to be possible to keep the weight of your equipment down to an absolute maximum of 10kg (20lbs). A waterproof cover is highly recommended, and a large thick polythene bag in which to pack your gear inside the rucksack will safeguard items from getting damp in the event of bad weather. A selection of plastic bags of assorted sizes will also be useful.
Equipment
As for clothing and equipment for the trek, what you select can be crucial to your comfort and enjoyment. See ‘What to Take’ above.
Recommended maps
Swiss maps are among the best in the world in terms of accuracy and artistic representation. The official Swiss mapping authority, the Bundesamt für Landestopographie, publishes three major series of sheets that cover the whole country at 1:100,000, 1:50,000 and 1:25,000, while the independent publisher, Kümmerly & Frey, has produced a series of walkers’ maps at 1:60,000.
While the greatest amount of detail will be found on the 1:25,000 sheets, the specific maps recommended for the Tour of the Jungfrau Region are either the K&F sheet entitled Jungfrau Region (number 18), or two sheets of the official Swiss survey at 1:50,000 – 254T Interlaken and 264T Jungfrau. These should be adequate for most walkers’ needs.
On both the Kümmerly & Frey sheet and those of the Swiss survey major paths are highlighted, as are huts. However, as the TJR is not an officially recognised route as yet, you will need to refer to the maps in this book to identify the actual trails adopted for the trek.
Safety in the mountains
Although paths used on the TJR are mostly waymarked and clearly defined under normal conditions, there could be occasions when the way is less obvious and concentration called for; there are also several remote sections where an accident could have serious consequences. Mountains contain a variety of objective dangers for the unwary, and it behoves all who tackle a multi-day trek to be alert to any such possible danger and prepared to cope with any hazards that might arise. The following list of dos and don’ts contain common-sense suggestions based on years of experience, and are offered as a means of avoiding mishaps. With a little attention to detail, the chances are that you’ll experience nothing more distressing than a small blister.
SAFETY DOS AND DON’TS
Plan each day’s stage with care. Study the route outline, taking account of the amount of height gain and loss, and the estimated time needed to reach your destination. Don’t overestimate your own physical ability or that of your companions, but make a generous allowance for delays and interruptions, for bad weather and imperfect trail conditions.
Check the weather forecast with the hut keeper or hotel staff before setting out.
Watch for signs of deteriorating weather. Never be too proud to turn back should it be safer to do so than continue in the face of an oncoming storm, or on a trail that has become unjustifiably dangerous.
Don’t venture onto exposed ridges if a storm is imminent, but in the event of being caught out by one, avoid isolated trees, prominent rocks or metallic objects (temporarily discard trekking poles), and refrain from taking shelter in caves, beneath overhanging rocks or in gullies. Instead kneel or squat on your rucksack, with head down and hands on knees.
Know how to read your map and compass; consult the map and guidebook frequently and anticipate any obstacles, change of direction or fork in the path. Do not stray from the path in foggy conditions.
Carry a few emergency rations and a first aid kit.
In the unhappy event of an accident, stay calm. Move yourself and, if feasible, the injured person (with care not to aggravate the injury) away from any imminent danger of stonefall or avalanche, and apply immediate first aid. Keep the victim warm, using any spare clothes available. Make a written note of exactly where the victim can be found, and either telephone for assistance using a mobile phone (if available, and you can get a signal), or send for help while someone remains with the injured member – assuming, that is, that you’re in a party of more than two people. Should a mountain hut or farm be nearby, seek assistance there. If valley habitation is nearer, find a telephone and dial:117 (emergency number – police)1414 (for helicopter rescue, but note that this should only be used if absolutely essential)
Should it be impossible to go for help, the international distress signal (given at the front of this book) is: six blasts on a whistle (and flashes with a torch after dark) spaced evenly for one minute, followed by a minute’s pause. Repeat for as long as necessary. The response is three signals per minute followed by a minute’s pause.
Remember…
There is no free rescue service in Switzerland, and no free hospital treatment either. The cost of an emergency could therefore be extremely expensive. Be adequately insured, and be cautious. (It is advisable to leave a copy of your travel itinerary and insurance details with a responsible person at home, and to carry with you photocopies of important documents – information pages of passport, insurance certificate, travel tickets etc – as well as emergency home contact address and telephone number.)
Wildlife and alpine flowers
Walking the Tour of the Jungfrau Region promises to be a multi-dimensional experience that goes beyond simply wandering through an ever-changing mountain landscape. The Alps are populated with a varied wildlife and clothed with a richly diverse vegetation, observation of which can be a tremendous enrichment to your days in the mountains. What can be seen? Well, if you walk quietly and remain alert, there are plenty of possibilities…
Chamois are shy members of the antelope family, and characteristic of the Alpine regions. With their short sickle-shaped horns they are immediately distinguished from the female ibex, but are every bit as agile and fleet-footed. In summer their coat is a dark reddish-brown with a notable black stripe along the spine, and a distinctive white lower jaw. They have an incomparable sense of smell and acute hearing, which makes them difficult to approach closely, but it’s quite possible that sightings will be made during the trek by observant walkers. When surprised, the chamois makes a sharp wheezing snort of a warning.
A female ibex in silhouette outside the Gleckstein Hut
It’s always exciting to watch ibex on their home territory. With a much stockier body than the chamois, and (in the male) larger, knobbly, scimitar-like horns, the ibex has adapted perfectly to its chosen hostile environment and can scale the steepest of cliffs with apparent ease. A visit to the Gleckstein Hut (Alternative Stage 2) will almost guarantee a sighting of these majestic animals, while a small herd roams the wild upper reaches of the Lauterbrunnen Valley above Obersteinberg.
Of all Alpine mammals, the marmot is the most endearing and most often seen. These sociable furry rodents live in colonies among a range of habitats below the permanent snowline, sometimes even excavating their burrows alongside a busy path. Growing to the size of a large hare, and weighing as much as 10kg, the marmot spends 5 to 6 months each winter in hibernation, emerging in springtime looking rather lean and scruffy, but soon fattening up on the summer grasses. The famous shrill whistling sound – given as a warning of danger – is emitted from the back of the throat by an alert adult sitting up on its haunches. Seen in numerous places along the route, between First and Grosse Scheidegg the trek passes the entrance to what is locally known as ‘marmot valley’.
The marmot is the most endearing of alpine animals
During
