Furka Pass

I did a day trip to Furka Pass on 26 August 2021 to see the Rhône Glacier, to hike across the mountain pass, and to descend down the iconic road on its eastern side to the town of Realp.

 

The source of the Rhône River – the Rhône Glacier.
A portion of the ice tunnel cut through the Rhône Glacier, with white sheets overhead to help keep the whole thing from melting further.
Part of the ice tunnel inside the Rhône Glacier.
View of the Rhône Glacier with white sheets draped over the end of the glacier to help slow the inevitable melting.
Some of the rocks, smoothed and cracked from the intense pressure of the Rhône Glacier over the course of centuries.
Another view of the Rhône Glacier.
The beginning of the Rhône River; the Rhône Glacier used to extend all the way to Gletsch at the end of the flattened portion of the valley in this photograph, where the Grimselpass Road begins, back in 1602 AD – actually, it only began to recede considerably since the 1850s.
The historic Hotel Belvedere, abandoned and no longer in operation.
Artilleriefestung Gallenhütten, an old artillery fortification built in 1894 AD to protect Furka Pass and Grimsel Pass.
Huts near the Artilleriefestung Gallenhütten.
Old fortification and trench near the high-point of Furka Pass.
Furkapass Road in the foreground with Grimselpass Road toward the other end of the valley.
Grimselpass Road with Totensee in view.
Looking east from the Furka Pass, at the Canton of Uri.
Hotel Furkablick and military installation near the Furka Pass high-point.
Furka DFB train tracks and hiking trail.
Looking east on a trail through Furka Pass.
Looking back on one of the hiking trails through Furka Pass.
Reuss River with Furka Pass in the background.
Looking up at Cascade de Sidelenbach.
Bridge over Sidelenbach, a tributary to Reuss River.
Reuss River.
Train track for the Furka DFB, a historic steam locomotive that takes passengers through the Furka Pass.
Looking west, back toward Furka Pass, from the Reuss River.
Furka DFB, a historic steam locomotive traveling west through the Furka Pass.
Cross on one of the trails through the Furka Pass.
Part of Furka-Passstrasse with a hairpin turn.
Part of Furka-Passstrasse is named “James Bond Street” in commemoration of its role in the film ‘Goldfinger’.
Descending Furka Pass with alpine peaks in the distance.
Switchbacks of Furka-Passstrasse.
Realp and the Reuss River seen from the pass.
On the trail that passes through the Furka Pass road switchbacks, with Realp in the distance.
Looking south from Furka-Passstrasse.
Realp, seen from the Furka Pass road.
Looking back at the switchbacks on the Furka Pass road.

An open journal or an exercise in narcissism.