After a late breakfast (the downside of staying in a hotel) we head out of "town" and climb gently to the bridge at Breite Stäg. More gentle climbing around to Undri Eischollalp, where we turn uphill and start climbing for real. Up to Obri Eischollalp the path (really a forest road) is pretty boring; combined with the fact that it's hot, this is a bit of a slog. Eventually, at around 2200m, the path gets more interesting. It also gets more difficult to follow, so we're having to pay attention to stay on the right track.
We hit the ridge at the cross at 2357m and then turn up towards the Ergischalphorn.
This is a fun ridge: lots of climbing, no real path, amazing views out over the other side of the Rhone valley, some snow patches to cross, etc. At the Ergischalphorn we have a lunch break and enjoy the views.
There are more clouds than yesterday, but the views are still pretty amazing. It's fun to be able to see part-way into the Lotschental: we see part of the Petersgrat (unfortunately not far enough in to see the Tschingelhorn), Bluemlisalphorn, the Doldenhorn, Balmhorn, etc.) We make another time-driven decision to skip the Signalhorn and start to head down along the ridge towards the Ergischhorn. Another very nice ridge walk (the fun is dampened a bit for Greg by knee pain), without much in the way of a path until we hit the cross and benches at the end of the ridge. The route down is really nice: first mostly rocks, then the first scrub pines, then slowly increasing vegetation until we're in full forest. Down, down we go, past Tschorr, then down, down into Eischoll. We've timed it quite well (lucky!) and only have to wait about 15 minutes for the gondola that takes us down to Raron and the beginning of the train ride back home.
The less said about the trains on the way back from Wallis late in the afternoon on a sunny weekend, the better. :-)
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