This being the second “stationary” day of my trip I planned on visiting one of the nearby passes. I chose the Furka so I could scout the lower bits of the route I’ll be taking tomorrow to cross the Grimselpass from Gletsch. While overall rather easy as far as alpine passes go, the Furka comes with its share of steep sections especially at higher altitudes close to the Rhône glacier where the road follows a series of switchbacks. Not bogged down by the load of the baggage all this was manageable though.

The weather proved more of an issue. One is exposed up there, and it got quite cold due to strong wind gusts and occasional rain showers. Reminded me of touring Scotland east to west, just the roads weren’t as steep as British engineers would have designed them. Due to the grim weather the view from up there wasn’t great either so I turned around soon, gave the glacier a quick visit, and headed down the valley again.

Halfway down to Gletsch I met Martin again who was climbing the Furka with all his gear. After three days of traveling together since the Petit-Saint-Bernard we now each continue on in different directions, so this was goodbye. At the “fork” of the Furka and the Grimsel in Gletsch I then met a guy from England who rolled down the Grimsel on a fixed gear bicycle. Incredible, what a hero.

At Oberwald I filled my frame bag with local food – sausages and cheese mostly – and then went back to the campsite to relax. Climbing 1000 m of altitude should suffice for a rest day.

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