valley as to increase considerably the toil of the next ascent; and if the tourist is fatigued, or the sun much past the meridian, he will do well to take the opportunity which here presents itself of descending to the char road at Reichenbach. The ascent of the Dündengrat is steep, but over good ground, and a view is soon obtained of the pyramidal Niesen, and the lake of Thun beyond it. Near the top it becomes rather rough, and the stones are succeeded by a bed of snow, which adds a good deal to the fatigue of the last half-hour of ascent: from the snow to the top of the ridge is but one step, and the next is downhill. Here a new scene of magnificence opens. The glittering Frau, which is here quite close, with a triple glacier streaming down from her side into the gulfs beneath, and farther off the Doldenhorn, and the beautiful lake of Oeschinen encompassed by it, form a scene unparalleled in the Alps; though resembling in some of its features the lake and glacier scenery near the summit of the Malöya. The descent from the high pastures to the level of the lake is practicable only by one rte., where a path has been cut in steps here and there along the faces of the rocks. The path leads along the western shore of the lake through a pine wood beyond it, in about 2 hrs. to the village and inn of Kandersteg." E. W.-See Rte. 38.

ROUTE 27.

LAUTERBRUNNEN TO KANDERSTEG BY THE TSCHINGEL GLACIER AND GASTEREN THAL.

"This is a hard day's work, with bad places, the worst being the ascent to and the descent from the glacier. The glacier itself lies in a tolerably level basin; and, except at its two extremities, is not dangerously crevassed. One of the Laueners, guides at Lauterbrunnen, ought to be engaged. Johann is the best: Ulrich is also good. (See p. 73.)

"Leaving Lauterbrunnen, the route follows the char road past Stechelberg into the Ammerten Thal (as the upper

end of the Valley of Lauterbrunn is called); the heights on the rt. are then ascended to reach the châlets of the Steinberg; the view comprises the continuous range of the High Alps from the Jungfrau to the Gspaltenhorn (erroneously marked Tschingelhorn in Keller). The day's journey may be shortened by passing the night at the Steinberg; the accommodation is of course wretched, and the tourist would probably be unable to sleep. Above the Steinberg the precipices of the Tschingelhorn pass close upon the glacier, and the latter has therefore to be followed for some distance upwards, till it becomes inaccessible from the steepness of its fall from its upper basin. At this point the rocks on its left bank may be ascended, though the passage is difficult to find, and in one place rather awkward; then comes a climb over loose stones, and at last the great glacier itself. On the right hand, and immediately above, rises the Tschingelhorn, farther on the Frau, with the Kien Furce between: in the midst of the glacier is a remarkable rocky mass, called the Mutzlihorn; and along its southern boundary the continuous range of the Main Alps, of which the principal summits are the Breithorn, the Gspaltenhorn, and the Takhorn. The glacier admits of being traversed in several directions, but the route usually taken to the Gasteren Thal lies between the Mutzlihorn and Frau; after passing the former, the tourist will have on his left the point where the passage over the great ridge into the Upper Loetsch Thal is effected. After continuing for some time under the precipices of the Frau and Doldenhorn, the increasing crevasses give signs of the approaching fall of the glacier into the Ober Gasteren Thal. The rocks on the right bank of the descending glacier are then had recourse to, and for some distance the route lies between the body of the glacier and the steep side of the mountain. During the descent the group of the Altels is in front, and a little to the left of it the depression occupied by the Balm Glacier, over

which lies the ancient rte. from the Vallais to Kandersteg (v. 60). The : two routes unite at the bottom of the Ober Gasteren Thal. A little farther down is a fine gorge separating the upper from the lower valley, and at the bottom the glacier waters, which here acquire the name of the Kander. "The lower valley of Gasteren is very remarkable, and would well repay a visit (totally free from difficulty) from Kandersteg by those who do not intend crossing either the Balm or Tschingel glacier: its surface presents a triangular area as flat as a bowlinggreen, about 3 m. in its greatest length. Precipitous walls of rock of great height rise abruptly from each of its three sides, with here and there the tail of a glacier dripping over them. The Kander, which frequently, in early summer, floods the whole valley from end to end, runs right from the western wall of the valley, and there, turning at a right angle, escapes through a long narrow fissure in the mountain, which is totally imperceptible until the traveller has arrived under the very shadow of the rocks. Through this mural crevasse lies a well-frequented path (the only approach to this valley from below), which, after a mile's walk by the side of the torrent, emerges upon the comparatively open plain of Kandersteg." E. W.-See Route 38.

to the top of the rock, take care to keep on the snow. We went up a long fall of loose earth and stones, and narrowly escaped being knocked on the head by some large stones that came bowling down. But on the snow there is no danger. Reached the top of the Pass in 24 hours after climbing the rock, having made a détour to the Campílika (?), a favourite lurkingplace of the chamois-hunters, whence you look straight down the Kienthal to Thun and the Niesen. It is a gap in the range of the Gspalten-hörner and Blumlis Alp. Descended the glacier to Seldon, which I reached about 12: thence down the Gasterenthal (a scene of the most savage and gloomy grandeur) to Kandersteg by 24; having thus spent 9 hrs. in the day's walk, allowing time for a full hour's halt; of this about 4 or 4 hrs. was upon the glacier. The only danger-or rather the only difficulty -is in climbing the steep rock mentioned above: though if the snow be soft, of course the fatigue must be very great. If not, the walk is easy enough."-H. L.

"On the top of the Pass, it is possible to strike to the left under the Tschingel-horn into the Lötsch-thal. But this is seldom tried.”--H. L.

ROUTE 27A.

PASSAGE OF THE STRAHLECK-FROM GRINDELWALD TO THE GRIMSEL.

"A very difficult pass indeed, suited only to skilful mountaineers, fond of exploring the High Alps. It may be accomplished in 14 or 15 hours. This hard day's work may be broken by sleeping in the highest châlets at the foot of the Viescher-hörner, 3 easy hrs. from Grindelwald. Unless the traveller's object be to get to the Grimsel, time, money, and danger would be spared by merely ascending the Strahleck, and returning to Grindelwald, by which all the grandest scenery would be seen.

"The path, on leaving Grindelwald, ascends rapidly on the 1. hand of the lower glacier, and is practicable for horses for about 14 hour; it then be

through which water has formerly flowed; and from the great size of the opening, it would seem that a stream as large as the Aar must at one time have passed through it. It lies to the left of the path leading from Meyringen to Im-Grund, about 3 m. from the former place, and may be seen without occasioning the traveller more than an hour's delay. The beautiful scenery at the upper mouth of the cavern, and the savage grandeur of the perpendicular rocks, as the path emerges upon the margin of the Aar, will amply compensate the labour of the descent; which indeed is so little to be dreaded, that I have taken ladies to the very bottom."D. J. The path, leaving for a short time the river on the 1. and the charroad on the rt., mounts the steep eminence of the Kirchet in zigzags, and then descends into the retired green valley of Upper Hasli, which is in the form of a basin, surrounded by hills, and was once probably a lake. Two valleys open out into it; on the S. that of Urbach, on the E. that of Gadmen, up which runs the path leading by the pass of the Susten (Rte. 32) to Wasen. On the 1. lies the village Im-Grund, and, crossing the Aar, another village, called Im-Hof, situated between it and the Gadmen river, is passed. From Im-Hof a path branches off to Engelberg over the Joch pass (Rte. 33). Another ravine is succeeded by a second enlargement of the valley called Im-Boden. Higher up is "the small and lonely village" of 31 Guttanen (Inn: Schwarzer Adler; will afford quarters in stress of weather). The best place for a mid-day halt to rest the mules is the châlet of 14 The Handek, about 1 hour's walk beyond Guttanen. It can furnish a bed upon an emergency, and tolerable provisions, good coffee, &c. It stands at the distance of a few yards from the Falls of the Aar, perhaps the finest cataract in Switzerland, from its height (more than 200 ft.), the quantity and rush of water, the gloom of the gorge into which it precipitates itself, and the wild character of the rocky solitude around it. It is also

remarkably easy of access, so that the traveller may form a full estimate of its grandeur; surveying it, first, from below, through the vista of black rocks into which it plunges, and afterwards from above, stretching his neck over the brow of the precipice from which the river takes its leap, and watching it (if his nerves be steady) till it is lost in the spray of the dark abyss below.

The view from this point, not more than 5 or 6 ft. above the fall, which few will hesitate to call the best, is exceedingly impressive and stimulating. So plentiful is the rush of water that it reaches more than half way down in one unbroken glassy sheet before it is tossed into white foam; and, what adds to its beauty, is, that another stream (the Erlenbach or Handek), pouring in from the right at this very spot, takes precisely the same leap, mingling its tributary waters midway with the more powerful column of the Aar. Between 10 and 11 the iris may be seen hovering over the fall.

The dark forest of fir through which the route has wound for a considerable distance, now dwindles away into a few dwarf bushes, and disappears entirely a little above Handek. To them succeed the scanty vegetation of rank grass, rhododendron, and lichen; and even this partial covering disappears prematurely, in some places being abraded and peeled off. There is a spot about 2 m. above Handek, called Höllenplatte, where the path crosses the bed of an ancient glacier which, in former times extending thus far down the valley, has ground smooth and polished, by its weight and friction, the surface of the sloping and convex granite rock, leaving, here and there upon the surface, horizontal grooves or furrows, which may be compared to the scratches made by a diamond upon glass. This polished rock extends for a space of nearly m. Professor Agassiz has here left his autograph in the granite. It used to be customary and prudent to dismount here, and cross this bad bit of road on foot, since the surface of the