Riederalp Day 2 - Aletsch Glacier

Lexi and I woke up and picked up a picnic to take up to the glacier. At the top of the chair lift, it is hard to believe that it is summer. It's very cold and a little windy and to your right is a giant sheet of ice. The line from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy came to mind about how infinity is rather boring as there are no limits to indicate it's immense proportions while the room that they built planets in seems even larger than infinity as you can see the faint indications of it's end in the distance. The glacier felt that way. Besides the immediate expanse below us, parts of the glacier peeked through gaps in the distant mountains making it seem to stretch across the entire horizon.

Sadly, you can see the difference in height caused by the glaciers recent retreat. If the pace of increasing recession continues as it has in the last few years, the glacier will disappear in just under 2 centuries, a blink in geologic time. Next time someone tells you that global warming is a myth, remember that.


We took a hike down towards the glacier. The terrain was ruggedly beautiful, with gnarled little trees crawling out between the rocks. The altitude wasn't an issue on the way down, but the way back up was another issue. It took us twice the time to go back up.

We took another few trips down the cart run on our return before we went to get our massages at the spa. While waiting for Lexi, I relaxed in the hot tub with the alps stretching out behind the window. Then I moved to the hot tile recliner, a heated lounge chair also with a great view.

The massage was nice, though the masseuse didn't use enough force. I prefer deep muscle massages. The masseuse was good at foot massages though, which made up for a lot.

The train ride back was also very relaxing. We munched on chocolate, salami, cheese and bread as we watched the alps fly by.