Kühtungel and the Dungelpass

Dwight Peck's personal website

Summer 2004

After an invigorating few days at Iffigenalp, we pass by Lauenen, above Gstaad, on the way home, for a brisk walk up to the Kühtungel.

You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

Lauenensee (1381m), a pleasant scene and popular day-tourist spot up a small side valley south of Gstaad, with a couple of restaurants and, in fact, a sizable pay-parking lot. On the 4th of July, to celebrate not having to listen to any patriotic fireworks, Kristin, Joe, Teny, and Himself set off up the steep and winding forest path towards Kühtungel to see what's still to be seen there.

Emerging from the steep forest at about 1800m an hour or so later, the walkers vote on lunch and the yeas have it.

Past the fantastically sculpted creek that flows gently through the hanging valley of Kuhtungel, picks up speed here and "sculpts", and then plunges off in waterfalls back to Lauenen.

The hanging valley of Kühtungel or Chüetungel, 1800m

During a leisurely lunch, a look across the Kühtungel at the Spitzhorn (2806m) to the southwest.

Looking southeast at the back wall of the Kühtungel, with cliffs leading up to the glaciers and summit of the Wildhorn.

Some two decades ago, whilst walking across Switzerland, the present narrator camped idyllically here with a good friend and a daughter, which turned into a bit of an adventure when the weather turned bad and the party got foodlessly stuck for an unplanned day or two. View that here.

A few members of the 4th of July 2004 party work off lunch by dashing on up to the Dungelpass.

This view, from about 2050m, is southward towards Niesehorn.

There's actually a tiny path running upwards from right to left and over to the Iffigsee; it's not a very nice path -- in 1988 the narrator ran from Lauenensee up and over that path, down to Iffigsee and Iffigenalp in a touch over two hours, but swore not to do it again, and has kept his promise.

Here we are at the Dungelpass, or Tungelpass, or Col de Tungel/Dungel, or Stigellegi! on a pleasant 4th of July 2004. One still fondly recalls the long evening spent in February 1985 with Profs. Berman and Ware in a blinding snowstorm trying to get down to Lenk on the far side of the pass for the better part of twelve hours of three-meter visibility.

Prof. Pirri missed that adventure but is still ready for almost anything, but not today.

The farm at Stieretungel, as one descends back to Lauenen.

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