Friday August 27, 2021 -- The final day of our 5-day hiking trip in Canton Valais dawned cloudless as we prepared to leave our little hotel in Les Collons high up above the Rhône Valley. We had to leave fairly early as there are only three daily bus courses that take you off the mountain from Thyon to Sion. (Side note: This was the first day of school, and many tiny French-speaking humans rode the bus with us, heading off to primary school in Vex, about half-way down the mountain...)
Although the weather would have been perfect in this corner of Canton Valais, we had again planned something further along on the "way home", namely an irrigation channel hike high up on Belalp near Brig, where we had actually been the month before when we hiked on the Aletsch Panorama Trail in July (photos HERE). At that time we had lots of fog and had to wait out some time at the restaurant there, before starting on that hike. We had high hopes to see the alp without fog this time...
Which turned out not to be. It was basically a repeat of last time, a cable car ride from Blatten through the clouds, an hour spent at the restaurant waiting for the clouds to lift (as it turned out, they remained all day) and then off on our hike anyway. We started with a 3.5-kilometer walk along the Nessjeri irrigation channel (built in the 15th Century), at an altitude of 2100 meters one of the highest irrigation channels which still conveys water to irrigate the farms in the Rhône Valley below. Even with the fog, it was a lovely hike. As we got further and further from Belalp, the magnificent Aletsch Glacier appeared more and more behind us, until the best view-point before we started on our long descent: At a little hamlet called Nessel, we were able to look North to the Aletsch Glacier, and over the entire Rhône Valley to the South. So not a wasted day at all.
After the long and tiring descent (750m) toward Birgisch, we still had enough energy to walk along two more irrigation channels (Oberschta and Stigwasser, both even older than the Nessjeri channel, namely built some time in the 13th Century) into and out of the the fabulous Gredetschtal Valley to end our hike in Mund, the Saffron Capital North of the Alps.... (30-1000 flowers handpicked per day over 18,000 sq.meters, producing 1 to 4 kilograms of saffron per year). The Mund Saffron Museum is housed in a tiny wooden building which has been dated to 1437 and is one of the oldest structures in Canton Valais.
The day starts with a nice breakfast at the "Auberge de l'ours" hotel in Les Collons. There weren't many guests, and we are the first up this early.... (7 a.m.).
At 8 a.m. we are heading back down to Sion from Les Collons, a 45-minute bus ride where more and more children were getting on, going to their first day of school in Vex below.
The Chateau de Valère in Sion. Here the weather was fabulous. Webcams for Brig already indicated way more clouds in that direction, and we could have changed plans, but that becomes tiring. So we stuck to our original plan and headed to Belalp
From Blatten bei Naters you take a cable car to Belalp, where we nursed some coffees again on the restaurant terrace while waiting for the clouds to disappear, which they did not. (I was so annoyed at our lack of spontaneity to change plans, that I forgot to take a photo of our coffee break...). From there we walked up to the irrigation channel called Nessjeri, at 2100 one of the highest irrigation channels where water flows.
Looking across the valley we could see that the irrigation channel trail at least was not directly in the clouds, so we headed off anyway.... Considering that we left the hotel in Les Collons fairly early, we only started on this hike at 11:30 a.m.
Heading toward the irrigation channel (not here, although this is the river which provides the water for the channel higher up) we at least had some sunshine, but the surrounding mountains had disapeared in the clouds.
Here we are near the origin of the Nessjeri irrigation channel
For the next 3.5 kilometers we walked South along this irrigation channel
The colours of the landscape were very pretty up here, even without much sunshine
VIDEO:
Walking along the Nessjeri Irrigation Channel
(This is my own video, open up in YouTube)
A look behind us at Belalp where we started our hike (above the forested section). The Aletsch Glacier is just coming into view on the right.
This is how the water is diverted to the various fields. Back in the middle ages there were very strict rules about which farmer got to use the water and when. Only those who participated in building the channels had "free" use (according to strict schedules), others had to pay to use the water.
The more we headed South, the more we could see of the Aletsch Glacier to the Northeast (It was such a shame that the sky was not blue).
A zoomed view of the Aletsch Glacier (the largest glacier in the Alps) looking back toward where we came from.
Just before starting on the long descent, we arrived at the little hamlet called Nessel
Little hamlet of Nessel near Belalp
Another very cute and very old chapel, which contained a little surprise
Inside the Nessel Chapel is a very old original piece of artwork, a type of box whose doors can be shut. The date on the box reads 1656.... And interestingly enough, the artists in the middle ages don't ever seem to have seen any real human babies. (They simply look like tiny grown men).
To the Southwest we can see the Mischabel Massif on the left, the Matterhorn in the middle, and the Weisshorn on the right. (It was really tough realizing the skies were clear there... we could have done a hike in the Vispa Valley instead...)
A zoomed view of Mount Matterhorn which is way South at the back of the Vispa/Matter Valley on the Italian border
We found a really good place where we could look North into the Massa Valley, and South into the Rhône Valley.
A look North into the Massa Valley, to the Gibidum Dam below, and the Aletsch Glacier at the back.
Panorama view of the Massa Gorge and the Rhône Valley, with the city of Brig below. In the back is the road toward the Simplon Pass
A last look at the city of Brig below before starting on our descent. We had barely any sunshine while up here because of a single cloud between the sun and us.
On our way down the mountain we mostly walked through the forest, with glimpses down to the city of Brig, including the fabulous Stockalper Palace
When we finally reached the Oberschta Irrigation Channel above Birgisch after an 80-minute and 730-meter descent, it was time to massage my feet and cool them off in the ice-cold mountain water!!!
Instead of descending to the bus stop in Birgisch, we decided to walk along the other two irrigation channels Oberschta and Stigwasser to Mund, via the Gredetschtal Valley. It was only an additional hour, and a level trail. These two irrigation channels were built in the 13th Century.
A glimpse across the valley to Mund, the end of our hike.
On this irrigation channel there were many tunnels built to accommodate the flowing water.
(More than likely, the original irrigation channel was built of wooden troughs attached to the outside of the cliffs, and then later redirected through tunnels)
VIDEO:
One of the many tunnels along the Oberschta Irrigation Channel
(This channel constructed in the 13th Century...)
A look up the beautiful Gredetsch Valley. 30 minutes on this side, and 30 minutes on the other on the way out (in the shadow of the mountain). On the other side is another "exciting" irrigation channel much higher up.
Looking to the back of the Gredetsch Valley.
You can walk further back into the valley, but here at the bridge crossing the river is where we headed back out the other side of the valley. We came along the Oberschta Suon, and went out along the Stigwasser to Mund.
Some more tunnels to walk through, some quite dark!
A narrow trail next to the irrigation channel. But the way out was in the shadow of the mountain.
Out of the valley again and heading to the village of Mund
Another look down into the Rhône Valley and the Simplon road in the far back
Heading down into the village of Mund to catch to bus to Brig
Old wooden Valais buildings. Many of these are old barns, some have been converted to small homes.
This building houses the Saffron Museum. It has been dated back to 1437 and is one of the oldest structures in Canton Valais.
The Saffron Museum.
Entrance to the Saffron Museum. We still are planning to come to Mund sometime in October or November to experience the saffron harvest first-hand.
A four-hour hike along three ancient irrigation channels (14 kilometers). As with the other four hikes we did, there was more downhill than uphill.
Obviously, this is another area where we have done a lot of walking. This time it was starting at Belalp and walking to Mund via Nessel and Gredetsch Valley. In previous years we have already walked along the two lower irrigation channels (Oberschta and Stigwasser).
This is the area of the lower Valais where we spent five days toward the end of August, and the regions where we did the five hikes.
September 15, 2018 -- A year ago we came to the Gredetsch Valley to walk one of the more adventurous irrigation channels called the Wyssa Suon, but on that day it started to rain, so we didn't want to risk it. So on Saturday we planned our second attempt. At first I thought we would have a repeat of last year as the cloud hung low over the mountain, but the climb to the start of the irrigation channel took an hour, and by that time the low clouds had cleared. Our excursion started in the small village of Mund in Canton Valais, the only place in Switzerland where the valuable spice called saffron is still cultivated (brought here in the mid 1400's) and the northernmost city in Europe where saffron is grown. (Interesting fact: it takes 130,000 hand-picked and processed flowers to yield one single kilogram of saffron, which makes this spice more valuable than gold). The flowers emerge in mid-October, so we might do a return visit then. In the meantime, the Wyssa irrigation channel has many warnings that you walk at your own risk and must be vertigo-free, but with concentration and care it is not difficult and really rather exciting! First of all and always amazing, how the farmers 500 years ago managed to build their irrigation channels on these high steep cliffs! Mostly wooden troughs attached to the sides of the cliffs, although the water now runs mostly through tunnels. In the Gredetsch Valley alone are 8 irrigation channels still transporting water from the Mund River to water the hillsides around Mund and Birgisch. We covered the 1.6-km stretch in about an hour, taking it nice and slow. At the very narrow places there are cables to hold on to, and the tunnels are particularly fun: There are boards above the channels to walk on. One particular tunnel was so narrow, Urs barely made it through with his back pack. All summer the Gredetsch Valley is used as grazing ground for a variety of cattle (Swiss Brown, Simmental, Eringer/Hérens, Evolène and even Highland) as well as the very cute Valais Black-Nosed sheep, but we missed the sheep by about a week as they have already been brought out of the valley and received their fall shearing. On our way back out of the valley, we returned by one of the lower irrigation channels called the Stigwasser Suon, an easy and pleasant walk in the woods, and since we had to wait an hour for our bus, we treated ourselves at the "Restaurant Safran" to Saffron Parfait and Saffron Cake, which was surprisingly tasty, and slightly less expensive than gold...
Our excursion started in the village of Mund, the only place in Switzerland where Saffron is cultivated.
A couple of small Valais villages on the hillside on the way to the Wyssa Suon
After 50 minutes of steep uphill we reach the Wyssa Suon, which is still in use to irrigate these hillsides
Even though the Black-Noses have received their fall shearing, they are still very cute and we are always thrilled to catch sight of them!
I'm otherwise not fond of sheep, but these are totally the cutest.
We passed through that village on the way up.
At the start of the trail, which is vertically about 200m above the valley bottom, there are lots of warnings suggesting you are walking at your own risk, need to be surefooted, and not suffer from Vertigo
The start of the hike is pretty "tame", no difficulties here. But the shrubs are hiding the vertical drop, so it's easier to picture you are walking on a wider path
There were about 20 tunnels to pass through, all either beside the water ditch, or above it on planks.
Sensational view to the back of the Gredetsch Valley and the Gredetsch Glacier from up here.
For Urs some of the tunnels were so low he had to go on hands and knees.
Urs and the tunnels. On the last one, he almost got stuck with the back-pack.
On this short section a sample of an old wooden channel still remains, showing how dangerous the job was to attach the channels to the vertical cliffs.
The water no longer runs through these channels. It has been diverted through the tunnels.
This here was probably the trickiest section, but there were always cables to hold on to. As long as the trail was dry, it was no problem.
After an hour on the narrow cliff trail, we got into the wide valley, where there was surprisingly lots of snow still left from Spring avalanches. This snow won't melt anymore before the next one.
Raw, wild, peaceful, calming... and perfect though unusual warm Fall weather for this hike. (This is the Mund River)
Finally, we reached the place where the cows are still grazing (they will return off this Alp to lower elevations pretty soon). The sheep have already returned to Mund.
At least five different kinds of cows up here: Evolène, Simmental, Hérens (Eringer), Highland, and Swiss Brown.
Swiss Brown, still my favourite....
The furthest back in the valley that we walked to is called Strick, where sheep used to be sorted in these stone pens before returning to their respective owners after the summer on the alpine pastures.
Evening sun on the Western Slopes. We saw several marmots preparing for there winter sleep up here.
One of several marmots on the slopes, looking to fatten up for winter.
Also many butterflies. There was an elusive butter yellow one which never landed, so I couldn't photograph it.
Heading South out of the Gredetsch Valley, back along the same trail we walked in.
VIDEO: Walking back past the herd of Eringer cows, we chanced to see two of them "locking horns" to remind each other who is the boss. This characteristic of these cows is exploited in ring "fights", but the cows don't actually hurt each other. They only push each other around.
On the way in, we walked high along the cliff on the right. On the way back, we kept to the valley bottom and returned via the Stigwasser Suon further down.
Beautiful late afternoon in the Rhone Valley above Brig
We had an hour to kill in Mund, so we treated ourselves to some Saffron specialties at the "Restaurant Safran"
Here we are sitting under the "Saffron Museum", which is a museum within a museum, as this structure was built in 1437 and is one of the oldest wooden structures in Canton Valais
This Google satellite image gives a bit of an idea of how steep the cliff is where the water runs through the irrigation channel.
In 2017 we attempted the hike but had to opt to go through the 1.5-km tunnel. This year we did a round tour starting and ending in Mund. Total 12 km, took us almost 5 hours.
