Kaiseregg Pass - rugged ridges, charming mountain lakes

(Description from Schwarzsee) Rarely is an area as legendary as the landscape at Schwarzsee. The origin of the lake is told as follows: long ago, no lake rippled here. Beautiful alpine pastures stretched up to Kaiseregg. All estates belonged to Bernhard Riggi, who, despite his wealth, remained friendly and generous to everyone. The dwarfs also liked this and protected his cattle in return. His son and successor acted differently. He poached and was stingy. The dwarfs were driven away. Then a terrible thunderstorm broke out, devastating the Alps, dragging the misbehaving son into the depths, and covering the valley floor with debris, so that water masses backed up behind it – and a dark lake was formed. From Schwarzsee/Gypsera, go a few steps downhill and then ascend uphill along the Riggisalp stream by the church. The alpine path leads extremely steeply through the forest gorge up to the hut on Hürlisboden. Then, rising more gently, the route continues over the scenic alpine ridge to the mountain saddle in the Salzmatt. Magnificent here is the view into the alpine basin Schönenboden, bounded by the cliffs of the Stierengrat. Southwards, a path winds through the sloping pasture towards the pass summit. One last very steep ascent through the rock face brings you to the Kaiseregg Pass. The deep view over the Riggisalp towards the lake and the view to the high Alps (from Wetterhorn to Rinderhorn, including Bietschhorn) is wonderfully beautiful. The path then descends extensively to the pasture plateau of Kaisereggalp, interspersed with scree zones, from where an alpine path skirts the southern edge of the Alp Walop, in the middle of which a pretty mountain lake shines. Very rich is the mountain flora between Vordere Walop and the hut Uf Egg, which can be reached on an almost level path past the green Walopsee. Once more, the Upper Swiss Alps peaks from Blüemlisalp to Wildhorn reveal their full splendor. The steep descent into the valley basin of the Chlus, enclosed by tall rocky pinnacles, follows a rough alpine path, sometimes with thresholds, which is not particularly knee-friendly. Here you reach the paved road that leads through the gorge-like bottleneck of the Chlusflue downhill over Farni to the hamlet Schwarzenmatt. The dark spoil heaps along the way recall the former exploitation of the coal seams found here. A pretty hiking path with slight ups and downs now leads over to the ravine of the Dorfbach and down to Boltigen.