The journey began with the aerial cable car from Mörel up to car-free Riederalp, and then further on to the bottom station of the Moosfluh gondola. Before making the ascent, we served an apéritif to the hiking group of about 50. König Valentin, CEO of Aletsch Riederalp Bahnen, greeted all of the participants with a glass of white wine from Valais.

After arriving at the outlook point Moosfluh, Martin Nellen, a veteran mountain guide for the Aletsch Glacier who has climbed all of the 4,000-meter peaks in Valais and is a talented storyteller, explained the route of the night hike. Before setting off, the participants were provided with quite a lot of information about the current state of the Aletsch Glacier, including detailed facts about its length and flow speed. Intending to provoke a thoughtful mood, some information about the effects of climatic changes on the glacier was also provided.
The route led to the picture perfect Lake Blausee, where witches were already waiting with brooms and a bonfire. The witch’s tea with spider-like herbs went great with the sausages that we all roasted over an open fire. The cries of the men who were calling out their nighttime Alpine prayer could be heard in the distance.
After we had eaten, we then continued our hiking trip along Lake Blausee in the direction of Riederfurka, carrying torches. During the hike, participants were also told local stories and informed about regional customs. Witches hissed between the rocks and from a distance we heard the cries of poor souls approaching us in white gowns on their journey. They walked in from the dark into the light of our torches, appearing like ghosts.
After the hike back to Riederalp, we had a group photo taken and the extra after-hours trip with the aerial cable car brought us back to Mörel.

 

A hiking night is also planned in summer 2009. Details can be found on our website at a later date.