Nearby water and distant ice

Just after about 100 meters from the starting point, Gimmelwald railway station, follow the mountain hiking trail and turn right onto a meadow path. This path leads upward over meadow slopes to a junction at the forest edge. Here, take the left path towards the Sprutz waterfall. Then continue westwards, gently downhill. Finally, you reach the Schiltbach, which spectacularly plunges over a rocky cliff into the depths. The hiking trail passes behind the Sprutz waterfall – which lives up to its name and also provides refreshment. Afterwards, it goes zigzagging up to Spilbodenalp. As you climb further, initially towards the Rotstock hut, the view of the Bernese high Alps becomes more dominant. Shortly after the incline eases, you pass the turnoff to Bryndli. At the next junction (point 2027), turn left. Now descend gently to the alpine huts Sefi-Oberbärg. The descent then becomes a bit steeper until you reach the valley floor of the Sefinen valley at the rushing Sefi-Litschena. Along the left side of the stream, the path goes gently downhill; first on a hiking trail, then on a gravel road. Before the stream leads into a gorge, cross to the other side. The still white-red-white marked mountain hiking trail now goes steeply downhill through the forest past the Sefinenfall. The water falls here in several stages into the depths, nestled in the wild mountain nature. The end of the hike is now in sight shortly after leaving the forest, reaching the destination Stechelberg.

Background: The Sefi-Litschena, also known as Sefinen-Lütschine, originates at just under 1600 m above sea level at the very end of the Sefinen valley. The nearly nine-kilometre-long stream roars over the Sefinenfall into the Lauterbrunnen valley and flows into the Weisse Lütschine at about 895 m above sea level.