescheralp to Bettmeralp was just splendid showing us the panorama of Weissmies, Dom, Matterhorn and Weisshorn. Robert didn’t enjoy the trail as much as I did, because it was too steep for him and he got off the bike due to all the heavy luggage.
In my childhood we used to travel several times to the Bettmeralp and this time we stayed at the Alpfrieden, where my uncle Werner went already 60 years ago. The old chalet, where we had our room still looked like it came directly from that time. After lunch Robert wanted to relax and I felt like discovering the landscape on bike. I took the cable car up to the Bettmerhorn from where you can a splendid panoramic view of the Aletsch glacier. From there you would usually take the skislopes down the valley, but in summer it was the challenge to do this by bike.
It was a bit tricky, but I made it all the way back to Fiescheralm and further on into the Fiescher valley, where a tunnel connected to the Märjelen lakes. From there it was a half hour walk down to the Aletsch glacier.
I still had to bike all the way back from the glacier and Robert wondered what happened to the original idea of my relax day finally arriving around 7:00pm. But my face was glowing and I couldn’t stop smiling.
