Seeing those Valaisan Blacknose sheep the other day reminded me of the first time that I ever encountered them, which was at an event that takes place every year at the Gemmipass, near Leukerbad. Essentially, 100’s of sheep are herded up to the Gemmipass in July, to graze on the upper pastures during the summer, then led back down again around mid-September. Nothing particularly amazing about that I hear you say… until you look at the path…
When you arrive at Leukerbad, you are faced with a huge wall of rock (pic 1). Indeed, the longest via ferrata in Switzerland goes up from Leukerbad, but that’s another story. Looking up, you would not believe that a human could climb up that rock face, let alone a flock of sheep. But sure enough, they do, along a path that has to be seen to be believed (pic 8).
Luckily there is a cable car to take you to the top, which gives you the best view of the path. So, even if you don’t go to watch the sheep descend, as we did, the path itself and the magnificent views from the restaurant at the top are well worth seeing.
For walkers/runners – from the cable car station, the path climbs around 1,150 metres (3,800 ft) in just over 3.5 k (2 miles). If you like a challenge, I’m told that if you can get to the top station in under an hour, you can get a free ride back down on the cable car. (My nephew, Peter, and I did it a couple of years ago and it took us around one and a half hours of almost solid hiking, so you’ll need to be very fit).
Alittlebitoutoffocus 
Beautiful and stunning shots – the sheep are happy guys on their stroll.
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Thank you Mary. Some of the younger ones looked a little tired and thirsty by the time they congregated in the field near Leukerbad. I think they rested them there before taking them even further down towards the Rhone Valley. I also walked down the path once and it was almost as hard as going up! My legs were like jelly!
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Sounds like perfect form of exercising! But those poor little ones – soon enough they’ll be at the front of the pack.
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Yes, they must get used to it I’m sure. Though I’m not sure I ever will ! 🙂
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There are parts of that trail that look quite scary, such as one wrong step and off you go! Does it get hairy in parts?
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No, not really – it looks a lot worse than it is. For the most part, the path is quite wide and there are fences where it gets a little narrow. 🙂
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Stunning views!! Looks like a fun micro-adventure! Keep them coming so we can all live vicariously! Happy Tuesday 🙂
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Thanks Jane. Yes, I think it’s great that I can bring the Swiss mountains and other events to the bloggers of the world. It clearly saves a lot of travelling and hiking effort ! Very eco-friendly in fact! 🙂 But then, photos can never do it justice.
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Thank you so much for sharing this Mike! These fluffy little guys have won my heart!
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Yes, they’re too cute for their own good! Everybody wants one when they see them. 😊
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