Wildheuer: the gravity-defying haymakers above Lake Brienz

Scythes, whetstones, grass and sheer cliffs. Above Lake Brienz in canton Bern five friends return to Teni every summer to spend a few days in the footsteps of the Wildheuer – the haymakers who, for centuries, have braved the most inaccessible slopes to harvest wild hay. This activity has been enjoying a revival for almost three decades thanks to growing awareness of biodiversity and the Alpine landscape. Outside, night is slowly giving way to day. The first light of dawn filters through the…