The origin of the Giessbach

From the Axalp bus terminus near the Sporthotel, follow the little road a few steps downstream. At the Alp gate, walk over the hay meadow upwards and very steeply through the forest. The rock bands of Tschingel, Axalphorn, and Oltschiburg tower magnificently. On the mountain road, the path runs almost level through the innermost part of the Axalp. Shortly after Chüemad, you discover a lonely hut down in a forest clearing; this area is called Ärggelen. Legend has it that here a bull killed a bear that had attacked the herd. It is said to have pushed the upright-standing robber against a fir and crushed his chest. The dead bear fell on the retreating bull, which, startled by this presumed new attack, charged a second time, whereupon it itself fell dead.
From the Lütschentälti, the uppermost Alp plateau of the Axalp, it goes slightly downhill on a path to the southern edge of Böðeli, a top level hollow of the Alp Tschingelfeld, through which the Giessbach flows. Rising again, shortly before the alpine huts in Oberberg, you cross the young Giessbach, whose source streams come from the slopes of Wildgärst and Schwarzhorn. The path leading over short-grass pasture runs under towering rock walls. In early summer, you can experience the most magnificent floral splendor here. After a not very difficult climb, pastures and terraced sections alternate. Behind a terrain wave lies the Hagelseewli, which remains frozen well into high summer in primeval mountain scenery (to Wildgärst 2h; via Wart to Grosse Scheidegg 4h30).
From the saddle at the west end of the Ritzenrätli, you suddenly enjoy a completely different view: deep below shines the Bachalpsee, and with every step towards First, the view opens up to the Grindelwald mountains, Finsteraarhorn, and Fiescherhörner, and to the glaciers lying in front.