Take the Schilthornbahn to the valley floor and turn left (northward) on the main road. In about a half an hour's time, you will reach the very small community of Trümmelbach. Just before you get to the stream of the same name, you'll see a yellow trail marker for Wengernalp pointing you off to the right, through a barnyard. I strongly recommend doing this hike only in the upward direction because that minimizes the fright factor and gets the nerve-wracking part out of the way right at the beginning. Amazingly enough, the climb begins with a smallish ledge-walk, blasted out of a sheer face. There is of course a steel cable to hang onto, and the rocks are always sloping inward, towards the face, not outward, towards the drop. In any case, the whole experience is over in about fifteen minutes, after which it's nothing but smooth sailing the rest of the way. If I can do it, so can you.

After you leave the rocks, the climb is all in the woods until you reach the mouth of the actual valley. In this woods, at an altitude of scarcely over 1000 meters, my old roommate Jana and I practically got run over by a young ibex. Someone else who I sent on this hike saw an ibex just after descending into the valley itself. I won't go so far as to say the place is crawling with them, but maybe you'll see one, too.

When you curve around into the high, rocky cleft that is the Trümmel Valley, the trail descends a little ways, to meet the top of the gorge. From the (sturdy) wooden bridge, you can see that the narrow gorge goes a long way down, but as for the subterranean caverns and waterfalls, from here you would have no clue. On the other side, the climbing begins again, this time alternating through woods and meadows, with glimpses of Mürren out across the main valley. Behind you now, on the opposite side of the bridge, the bulwark of rock known as the Schwarzmönch begins to rise more and more majestically.

The next "place" you'll reach is Untere Brechalp, where there's water, a barn and a pleasant view of three converging waterfalls. Not long afterwards, you'll find yourself, logically, at the barns of Obere Brechalp, where, in addition to water, you'll find outdoor tables, an outhouse, and, if you're lucky, cheese-making in full swing. The climbing continues, gradually giving the woods up for open pastureland. Around the path intersection of Staldenfluh, a national park type feeling will overtake you. Soon, however, you will once again leave the path that everybody and his grandmother is on, having followed the sign for Mettlenalp and/or Biglenalp. This leads you further into the valley, even closer to the already enormous forms of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, looming on your right. At Mettlenalp, the picturesque barns are only the foreground to the whole panorama which has opened up. Don't continue along the roadway after Mettlenalp but look for a small trail swinging down and to the right, as the road goes up to the left. The scenery is something out of a fairy tale, making you understand how dwarfed and insignificant your day-to-day problems are, next to the powerful beauty of nature. Descending slightly, you pass through woods and fields, past boulders and barns, and eventually meet the upper reaches of the Trümmelbach. Here, the glaciers are quite near to you. The three major ones cascading down from the three major mountains are the Eiger, Guggi and Giessen Glaciers. Lower down, between the second and third of the latter is the Chielouwena (cow avalanche) Glacier, so named because the avalanche from it once swept away twenty-some unfortunate moo-moos.

The trail doubles back by the barns at Biglenalp, finally turning you away from the uniquely forshortened view of the Eiger and Klein Eiger that you have been enjoying the whole way up the valley. Climbing again more steadily now, you pass through another wooded area and then out into hilly pastureland, wide open with stunning mountain scenery on all sides. At the next intersection, stay to the left, following signs to Alpiglen. For anyone who is, for example, tired from this thousand meter climb, there is the possibility of taking the train from Wengernalp. But I would recommend going on by foot to Wengen, since it's all downhill from there, anyway. The remainder of the trail to Wengen is a clearly marked roadway with a fair bit of pedestrian traffic. Nonetheless, the surroundings are pleasantly pastoral, with the sprawl of Wengen on the (hopefully) sunny terrace just below you and the jagged rocks of the ridge to your right contrasting starkly with a blue, blue sky.

For me, this is enough walking and enough alpine splendor for one day, but anyone who is still enthusiastic should know that it's not mandatory to take the train from Wengen. Lauterbrunnen is less than an hour's walk down from there, and, for that matter, it's only a scant three hours back to Mürren. Go for it!