From my base in the village that bears my name, the train that goes all the way to the Jungfrochjoch makes its stop atop Kleine Scheidegg, where its grösse counterpart can be spotted to the west on a clear day. Then it's a 4-mile (6.4 km), 3280 ft (1000 m) descent back to Wengen, past the Lauberhorn and the falls of the Trümmelbach.

The brief, intense Alpine spring occurs between late June and mid July, during which the verdant valleys are bedecked with wildflowers of white, yellow, red and violet. The celebrated Edelweiss is an early bloomer, however, and cannot be easily spotted at this time.

These photos are taken with the Canon G1 digital camera.