WATERFALLING

Two different hike groups today, one walking up the Gemmi Pass (Blue on the map), one walking the ridge along one side of the Gemmi Pass (Red on the map). Yellow is the cable car up to the Gemmi pass and the drive up to the Ueschinen valley.

Sherlock Holmes walked the Gemmi Pass in one of his most famous adventures.

3GP have walked this path a couple of times before on summer camp but never seen snow before. We had been warned by the KISC staff that they had needed ice axes the week before but were happy to let us proceed as we had a rope.

Like the UK in 2013, the Swiss winter dragged on with a late start to spring. The snow had not melted yet.

South facing slopes were nice and clear but a lot of north facing slopes had snow on them. In this picture we are heading southward along the ridge before heading along the bottom of the shadowy cliff ahead of us. We would have to cross the ice fields in the shadows to the right of centre of the picture.

When we got to the foot of the cliff we found the ice to be quite thick. In the picture below, these Scouts are sneaking through the randkluft - the gap between the ice as it has melted back from the warmer rock.

Ultimately one of our leaders climbed out of the randkluft on the end of a bit of rope. Once the leader slid across the ice he climbed back up onto a large rock. From there he could make himself secure and throw the other end of the rope back to the scouts who would simply slide like a pendulum across the ice beneath him.

More simpler and safer ice fields were traversed before we climbed out of the shadows. Finally we walked along the ridge seen below to the summit seen below.

After hiking 19k and climbing more than Ben Nevis, the Scouts and Explorers cooked dinner and attended the International Camp Fire.

The KISC International Camp Fire is a really special event.