Walking out of the Göscheneralp Valley

Sunday June 30, 2019 -- Today we went into the mountains, into the Göscheneralp Valley which is just this side of the old Gotthard Tunnel. We vainly hoped the air would be cooler up here, but it was not! It was a bit of a shock coming out of the air-conditioned bus at the starting point of our hike: The dam at Lake Göscheneralpsee.

Fortunately, once we got down the dam to the valley bottom there was a cool breeze, so that was comfortable. And there was still plenty of avalanche snow and lots of strong-flowing streams to cool off in (we filled our water bottles many times with this fresh mountain water!). In fact, some of the streams had so much water, it became difficult to cross.

We ran into a local hiker who showed us some impressive videos of several avalanches that came down in the valley this winter, and some of the damage was evident along the way.

We also had a bit of a shock when a large herd of cows congregated on the trail. Because there were babies, there's always danger of the mother cows getting angry, especially if you come between them and the babies. Some bikers were just making their way through the herd, so we walked really close to them....

Some interesting tidbits about this valley: Originally, the village of Gwüest was located right where the lake is. The village had to be rebuilt further down the valley once it was decided to flood the area to make the lake. The restaurant itself was moved piece by piece to its new location on this side of the dam. Also, 15 people live here year round, and kids who have to go to school get transported out of the valley by snow-mobile, and are billeted out to family members who live outside of the valley. They only come home on weekends, weather permitting.... Every 10 years the lake is drained to inspect the power plant (pipes etc.) and you can see the remains of the village at the bottom of the lake.

View down the Göscheneralp Valley from the top of the dam

First we have to walk across the dam. In the back is the Damma Glacier

A few years ago we walked around this whole lake. Others were doing it on this day but there was a sign that a bridge was out at the back of the lake and that it was difficult to cross

Below us is the trail across the dam. Then we walked on the valley bottom to the little lake, then up the hill on the right side.

So pretty

This dam is built entirely of natural materials (earth) instead of concrete

At the bottom of the dam, heading across the easy flat portion

Even though it was hot, there were lots of streams along the way where I continually washed my face and hands. In the back is the dam.

This one was an easy crossing!

This is the town of Gwüscht, where 15 people live all year round. The town had to be rebuilt here after the original one was flooded to create the reservoir lake.

The lake with the campground

Cows were milling on the path, and there were mothers and babies involved which can sometimes be dangerous. There was nowhere to "go around" so we stuck close to the cyclists where they "went through"

Looking back again to the dam and the Damma Glacier

Across the valley the next Post Bus is heading up to the lake on the narrow road

I figured if the little kids could do it, so surely could I!

Heading up the hill, last view to the back of the valley before heading into the forest

Now we get some pretty nice views into the Voralp Valley to the North.

A nice shady spot for our lunch

Continuing on along the very nice trail

The alpine roses are just starting to bloom

At this spot you can see four Swiss Alpine Huts. Through my good zoom lens we spotted all four. Couldn't find the bivouac though. The sign obviously suffered from the avalanches this winter

This hut, the Damma Hostel, is very difficult to see as it is made of the same stone as its surroundings!

Way out there is the Voralp Hostel

Panorama view of the Damma Glacier on the left, and right into the Voralp Valley

The snow is melting quickly now and some of these streams are difficult to cross!

There was a lot of water in this stream, it was quite difficult to cross!

Heading back down to the valley bottom

There is an interesting story to this photo. Hansheiri Inderkum was the Representative (Ständerat) for Canton Uri in the Federal Government from 1995 to 2011. He is somehow related to Urs (his father's cousin maybe?). This wooden chair commemorates his service.

VIDEO:

The cars are driving backwards.... that means a Post Bus is coming and they must find a place to get out of the way, as the road is too narrow to pass: