That’s the title of a thoughtful article on National Geographic:
Part of the magic of trekking in Nepal used to be how easy it was to get started, but on 1 April 2023, the government imposed a radical shake-up of the country’s trekking rules. Whereas previously travellers could hike alone anywhere in the country, now they must hire a guide to walk through Nepal’s 12 national parks and six conservation areas, including the popular Everest Base Camp and Annapurna …
“For less-experienced trekkers, having a good guide can definitely enhance your trekking experience, but guides aren’t trained to a consistent standard in Nepal,” says Bradley Mayhew, author of Lonely Planet’s Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya guidebook. “Encouraging trekkers to hire a guide by providing better-trained guides would be a smarter approach than forcing all trekkers to take a guide, regardless of their experience.” …
The 1-hour drive (from downtown Tromso) out to where the Brosmetind walking path starts is fantastic too.
… valleys with tall peaky mountains that go straight into the sea.
One of these fjords is Grotfjord. You should make a stop in Grotfjord and walk along the huge white-sandy beach.
You will have an awesome panoramic view from the start to finish. So if you don’t have to go all the way to the top to get a great view. You can turn around whenever you want …
Height: 525 meters above sea level
Distance to walk: 4 km both ways
Time: 1-2 hours (round-trip)
How to get there by bus: Take the district bus no. 425 to Tromvik or Rekvik, and walk from there to the starting point of the hiking path to Brosmetinden. Tell the driver that you want to hike Brosmetinden and he will let you off at the right place.
You can purchase tickets on board the bus, but cash payments only, or you can buy a ticket through the app “Troms Billett”. You can check the bus schedule HERE (search the Travel Planner from “Tromsø Prostneset” to “Rekvikvegen (Tromsø)” or through the app “Troms Reise”.
I hiked on Canada Day – July 1st. Wore my CANADA clothing. 🇨🇦
Weather was sunny — but super windy. Too windy to fly the drone. But it was nice to have enough wind to blow away the mosquitoes and horseflies.
It’s a quick hike to reach the sea cliffs. And a scenic scramble up to the top.
I camped at Grotfjord beach, on Maria’s recommendation.
An excellent short day hike — but quite a detour off the usual tourist route.
I got the chance to return in 2023. Booked 3 nights in Interlaken, Switzerland — hoping for good weather.
Weather report was good, not great. If rain or lightning looked likely, I would either descend on a side trail or backtrack to the start.
Happily, weather was mixed all day. No rain. No slippery trails. People have died hiking Harder Ridge. There’s not much exposure, but I could see it happening at a few spots. Especially in snow, ice, or mud.
dangerous
I took 10 hours on both my days.
at least 18km on sharply defined ridge
should absolutely never be attempted when wet
some scrambling required
Brienz to Interlaken with motorized assistance getting up to and descending from the ridge
Don’t hike the other direction. Logistics are easier starting in Brienz. And it’s safer as the last 2 hours (when your legs are tired) is on easier trails.
Every half hour a train runs from Interlaken to Brienz.
Across the street from the train station is the historic steam train from Brienz to Brienzer Rothorn Station. It’s been making this run since 1891.
It takes an hour to get to the top of the ridge 2351m.
Most visitors do a short ridge walk from here. And take the steam train back down to Brienz. Very few attempt the full Harder Ridge. It IS popular with trail runners.
A bit foggy on arrival. Bit of a worry.
This is NOT an official trail. You’ll see warnings.
This first half is unsigned. But you can’t get lost as the trail stays as close to the ridge top as possible.
Early on there is a technical section with stone steps and cable hand assist. It could be tricky when completely covered with snow.
I thought I’d be faster my second time. NOPE. It still took me 10 hours though I tried to move quickly with only short stops for photos and video.
At times you’ll wonder if that next climb is even possible. It is. 😀
There were plenty of wildflowers. Plenty of insects end of June.
This is a great hike to carry a drone.
It was hazy. But I still had good views of the big peaks across the lake.
The first time here, I was disappointed not to see any Ibex. This time mama blocked the trail for about 10 minutes. She had two little ones with her so I was cautious in making my way past.
I wouldn’t recommend bringing a dog on this one. There are too many sharp stones.
The final 6km are in the trees and it’s a relief to finally reach that section.
Both times — however — I found I was no faster here than on the naked ridge.
I was still worried about making the last funicular down from Harder Kulm. End of June it left at 9:45pm. I was on the last one.
It is fantastic to be delivered right back to Interlaken after 10 hours on foot.
Thomas Coldwell documented his summer 2022 adventure, along with 4 others. And put together this VERY useful document for anyone wanting to plan a Traverse for themselves:
I stayed at the excellent and inexpensiveGrindewald hostel. It’s a fair walk uphill from town. But you can take the hourly bus for free.
Of many excellent day hike options, I decided on the Eiger Trail starting in Alpiglen, climbing 800m. Lazy this time, I took the expensive Jungfrau Railway up to Alpiglen. (A woman I’d spoken with had hiked it to and from Grindewald the day before — MUCH tougher.)
My route was only a 12.9-km loop — but it might take 5 hours as you stop so often for the fantastic vistas both UP and DOWN.
Unfortunately, the typical afternoon rainstorm broke just before I sprinted into Kleine Scheidegg near the top.
I ended up buying an expensive train ticket back down to Grindewald. And enjoying Swiss soup at Kleine Scheidegg while I waited out of the rain.
Weirdly, the weather broke right after soup. I could have easily hiked down — but could not get a refund on the train ticket as it came out of a machine.
I do feel the Eiger Trail is the best hike out of Grindewald.
besthike.com 
