A few years ago Barbara and I were on top of a peak or ridge somewhere when she pointed out the Grosser Mythen to me. Since then, we’ve often talked about climbing this impressive free-standing peak.
Its name apparently deriving from the latin word ‘meta’ for pyramid or cone, the Grosser Mythen, rises almost 500 vertical metres from the surrounding countryside to 1898 metres. Together with its lesser sibling the Kleiner Mythen (Smaller ‘Mythen’), the Grosser Mythen totally dominates the landscape of the canton of Schwyz.
We’ve walked around it’s base on snowshoes. And we’ve walked around its base on ordinary hiking shoes. When we went there earlier this year, we were advised by Armin Schelbert, the ‘Mythen man’, who has climbed the peak more than 4600 times, that there is snow on the path, and it is not advisable to do it. So we did not. Instead we took a long walk around its base, ending up in the valley on the opposite side of where we started.
Sunday, with weather being somewhat unstable everywhere and the Grosser Mythen looking like it may be just about dry enough for us not to get wet, we made our way to the starting point of the climb at Holzegg.
Waiting with us at the cable car station that takes you to Holzegg, was a couple on their way to climb the rock just below the Holzegg berg restaurant (which they later described as excellent). Also, a family with two children, a boy and a girl. As we got into the car, the boy went into total meltdown and point-blank refused to get in. I offered to secure him with my rope, thinking this may help to calm him, but though he considered it for a brief moment, his fear of travelling in this little contraption was far greater than the sum of the encouragement that came from all directions. In the end, the dad, admiringly tolerant and patient, decided they’d walk. We bumped into the dad again as we were coming down, and saw the rest of the family on the contour path lower down.
The first few hundred metres of the path winds its way through a copse of trees. Damp and slippery. Then you start zig zagging up the flank of the mountain. Fortunately this was dry. I caught up to, and overtook, the young pair who took off like Flash Gordon at the start. Probably looked at me, and thought we don’t want to be stuck behind this oldie…
We made good speed, but alas, except for a brief tantalising glimpse as we approached, the Grosser Mythen, even though we got to the top, once again defeated us.
Shrouding herself in mist, with the cloud drifting down towards its base as we started our ascent, and visibility less than 20-30 metres at times, we were robbed of the 360 degree views across the Alps and Lake Lucerne we should have enjoyed from the top.
The radler at the top did not quite make up for the lack of views. Especially given that the walk up was made much harder by the warm humid conditions. While enjoying our drinks, the Mythen man appeared! Probably up here for at least the second time for the day… disappeared inside the hut, then came out and emptied the donations box which helps to pay for the upkeep of the trail. A scramble to the summit cross, and then we started making our way down…
So perhaps the peak did not share the views we had hoped for, but, the peak will still be here next year – so we can try again… this time for a perfect mountain day!!
Footnote: The couple we saw on the way up, was at the top cable car station as we arrived. We chatted for a little while about their climb and our lack of view. When we got to the bottom station they went off in one direction and we waited for the next bus. The next moment she arrived back and asked if we wanted a lift. They kindly dropped us at Einsiedeln, from where we took the train back to Zürich. We gladly accepted. Mountain people. Always ready to look after each other!!
Postscript! The sometimes slippery and very uneven path, carved out of well-worn rock, is definitely not for amateurs. Even with all the right equipment and the experience we have, this is not a path I’d like to do in wet, snow or ice conditions.
Barbara zig-zagging her way up the mountain Barbara almost not visible ahead of me… The summit cross shrouded in mist Yellow flower 
The Grosser Mythen – tantalising glimpse
