LONG DAY TO GSTEIG

VIA ALPINA DAY 51 – TUESDAY 11 AUGUST 2026
ADELBODEN–> GSTEIG

DISTANCE HIKED: 39.33 km
ELEVATION GAIN:  2,118 m

TOTAL DISTANCE HIKED: 1,293.83 km
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN: 68,551 m

Feeling rested, we stepped out of the hotel into the cool morning air, excited to see what lay ahead.

It was an easy-grade ascent to Hahnenmoos Pass in the cool of the morning. For a couple of hours we enjoyed some of the most pleasant hiking we’d had in days, wandering through gentle rolling hills with the familiar sights of grazing cows and ski lifts. It was a lovely change from the enormous peaks and steep valleys we’d been surrounded by for the past few days.

We stopped for a break at the pass before beginning the steeper descent. I felt sorry for the few hikers we passed coming up, with the sun beating straight into their faces. They were looking puffed and sweaty. We know that look.

There was a calmness to this landscape that was really quite welcoming. After the scale and busyness of the past few days, the gentler hills seemed to invite us to slow down and breathe.

It was one of those warm, blue-sky days when everything feels easy. We had the sun at our backs, we were rested and, for once, hiking felt effortless.

We stopped in Lenk for coffee and Coke before starting the 900-metre ascent towards Lauenen.

Lenk was a beautiful town, with just a lovely feel to it. It has strong connections to jazz music and Simmental cows, and, oddly enough, some of the most beautiful street furniture we’ve seen.

We followed the road up and out of the village, beginning the climb towards Trüttlisberg Pass. At one point the mapped route and the trail signage disagreed, so we decided to trust the signs.

It turned out to be a good decision.

The trail led us through a beautiful canyon, where a jet-like river was still carving its way through the rock walls.

Emerging from the canyon, we found ourselves in rolling grazing meadows. We passed a cow with her calf feeding beside her, and stopped to watch.

She looked so beautiful and completely at peace.

All my uncharitable thoughts about cows disappeared in that moment. There was something very moving about watching such a simple, natural act of motherhood taking place in this beautiful mountain meadow.

The summit of the pass itself was a little underwhelming. Dark clouds were gathering and we knew rain was on the way. We descended through some rather scrappy-looking meadows towards the small village of Lauenen, arriving just in time for the rain.

The radar showed it passing, so we decided to continue towards our destination for the night, a campground in the small village of Gsteig.

The rain, however, had other ideas.

It didn’t pass. It got heavier.

As we continued climbing towards yet another pass, thunder began rolling around the mountains and flashes of lightning appeared in the distance. We took shelter for a while under a big barn, hoping the rain would ease.

We comforted ourselves with the thought, “At least it’s not cold!”  But despite our rain gear, we were getting wet.

There was no point waiting any longer, so we set off again towards Gsteig.

We finally made it into town well after 7pm, after more than 12 hours of hiking. By then we were tired, wet and very ready to stop.

The campground was a little way out of town, but it turned out to be a great location with a really nice setup. And, as an added bonus, we met Mike and Kristy, whom we hadn’t seen since Liechtenstein. It was lovely to catch up with them again.

The campground had terrific communal areas, warm and cosy enough to make us forget about the weather outside.  The rain continued through the evening, punctuated by a few very close thunder strikes.

After 12 hours on the trail, we were more than happy to be somewhere dry and cosy, with good company.