The Entlebuch has a few peaks in the form of long ridges. The Schrattenfluh and the Schafmatt are two of these. But the Beichle is certainly one of the most spectacular of these, because it is so close to the valley floor. In fact, it is not in line with the Schrattenfluh and the Schafmatt, but in front of them. As a result, even though the Beichle looks very similar to the other peaks, it is much younger geologically. In fact, the Beichle is made of conglomerate, while the Schrattenfluh is made of limestone. The Beichle is located parallel to the Wiss Emme valley floor between Escholzmatt and Schüpfheim.
I had often passed the Beichle on my way to Lucerne, either by car or by train, and it had always fascinated me. So, I had been wanting to climb it for a long time. The season was getting on, and it would soon have been too late to climb it because of the snow. So, when the weather forecast promised good weather, but with stratus clouds, I decided to go.
From Escholzmatt station, you first must walk a short stretch of paved road for less than a kilometre. It is not very pleasant, but there is no other option. The path branches off when you reach the Hünigerhof farm, and it climbs up, first through meadows and then through the forest. At one point, after following a ridge, the path drops down to a small pass before climbing up again towards Schwand. After this point, you follow a small ridge to the left. From here, it gets steeper and steeper. The weather forecast was wrong, and instead of the stratus clouds clearing at 900-1000 metres, they cleared at this point, about 200 metres higher. After crossing a small alp, you reach another ridge, where you must climb over a small rocky outcrop. A little higher up, you reach a small clearing where the ground is surprisingly flat: this is the last place to catch your breath before the final climb. You must climb over a few rocky sections, where cables help you along.
Once you reach the ridge, you see a small peak with a cross on it. The thing is not to be mistaken: this is not the summit. The summit is further along the ridge and there is a small step to overcome to reach it.
For the descent, I had come back along the ridge to the end of the ascent path and continued along the ridge. At the beginning, you follow the ridge a little below it until you reach a small pass where there is a Maiensäss. There, you must climb a little up the hill that dominates the pass before you start the actual descent. Here, the poles are useful because it is very steep, and this continues until you reach Aenetämme. It is only when you reach the Waldemme river that the terrain becomes flat. However, it is not over yet: there is still a small climb on the path along the left bank of the Waldemme. After this, the path changes sides and you will have to follow the road to Sörenberg. Further on, at the point where the road meets the road to Entlebuch, I chose to follow this road in order to reach the Schüpfheim station as quickly as possible.
Route: Escholzmatt – Chilewald – Holzegg – Beichle – Gsteigegg – Lammberg – Aenetämme – Schüpfheim
Distance: 14.2km
Elevation gain: 1130m
Duration: 6h30
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