Looking towards the Gaisbergferner Glacier

Dear Readers, of all the walks that we do in Obergurgl, this is the one that gives the most reward for effort – there’s a steep, steep climb up into the valley, and then obviously a steep, steep climb down on the way out. But once you’re in the valley, you walk through a lush green bog full of cotton grass and follow the path beside the rushing glacial river. There are rarely many people here, even though, at the beginning, you can see the gondolas for the Hohe Mut Alm overhead. Soon, all you can hear is rushing water and the whistling of marmots. It’s definitely worth the 135 bpm heart rate, and the aching legs!

There are still a few Alpenroses in flower here – it’s a notoriously chilly valley, the wind whistles down from the glacier, and so the plants are not quite as advanced as in other places.

There are some handy stone slabs, and the occasional wooden board, for crossing the boggy bit.

And it’s interesting how the plants also differ from the Rotmoos Valley that we were in a few days ago. There were no gentians there, but plenty in flower here. These are Alpine Gentian (Gentian nivalis), but no photo ever fully does justice to their colour, the purest blue I’ve ever seen.

The air here is so pure that it must be a lichen-lover’s delight. If only I knew a bit more about them!

And here’s a lovely thing – this is a tiny Black Vanilla Orchid (Gymnadenia rhellicani), such a sweet little plant. I nearly always find it alongside a path, quietly getting on with its life.

And this, my friends, is Alpine French Honeysuckle (Hedysarum hedysaroides), a completely new plant to me, Also known as Alpine Sanfoin, it’s not a honeysuckle at all, but a member of the Bean family (Fabaceae). Alpine meadows are absolutely full of ‘beans’, and I imagine that the fact that they ‘fix’ nitrogen in the soil is one reason for the extraordinary richness of what is otherwise a difficult habitat – short flowering season, lots of exposure, thin soils, snow cover and unpredictable amounts of water.

And while this lovely plant looks very much like our Fox and Cubs, I have a strong suspicion that it’s actually Golden Hawksbeard (Crepis aurea).

The path flattens out along by the river. In some parts it’s rocky, in others sandy, and in one place it’s quite badly eroded, which makes for a fun-packed ten seconds as we try to avoid falling into the stream.

And here’s another ‘bean’ – this is Brown Clover (Trifolium badium), though at this time of year it’s more yellow than brown.

At one point, we hear all the marmots on both sides of the valley whistling, and look up to see a flock of birds passing overhead – they look remarkably like Alpine Chough from a distance, and the way that they’re tumbling and rolling makes me think that I might be right. I’ve never seen Chough in these mountains, so maybe they’re just passing through. No photos, sadly, but here’s what they look like. Sadly, there aren’t that many botanists or ornithologists here, but I’ve just thought of one person I can ask, to see if they’ve been sighted before. Fingers crossed! They can be found all over the Alps, and are the most acrobatic and entertaining birds.

Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) Photo byBy D4m1en – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67051243

Anyhow, by now it’s time for a banana and a swig of water, and a sit on a convenient stone. The glacier itself is a fair way up the valley, and we usually content ourselves with an unobstructed view. Plus, last year, as I’ve mentioned already, I didn’t think that I’d ever get here again, so I am well ‘choughed’ (see what I did there?). Plus it’s getting warm and I feel the need for a nice Almdudler.

View towards the glacier

And here’s a last new flower – this is Alpine Milk Vetch (Astrogalus alpinus), yet another ‘bean’ and a rather pretty pale lavender one at that. 

And then it’s a long trudge back down to the middle-station lift, to sit in the Pic Nic and watch the world go by before heading back for a nice hot bath. What a lovely day!