TWO OTHER WATERSHEDS
BY DON DOUCETTE
Our watershed narrative takes on much larger proportions with this installment as we briefly tour significant portions of several connected and well-known watersheds of Europe.
THE RHINE RIVER WATERSHED
Our tour at this point moves slowly. Contrastingly so as our speed is not measured in lightyears, nor miles per hour, nor feet per second, but rather…centuries per lifetime and beyond. We will not be living when our conveyance reaches a transitional milestone.
Our traveling compartments are connected and frigidly cold as we move about with caution. Solid footing is suspect. Floors, walls and ceiling shine and glitter as our vehicular forward motion remains imperceptible, but be assured, we are moving.
We look above with wonder as suspended in the matrix of our translucent ceiling exist a random scatter of stones and boulders.
We began this transitional journey several hours ago, departing Interlaken – East (Switzerland) rail station and gained elevation steadily through a transition of several rail depots including three spotlessly clean and brightly painted trains with the last train powered with a cog engine.
The scenery has been magnificent looking in all directions, indeed farm animals with classic bells graze in alpine meadows. Waterfalls and streams cascade, wide vistas open to high snow topped mountain peaks.
ALETSH GLACIER RHONE RIVER WATERSHED
Our destination is the highest train station in Europe, the Top of Europe near the peak of the Jungfrau located in the Bernese Oberland Mountain District. Our elevation at this point is touted as 11,362 feet above sea level. To reach our destination, we inch along beneath the rock face of the famous Eiger, one of the most difficult mountain climbs in the European Alps. We are protected as we travel under stout avalanche roves, our shields against falling rock, snow, and ice.
The last stage of our rail journey has advanced through a tunnel blasted into the mountains many years ago – the station is a multi-level alpine reception center as we straddle the divide of two great watersheds of Europe – the Rhine River Watershed from whence we came and on the opposite side, the Jungfrau births the longest glacier in the Alps, the Aletsch Glacier with melt waters eventually mingling with the Rhone River Watershed.
The Rhine River flows north to the North Sea in Holland and the Rhone River flows south to the Mediterranean Sea along the coast of France west of Marseille.
As our narrative began, we were slowly traveling along inside rooms tunneled into the apex of the Aletsch Glacier gained through a portal from one level of our alpine reception center-train station – the highest train station in Europe and our giddy Ice Palace experience within the Aletsch Glacier, the longest glacier in the Alps.
Glacial ice and snow retained during our brief visit will melt long after we had departed and have departed, centuries into the future. A truly great and long-lasting watershed experience.
THE TEN MILE RIVER WATERSHED
Don Doucette
“Ten Mile River Rambles”
Friends of the Ten Mile and Bucklin Brook
Citizens of the Narragansett Basin