Hiking in the snow...so much fun! Mt. Fort to Prafleuri hut.
Ok, so there was a sunny day, but just one. Arolla, Valais
Flowers in Arolla. The Swiss love their annuals and flower boxes. My kind of peeps.
A panoramic view of the mountains.
We stayed the night in the Moirey cabane that was literally over the glacier behind me. It was amazing...heck of a place to get to but amazing none the less.
Most of the cows in Switzerland look like pets so cute. And then you come across ones with horns that follow you....not so friendly.
I just got into Zermatt, which is a rather large town at the base of the Matterhorn. After being in the mountains for 7 days, it was something like being in Disneyland – at the base of the Matterhorn. A little surreal. I found the other Alpine Hikers and settled in for the night.
This past week I spent doing part of the classic “Haute Route” hiking tour. The full monty starts in Chamonix, France and ends in Zermatt, Switzerland, covering over 11 passes. I started half way in Verbier Switzerland. The average day was 19km and the easiest was 6 miles – though I wouldn’t say any of the days were particularly easy. I went with 2 friends for the first two nights, which was really lovely as I was a little concerned about the weather and getting where we needed to go. The first day we missed a key marker and got lost in a valley far from where we were supposed to spend the night. Fortunately we were relatively close to a hut that had room so we spent the night there.
The second day of the trip we awoke to fog, rain and sleet which later turned into snow. Our instructions explicitly to not do the trail if it was snowing or raining. I was a bit concerned after getting somewhat lost the previous day so I was looking at our options. There was a group of 15 Britains, who generously allowed us to be the caboose and follow them through the mist. We hiked through snow, sleet and rain to 3 passes that were all over 7000’. Many peeps were miserable and we even had a few tears. The nice thing about these hikes for me and the customers of Alpine Hikers is that they always end in a warm bed and dinner. The Brits were camping almost every night in the rain, which did not sound pleasant or romantic in the least bit.
The following day was such bad weather wise we decided to head down via cable car and go to the next town via bus. It was a brilliant idea as the snow was a couple of inches thick and the path of the day was strewn with rocks and debris, which are incredibly difficult to traverse in wet weather. I laughed and said the mountains reminded me of Narnia – always winter but never Christmas.
The following day I set out from Arolla, a cute little town, over a pass and then to Moiry hut. The first part of the day was literally slogging up the hill, and then another hill, and another hill. Finally after 3 what I thought to be the end, I reached the pass. As I headed down the hill I got a call from Balin and the kids. I was in a super mood and feeling strong until I located the Moiry hut where I was sleeping that night. It was at the top of a ridiculous hill, shrouded in clouds. *#!!#* All my energy and excitement left me as I trudged up the next 1500’ to my sleeping quarters.
The Moiry hut, I have to say is worth the climb, as it literally sits just left of a massive glacier and ice field. I could throw a rock and hit it. Wow. What was a little unfortunate was the sleeping accommodations. We were sleeping dorm style, which is a row of mattresses touching each other, bunk bed style. I climbed in between a swiss guy and a lady – which was a bit awkward. They went to bed really late and then woke up at 5:00am to go climbing. They were polite and kind, but I’m not sure I’m keen on sleeping with strangers.
That night at dinner I did meet up with a young American woman (31) from Sante Fe, New Mexico. She and I hit it off and ended up walking the next 3 days together. She is a history teacher at a prep school in Sante Fe and had a great wealth of information on all things historical. I learned all sorts of things about the Byzantine Empire, relative recent history of Afghanistan and it’s current political problems, China, Japan, Alexander the Great and Russia. You can cover a lot of history while walking through the Alps. It was great and I think we both really enjoyed our time together.
Today I was invited to go hiking towards the Matterhorn with Troy and the other tour group but I declined. I woke up with a sore throat and a headache. I think I have the onset of a cold and I want a good day of rest in bed, reading a book, taking naps/baths and doing nothing. Tomorrow we head to Le Chable to start the Haute Route again – if you think about it, say a prayer for a little sunshine here in the Alps. Another week in the rain and snow might be a bit discouraging. ;)
Me and Coco Manson in the gondola at the end of the day.
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