Wall Art near Kandersteg

Three weeks full of challenges, wall art and weatherproof teamwork in the Kandersteg mountain forest

In 2024, for the fourth year in a row, a volunteer group from the Nature Network renovated dry stone walls on the historic Gemmiweg. This time we stayed for three weeks in the Stockhüttli, the club hut of the SAC Seeland, which stands alone on a rocky outcrop high above Kandersteg. There we were able to fully immerse ourselves in the nature of the mountains with its beautiful and rough sides.

The daily descent

At dawn we walked for a quarter of an hour to the otherwise remote construction site. It was clinging tightly to a rock face in a steep forest. This is probably the reason why the path here was secured with a retaining wall on the valley side for fifteen meters. A wooden scaffolding made by the municipal workers squeezed between the wall and several thick spruce trees, gave us access to the base of the wall and provided space for a few stones. We were able to attach a tarpaulin roof to the rock face, which proved to be invaluable when winter arrived early with a lot of snow.

Walls for Eternity

The wall had to be completely dismantled, and in places we chipped away rock by hand to create enough support for the foundation. Here, too, there were enough additional stones in the usual reliable quality in the area. The group worked quickly and well, so that after two weeks we were already laying the capstones and were able to demonstrate a remarkable quality of the wall.

One last feat of strength

In the third week, half of the group tackled an additional small wall, which was already threatening to collapse in the overhang. This wall was also completed on the last day of the project, and the schnapps could be hidden in the traditional schnapps hole.