Aletsch Glacier, Switzerland
I often wondered why anyone would want to go look at a big piece of ice. I had seen all the documentaries on TV about various Glaciers, and iceberg fields and yes they looked pretty and would be fun to photograph but I was a bit skeptical if if is something that would really produce a wonder and awe moment.
Last week I got to answer my own question first hand when we took a trip to hike near the Aletsch Glacier. The Aletsch is the longest glacier in the Alps at around 14 miles long (23 km). The scale of this massive sheet of ice is difficult to really capture in a photograph. In the image I have posted you can see about half of the glacier, just about 7 miles of its length.
From this vantage point we saw a couple of helicopters flying over the glacier just about the surface. They looked liked little tiny dots on the surface. You’ll notice the 3 distinct dark moraine lines on the glaciers surface. As the helicopter flew over these lines It was not even 1 quarter of the width of one of the dark moraine lines. This think is just huge.
To get down the surface of the glacier it takes a bit of effort. If you are not a regular hiker you’ll be out for the better part of the day if you are leaving from Bettmeralp, Riederalp, or Eggishorn, the closest lift areas. On most days were were out for 5-6 hours. Granted I love to take my camera and spend lots of time take breaks with it, but I don’t think I could have kept up any faster of a pace.
I am glad I went to see the glacier and can appreciate why people would want to visit and make this a summer destination. If you are an outdoors type and haven’t made a visit yet, do it. It is really something to see.
My tips, be sure you have proper shoes, hiking boots are a must if you want to do any hiking. Bring water and some snacks as it will surely be a long day. Hiking poles would be an advantage if you have them. Finally, if you aren’t a hiker you can still get great views of the glacier from one of the several lift stations. Each has its own panoramic view point. If you only have time for one cable car ride up the mountain Eggishorn is the classic view of the glacier. Although it can be crowded it is situated right at the bend in the glacier and you can view most of the entire extent of the ice field.
