[Illustration: A MOUNTAIN SCENE _From the Painting by H. Reifferscheid_]
From the highest point of this snowfield, two peaks tower up, of which
the one is higher and, therefore, the summit of the mountain. These
pinnacles are very hard to climb. As they are surrounded by a chasm of
varying width--the bergschrund--which one must leap over, and as their
precipitous escarpments afford but small footholds, most of the tourists
climbing the mountain content themselves with reaching the bergschrund
and from there enjoy the panorama. Those who mean to climb to the top
must use climbing-irons, ropes, and, iron spikes.
Besides this mountain there are still others south of the valley, but
none as high. Even if the snow begins to lie on them early in fall and
stays till late in spring, midsummer always removes it, and then the
rocks gleam pleasantly in the sunlight, and the forests at their base
have their soft green intersected by the broad blue shadows of these
peaks which are so beautiful that one never tires of looking at them.
On the opposite, northern, eastern, and western sides of the valley the
mountains rise in long ridges and are of lower elevation: scattered
fields and meadows climb up along their sides till rather high up, and
above them one sees clearings, chalets, and the like, until at their
edge they are silhouetted against the sky with their delicately serrated
forest--which is indicative of their inconsiderable height--whereas the
mountains toward the south, though also magnificently wooded, cut off
the shining horizon with entirely smooth lines.
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