Hiking the Haute Route: How To Do

Our Group (Jeanne, David, Stephen, Martha, Stu, Jodi)

Introduction:
This will both be a how to do and description of our experience doing the Haute Route in the summer of 2010.   The blog is mainly about two couples (David and Jeanne and Stu and Jodi)  ranging in age from 55 to 64; we were all quite fit and experienced hikers; and we did NOT do this on the cheap, that is, we stayed in lovely hotels where they were available.  There was another couple (Stephen and Martha) with us for some of the hikes but since they decided to go a bit slower, take some alternative routes and take a couple days off I am mainly writing about the common experience of the two couples who did the whole thing.  We also had to stay in four dormatory-like spaces since we also walked every inch of the way.  We did not use any lifts, cable cars or any other kind of motorized transportation during the trek although if we were to do it again we would (since we already have the bragging rights to say we walked all the way).  We also took three rest days during the trek so that we never hiked more than four days in succession so the whole thing took 16 days.  With those provisos you can certainly use our experiences as a guide to doing this on your own- it is not hard to plan.

We looked at commercial tours but we rejected them for two reasons.  The first was that they all skipped parts of the trek so that at the end one could not say they had done the whole Haute Route.  The second reason was the cost.  Even though we stayed in lovely hotels along the way we were able to do this at about half the cost of joining a commercial tour.  We do need to add that two of us were retired guides who owned a business for 15 years which offered guided hiking tours in Switzerland so that the idea of organizing the trek and following maps and trail descriptions did not seem daunting to us.  So if you have some experience with following hiking maps (or have and KNOW how to use a GPS system), you can do this.  Also if you have never hiked in Europe (and especially Switzerland) you will be very impressed by the excellent signing along the trail.  It is very difficult to get very lost.  Go for it!

Getting Ready and Planning:
The first thing you should think about is whether you are fit enough to do this trek.   According to our GPS device the trek route we took was about 112 miles with 46,000 feet of ascent and 42,000 feet of descent which we did over a 13 day period with 3 additional rest days.  So that calculates out to over 4000 feet of ascent every day of hiking (some much more) at an elevation between 5000 and 10,000 feet.  The footing was not good at all for much of the trek.  When we ran tours we did day hikes in "resort" areas like Wengen or Zermatt which pride themselves on having very well maintained trails.  Much of the Haute Route is in areas which are much more remote.  There were numerous boulder fields, talus slopes, and snow fields that had to be traversed.  This is no walk in the park so we would definitely suggest full boots and not just hiking shoes.  But if you have experience doing this type of hiking and you are fit you will find it an exhilarating experience.

Ok, so you think you are up to it.  The first thing is to buy the "bible" of the Haute Route, Kev Reynolds', Chamonix to Zermatt, The Classic Walker's Haute Route.  It really is a must purchase and is quite good at describing the route, providing rough maps and profiles, and if you want to go inexpensively it provides information of where dorm space (dortoirs or matratzenlaggers) can be found.  I think you should buy the four maps he suggests as they provide more detail than his maps but other blogs have disagreed and state that the book sufficed.


But take note: we and everyone we met felt that Reynolds significantly (10-20%) underestimated the elevation changes and our GPS device definitely agreed with that opinion.  So I will provide the elevation changes according to what our GPS device gave us not what Reynolds (hereafter written as "Kev") estimated. 


Kev provides alternative routes on some days and also will tell you if you can skirt part or all that day's trek if you find yourself in really foul weather or someone in your group comes up lame.   So buy his book and read it, as it is very well done.

Then train for this trek.  Our six days out of every seven exercise routine is to walk 6-7 miles at a pace of 3 1/2 mph if we are not doing something harder.  We live in NH and have hiked all the "4000 footers" in the three warm seasons and most of them during the winter months.  So we are always fit but we stepped it up a notch in the months leading up to the trek including doing at least two major climbs (2500-3500 elevation days) each week.  You should do the same.  And if you plan on buying some new gear for the trek test it out before you go, ESPECIALLY boots.

Training hike in NH

FYI if you don't already know, camping along the trail is really discouraged in Switzerland; in fact, it is illegal in most places.  So forget the tent and sleeping bag; if you want to go somewhat inexpensively use the dortoirs and huts.  This will mean you should be able to get away with carrying a pack that is about 20 pounds.

Since we hike all the time we did not need to buy any special gear for the trek except for a silk sleeping sack for use in the hut bunk beds.  Make sure you take all quick dry fabrics including underwear as you can wash out T-shirts etc every night and have it be dry the next morning.  Our weather was very warm (for Switzerland) and sunny.  In fact we never had to use our rain gear the entire trek.  Southern Switzerland is the driest part of the country but having no rain for two weeks (a couple of showers at night) was really unusual.  We also went over to Switzerland/France a few days before we began the trek to get over jet lag and do a couple of hikes in our favorite village (Kandersteg) to acclimate to being at a higher elevation.  Try to do that if you can afford the time and money.  We then trained over to Chamonix to start the trek. We bought a Swiss FlexiPass (buy a Saver version if you are a couple) to get us to Kandersteg and then to Chamonix (the French portion was covered by the pass) and then to the Zurich airport from Zermatt.  Go to the RailEurope website to order your pass.

One of our warm up hikes near Kandersteg

We decided to reserve all our accommodations ahead of time including the huts.  There are two schools of thought about that as doing it ahead of time locks you into a schedule which a really foul weather day can destroy.  But if you want to be sure that a bed awaits you at the end of the day I would chance it and do the same.  If you have to make revisions on the fly you can.  So we will list the hotels we used as we describe each of our days.  As mentioned above we did not go on the cheap and used some lovely hotels.  We will mention the real "winners" we found, along with a couple of clunkers.  If you are using dortoirs you can probably wing it a bit more, calling one day ahead to reserve your beds.  When we mention the prices we paid, it will be for two adults with breakfast and dinner (except where mentioned); it also includes one glass of wine per night per person.  Having your dinners at the hotels (half board) will save you a ton of money.  It will be table d'hote but if you really hate the menu the hotel will often substitute for you.

We have split the trek into four phases; each phase includes three or four successive days of hiking and ends with a rest day.



PHASE ONE: CHAMONIX TO CHAMPEX


Day 0: Chamonix
The train ride up to Chamonix is wonderful and the setting for this town is spectacular being at the foot of Mt. Blanc.  But having said that, we couldn't wait to leave because we viewed it as the most spectacular setting for a shopping mall we have ever seen.  It is busy, although the lifts taking you up high above the town are worth the cost.  In fact we did that on Day 1 before we walked up the valley to Argentieres.  We stayed at a lovely hotel here, Hotel Des Alps ($227/night w/o dinner)  with lovely rooms and a breakfast buffet that is not to be believed.  But there are loads of places to stay here.

Day 1: Chamonix to Argentieres  6.0 miles, 1300 ascent, "0" descent     ( July 4, 2010)


We did this in a few hours on the afternoon of our first day after doing a nice hike above Chamonix in the morning.  It is a pleasant hike along a couple of rivers.  It was a really warm day and we took our time enjoying sitting along the stream a couple of times and having a "French lunch" of bread, cheese etc.  Kev mentions you can skip a day by arriving in Chamonix and doing this hike on your arrival day.  I would consider doing that.  Give yourself a couple of hours to look around Chamonix and go to Argentieres.  We used the Hotel Montana ($266) which was just OK.

Day 2: Argentieres to Trient (Col de la Forclaz) 9.0 miles, 4300 ascent, 3700 descent

Ascent to the Col de Balme (7273 ft)

As you can see from the data above this is your first serious hiking day.  The hike starts out over some rolling terrain before it turns sharply uphill in Le Tour where you could hop on a gondola to ride either part or all the way up the mountain.  The trail is directly under the cable way for the first half of the climb which is always a little discouraging and it was another very hot day that made it seem worse.  You hike right past the mid way station of the gondola (bathroom) past which the trail diverges along a stream which made for better spirits.  The views as you can see in the photo on the left were spectacular all the way to the Refuge du Col de Balme (seen below) where you could buy lunch.  To save time we always packed a light lunch and picnicked.  The French/Swiss border is here although you enter very much French speaking Switzerland.  We did not take Kev's alternative trail from the top as it would have meant repeating some of the same trail the next day.

Refuge du Col de Balme (7273 ft)

The hike down to Trient is on a well marked trail with good footing.  The choices of where to stay in Trient are very limited so we pushed on another 1/2 hour to the Col de Forclaz and stayed at the Hotel Col de Forclaz ($115).  We could not get private rooms here so had a bunk room for six which gave us some privacy.  The food was OK.  There is a little store here where you can reprovision for your lunches.  If you are ever stuck for lunch provisions you can always ask the hotel to make you a sandwich.  It will be rather expensive; if you are in a town you can almost always buy sandwiches at the bakeries at a much lower cost.  We usually just had bread, cheese and fruit.

Day 3:  Col de la Forclaz to Champex       8.75 miles, 4300 ft ascent, 4500 ft descent

Glacier du Trient

We chose the route over the Fenetre d'Arpette as Kev's description of the hike looked so appealing on a good day and it was just that.  This is a spectacular hike and if you are fortunate enough to get good weather you should definitely do it.  The trail slabs gently after leaving the hotel before climbing steeply but you soon get rewarded with a view of the Glacier du Trient which lasts all the way to the pass.  Our companion, Stu, was having serious problems with his boots which were made worse by some very bad footing from about 500 ft in elevation below the pass.

Lunch at the Fenetre d' Arpette (8795 ft)

As you can see you will not have any solitude at the pass but it is a stunning view on a nice day.  The footing on the initial descent from the pass was even worse than the ascent but after losing about 500 ft of elevation it got much better.  The last hour of the hike to Champex includes some lovely time along a roaring stream and then along a bisse which is a narrow irrigation canal taking water to the drier fields below.  This is mostly through the forest which was a welcome relief from the hot alpine sun.  When you approach Champex you are rewarded with the sight of its lake which beautifully dominates the whole town.  We stayed at the Chalet Hotel Alpina ($255/night) which is a short walk out of town.  You must stay here even if it is a splurge for you!  It has charming rooms, great views from the balconies (ask for a room with a view when you book), and had the best food of the trek- I mean really superb.  We took our first rest day here and were not sorry we did.

A bisse

The lake in Champex

Day 4: Rest Day in Champex
At first it seemed premature to take a layover day but as it turned out it was a good idea.  We had just finished two hard days and the adrenaline had worn off and Stu's boots were killing him.  He was able to visit the gear shop in town and they perfectly fit him with some new boots that worked well for him for the rest of the trek.  Everyone visited a wonderful botanical garden just above town; it is the best we have visited in Switzerland and the wildflowers are a real interest of ours.  The garden has some fascinating metal sculptures along with a very elaborate collection of wildflowers.  We had Coupes Danemark for lunch- a truly evil Swiss chocolate sundae smothered in real whipped cream.  You must have at least one of these while in Switzerland.  We had another great dinner at the Chalet Hotel Alpina.

Botanical garden

One of sculptures

PHASE TWO: CHAMPEX TO AROLLA

Day 5: Champex to LaChable  8 miles, 500 ft ascent, 2700 ft descent

This was a day I could have happily skipped although one does walk through some pretty towns along the way.  If I were ever to do this again I would take the Swiss Post Bus to LeChable, the cable car up to Verbier and then hike over to the Cabane du Mont Fort.  It would not be an "easy"day but you would be subsitituting a hard day today for the one you would have on "Day 6" below which we thought was a real loser of day.  Also it was our hottest day; it was about 80F in LaChable that afternoon and Swiss hotels do not have air conditioning.  We used the Hotel Gietroz ($167) which was our least favorite hotel of the trek (another reason to go to Verbier).  There are not too many other choices in this town but if you are going to stay here I would try one of the other options Kev mentions in his guide book.

Scenes from the village of Sembrancher which you hike through this day

Day 6: LaChable to the Cabane du Mont Fort  6.0 miles, 6800 ft ascent, 500 ft descent

As mentioned above I would not do this climb again as all the climb is simply a grunt of a hike without great views or much else to recommend it.  (Take the cable car to Verbier and skip Day 5 and do the hike from Verbier to the cabane  for Day 5 instead.)  I will add that once one does most of the climbing through the forest and ski tracks the views are very good for the last hour or so of hiking.  But the majority of the day is just put your head down and suck it up.  This was also the day Jodi (our strongest hiker) looked down on us from a higher switchback and said,"Hello down there".  I won't tell you what went through our minds at that moment but suffice it to say she will never-ever live it down.

The view after most of the climbing is done (where are the smiles?)

The hike from the picture above to the cabane is past a bisse and is gives some great views of a ridge line named the Grand Combin.  If this was a cloudy day it would have been my least favorite day.  But  the next day is glorious so you must go to the Cabane du Mont Fort ($150).   The cabane is very nice and the views from the patio are spectacular and once again we had a bunk room for six people.  The food was typical hut food, that is, plentiful and tasty but not elegant.

      

Cabane du Mont Fort

Day 7: Cabane du Mont Fort to the Cabane de Prafleuri  9.8 miles, 4200 ft ascent, 3500 ft descent

This was my favorite day and perhaps the most difficult day of the trek.  It traverses three cols and we had to slog through a significant amount of soft and wet snow but the scenery was wonderful and it felt like a real adventure.  Perhaps this is a good time to say that Kev's elevation may have been off but his hiking times (which are without breaks) are fairly accurate.  All four of us are good hikers and move at a very steady moderate pace.  But with that said, with breaks (an hour total??) we were on the trail for ten hours which was much more than Kev listed (he listed (adding an hour for breaks) 7 1/2 hours).  Perhaps it was the snow that made us slower today or may be because again it was so warm (making the snow very soft and hard to negotiate).  So the bottom line here is to start this day as early as you can (we were the first ones on the trail).  The Cabane du Mont Fort staff will serve an early breakfast if you ask.  

This may be the place to mention that once we left Champex we saw FAR fewer people on the trail since we were no longer on the same route as the Tour de Mont Blanc.  This day we only saw a group of five young Dutch hikers and a Danish mother/daughter hiking together.

You start the day by descending a little from the cabane and then very pleasantly slabbing and gently climbing to the Col Termin with the Grand Combin ridge almost always in view.  This is a great early morning hike that is bound to lift your spirits on a sunny day.  I guess I shouldn't complain so relentlessly about the warm weather given that we had the reward of the vistas which many others do not get.

The morning hike over to the Col Termin

Col Termin (8738 ft)

The descent from the col was fairly gradual and we made good time.  Kev states that this part of the trail contains one of the finest vistas in the Swiss alps; it is spectacular but our favorite vista is of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.  We tried to save on weight by carrying a water filter with us instead of carrying all the water we would need from the get go each morning.  We were all trying to stay well hydrated and went through more than 1 1/2 liters each by the time we finished our descent here and filtered more (again it was sunny and warm).  The ascent to the next col had some rough footing and boulder fields to negotiate but we had plenty of energy as it was just approaching noon by the time we got to the Col de Louvie.

View on the descent from the Col Termin

Col de Louvie (9639 ft)

As you can see there was some snow at the Col de Louvie as we were close to 10,000 ft of elevation (but notice the short sleeves).  We then had to descend into what the maps call the Grand Desert.  It is a broad recently glaciated area of rocks, lakes, snow and little else.  It is a real moon scape and was tough sledding all the way.  We were able to some glissading on the way down from the col but very soon we were boulder hopping on a very indistinct trail.  In fact we decided to stay relatively high on the right side of the glaciated bowl and traversed the snow fields instead of going lower over interminable boulder fields.  There is a HUGE trail marker painted on a boulder on the far side of the valley that one can keep in view so even though we were probably off trail we felt confident in our eventual hiking goal.  The snow was really soft and punctuated by bare ground that had the consistency of wet cement so needless to say we made slow progress across the bowl (a mile or so??)  We finally made the big trail marker and thought we were climbing to the top of the next col but as it turned out there are a series of false tops.  We had more snow with some steep descents on snow covered boulders- always risky and some snow bridges over streams- and no we were not sure they would hold.

Part of the snow field traverse after leaving  the Col de Louvie

Grand Desert

Finishing the Grand Desert (so we thought)

Very rocky trail to a one of the false tops

We stayed high on the right

Finally we reached the Col de Prafleuri and as you can see it is very well marked and we still had a long way to go to the cabane.

Col de Prafleuri (9784 ft)

Looking back from whence we came (Col de Louvie is the pass on the left horizon)

The Cabane de Prafleuri is in this picture-still along way to go from the Col

The hike down to the cabane was steep in places with some poor footing and the last few hundred meters was uphill- always tough at the end of a long day.

Better look at the cabane

Time for a grosse bier

The food was probably just OK but of course we were starving after such a long day.  We were tremendously relieved see Stephen and Martha roll in a couple of hours after we did.  We bought the group of young adults from the Netherlands some beer after they complimented us on how fast we had done the hike today (we were easy).  Also even though we had snow sealed our boots very well  all the wet snow had soaked them as if we had waded across a major river.  Even Jodi's Gore-Tex boots were soaked through.  Despite our best efforts with newspaper provided by the hut, it was wet boots for the next day which is never good.  Again we had a room with six bunks for about $140.

Day 8: Cabane de Prafleuri to Arolla  10.0 miles, 2900 ascent, 4500 ft descent

Starting off to the Col des Roux

This rivaled the previous day for the most difficult day even though the ascent was much smaller because getting to the Col de Riedmatten (aka Col de Rotweiller) was simply a bit__.  The day starts out well enough with an easy climb to the Col des Roux where there are lovely views and since we were the first ones on the trail we got quite close to a herd of Ibex.

View from the Col des Roux

Ibex (or Steinbok in German)

We then had a long descent with excellent footing down to the Lac des Dix which you can see all the way down.  Also there were an amazing number of marmots along the trail- the most we have ever seen in our 15 years of hiking in Switzerland.  They are a real delight to watch but we eventually had to force ourselves to move on and ignore their playful tumbles.

We eventually reached the lakeshore elevation and then we had a rather tedious hike along the whole length of the lake (it looks much more grey up close).  It gets interesting at the end as a huge waterfall feeds the lake where we had lunch before taking on the "Col de Rotweiller".  You cross a metal bridge and climb steadily on decent footing for a while before getting into an area where even Kev adds a Caution! warning.  You have to scramble up a very steep slope with really horrible footing and many loose rocks.  In fact Stephen and Martha who were behind us that day were almost struck by some rocks kicked loose by some people above them - take heed.  But as you break out of this mess you start slabbing and gently climbing and the Cheilon glacier comes into view with towering mountains behind.

Starting the climbing to the Col de Riedmatten

The trail is good until the last part of the ascent where it turns into an endless and very difficult boulder field with no obviously good line to choose for the push to the col.  There is an alternative to doing this last bit which is a set of three vertical ladders to the Pas de Chevres.  Stu and I decided to climb them as Jeanne and Jodi did the boulder field.  (Women ARE smarter in almost every way- but you know that).  I knew it would be (let's see what can my fragile male ego permit me to say here) lets say...challenging for me even though I do not suffer from vertigo- and it was.  I was so white knuckled going up there my arms ached from holding on so tightly.  Stu, being an airline pilot had no qualms at all while doing it.  But only do this if you are completly confident you will not freeze part way up.  To give you some idea of the risk when we got to the top of the ladders there was a group of people putting on harnesses so that they could be belayed while going down the ladders, which is easier than going up.

The "trail" to the Col de Riedmatten (Rotweiller)

The ladders are in the col

This is the easiest of the ladders

Jeanne reaches the top of the col

The hike down from the col is long but much of it is along streams and a gorgeous view of a mountain ridge called Pigne d'Arolla comes into sight along with its very impressive glacier, the Tsijiore Nouve Glacier.  We all felt that this was the prettiest valley of the whole trek.  At the end of the day you enter a beautiful forested area around the Grand Hotel Kurhaus ($265) where we stayed for two nights.

The view hiking down to Arolla

Day 9 : Rest Day in Arolla

We felt really beat up today.  The wet-ish boots we had to wear on Day 8 gave us some trouble and both Jeanne and I had some small blisters on difficult to treat locations like the tops of toes.  There is a product in Europe called Compede that comes in about seven or eight sizes that does an amazing job of treating blisters (much, much better than moleskin).  It is available in many stores and was a life saver for us.  It has sort of a gel body that cushions the sore areas, is medicated and stays on for days even after showering.

We all pretty much relaxed all day reading while sitting in the hotel's lovely grounds.  The hotel is one of those old resort hotels which has loads of Old World charm.  Jeanne and I had one of the best Coupe Danemarks we ever had for lunch.  It is great to not worry about calories.  The food at the hotel was good;  the breakfasts were great while the dinners only OK.  We expected better.  I might consider moving on to La Sage instead of staying here as the little hotel we used there was another gem.

Grand Hotel Kurhaus

PHASE 3:  AROLLA to ZERMATT


Day 10: Arolla to La Sage  6.5 miles, 2500 ft ascent, 3900 ft descent


This is another day that could be skipped if you took a rest day in La Sage instead of Arolla.  As mentioned above the Arolla valley is very pretty but you could easily skip today and bus from Arolla to La Sage instead of staying in Arolla.  But having said that, half of this day is quite pleasant.  You climb mostly gently after leaving the hotel with some very nice scenary eventually reaching a lovely small lake called Lac Bleu.  Three of us stripped and went for a dip here although as is typical of these high lakes it was painfully cold.

Three of us went in (Jodi was chicken)

The hike from the Lac is fairly pedestrian and really could be skipped.  You go through the small town of Les Haudiers which is not much; I would at least take a bus from there to La Sage as spending more time there would be better as the hotel we used there, the Hotel La Sage, was another gem.  It doesn't look like much from the outside but the rooms are very lovely and the ambiance of place is wonderful.  It is perched on a hillside so the views are good as well.  We had a very good evening meal here.

Hotel La Sage

Day 11: La Sage to the Cabane De Moiry  6.0 miles, 6012 feet ascent, 2835 feet descent


The day starts with a wonderful hike up through a larch forest and along streams and classic alp buildings.  After some time you reach a delightful meadow with streams, flowers and a lovely tarn-you really must stop here and soak it all in.

Morning views above La Sage

The hike up to the col from the tarn was quite steep and rocky but compared to the ascent to the Col de Riedmatten it was a bed of rose petals.  This was not a long mileage day so the climb did gain elevation quite quickly, although about 1500 ft of the total elevation gain comes later.  We had some prime glissading opportunities on the descent from the col.  Stu and I did some great boot skiing while Jeanne used the classic but safer "butt skiing" technique.  Jodi was altogether chicken.

Hike to the Col du Tsate

The trail to the col-steep but switchbacked

Col du Tsate (9464 ft)

Trail down from the col

Good glissading form

Another method

The trail continues down past some wonderful streams, meadows and tarns and soon you gain a view of the very spectacular  Moiry icefield.

First look at the Moiry Icefield

The  Lac de Moiry comes into view

The Cabane de Moiry is on the left shoulder above the glacier

You have to hike all the way down to the lake level where disappointingly there is a parking lot- it is appropriately called the Parking du Glacier.   You can buy snacks at a kiosk here which we did not do but we did take time for a snack as it was afternoon now and we had the lovely but disheartening 1500 ft climb to the Cabane du Moiry.  The trail up starts out as a very wide track since many people hike this bit of trail as it is so close to the parking lot but soon it turns more trail-like as the casual strollers soon drop back and out.  You go past a very lovely tarn (seen below) and then very steeply to the cabane including a bit of a dangerous snow field traverse where a trail crew has installed a high rope to hang onto.

The cabane was just finishing a multi-million dollar renovation and is placed in what can only be called a spectacular location overlooking the vast Moiry icefield.  We were again able to get a room with six bunks to give us a bit more privacy.  The new dining room must be at least 100 ft long with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the glacier.  The food here was the worst of the trip.  Most of us had a mystery meat stew.  I spilled some jus from the stew on my hiking socks and even after repeated washings the stain is absolutely permanent.  Jodi ordered the veggie dinner and received what came to be affectionately called marmot turds.  It was a tofu concoction of some sort and everyone who tried it  quickly spit it out- it really looked like dog biscuits.  Since the renovation dramatically expanded the capacity of the hut I suspect they had not yet geared up for the season and had yet to become accustomed to the new high tech/high capacity cooking equipment.  Jodi gave me a real laugh when she asked the hut manager if she had a hair dryer she could use.  Jodi was new to huts.

Approaching the Cabane de Moiry

On the way up to the cabane

Spectacular view from the cabane

Day 12:  Cabane de Moiry to Zinal  ( 9.0 miles, 2545 ft ascent, 5980 ft descent)

The group just before we left in the morning

The day starts out with a descent from the cabane on the same trail as we ascended on yesterday but thankfully one slabs off the main trail partway down the hill so that you don't visit the carpark again.

The new trail delightfully slabs above the Lac de Moiry with wonderful views of the Lac, the valley and the glacier and mountains behind.  You cross a number of streams and you'll find yourself pausing often to enjoy the views.

A nice slabbing trail with good footing

Lac de Moiry

As you can see in the photo above the clouds were rising out of the valley as the morning wore on and soon this was more important than we thought.  We reached the end of the lake (still high above the level of the lac) and started climbing through the meadows toward the Col de Sorebois.  The fog was beginning to engulf us as we continued through a very large herd of Swiss fighting cows (seen below).

Swiss fighting cows

Now these are LARGE very imposing creatures which as you can see still have their horns.  They do "fight" each other (not a matador) in competitions with the winner being the one that can push the other cow more effectively.   

Above us a group of boy scouts (as we learned later)  started blowing bugles.   This put the herd of fighting cows into a panic and they began to stampede.  This was interesting until we realized that quite a number of the cows above us in elevation were stampeding directly toward us in the fog.  I couldn't believe, after all the dangerous and sometimes foolhardy outdoor adventures I have had in my life, that I was going to perish under the hooves of these cows.  We thought quickly and gathered up and began screaming and waving our trekking poles and the herd did split just in front of us and rumbled by just missing us.   We really thought we were going to die just like Mufassa in the Lion King.  What a bizarre experience.  

The hike up to the col seemed like a walk in the park after the stampede but it was steepish as usual and we came across a much more docile herd of Swiss sheep.

Col de Sorebois (9395 ft)

We met a small group of Brits for some of the descent

You can see Zinal FAR below us in the valley

There is a great view from the col and the first part of the hike down to the valley is on a broad ski track to the top of a gondola and its obligatory restaurant which we took full advantage of for some wonderful pastry.  We met some Brits on the way down and had a delightful hour with them sharing trail stories and bad mouthing Kev's elevation estimates.  They rode down to Zinal on the gondola (which I would do if I was to do this again) but, of course, we hiked all the way down-  it is a long, long.......LONG way down.  Perhaps it was the cumulative effect of all the hiking or the trauma of the cow stampede but we were 'knackered" by the time we finished.  We stayed at the Hotel Europe ($250); it was a very nice hotel with good food.

Day 12: Rest day in Zinal


We were again happy to have a day off.  For the most part we took it easy as there is not much to see in Zinal.  Stu and Jodi hopped on a Postbus for the short ride to Grimentz which is a pretty town with some interesting things to see.

Some interesting wood carving in Grimentz

Phase 4: Zinal to Zermatt

Day 14:  Zinal to Gruben (10.0 miles, 4300 ft ascent, 3855 descent)


This was a fairly big day - not only was it long, but it had some significant up and down.  The day starts with a pleasant hike up through the forest above Zinal past some classic alp buildings with some lovely views down the valley.

View down the zinal Valley

A break by a lovely stream with alpenrosen

Trudge up to the Col Forcletta

 The trail up to the Col Forcletta was steep and rocky as usual but the hike down was a pleasant one past alp buildings and then through the woods.  It looked as if it was going to storm from noon on and we tried to hurry down the hill to Gruben.  We just beat a ferocious thunderstrom but Stephen and Martha were caught in it and we were very concerned.  But they made it unscathed if a little damp.

Lunch at the col (it was actually a little chilly) (9484 ft)

Hike down towards Guben

We were in a hurry as a storm approached

Hotel Schwarzhorn

Day 15:  Gruben to St. Nicklaus ( 11.0 miles, 4115 ascent, 6340 descent)

The Hotel Schwarzhorn is the only game in town and it was better than we expected ($160).  Be prepared - they only take cash here.There are no private baths but you can get private rooms with sinks, which we did.  There are also bunk rooms.  The food was very good.  We met a couple that was doing part of the Haute Route and were having their luggage transferred each night.  They were very nice people but we felt very superior to them until they blew by us on the trail the next morning.  But we WERE carrying more on our backs-right???

Leaving early (notice the sun just hitting the tops of the mountains)

It was actually a very chilly morning today; there was some frost about and we were hiking uphill with a long polypro shirt and liner gloves.  It actually felt really good and is much more typical of early mornings in the Swiss mountains.  Kev describes this day as perhaps the finest part of the trek.  It certainly was beautiful and we felt very fortunate to have such a lovely day to enjoy it.  Although hiking to the Augstbordpass is not as steep as some other days the footing is difficult near the top and it is 11.0 miles with a very long descent.  So we ate as early as we could to get an early start.

Again the trail starts out through a wonderful larch forest before breaking out into the alps filled with flowers.  You hike along some lovely streams until you come to a very nice tarn.  We came across a black bra along the trail that we and the cows found interesting and provided comic relief as we brainstormed why it was left there.  Men particularly are easily amused by such things.

Wonderful vistas on the ascent watching the fog rise from the valley

Looking back toward Gruben

The infamous black bra

The cows were curious too

The beginning of the final push to the Augstbordpass

The hike to the pass was rocky as usual but we kept telling ourselves this is the last big ascent of the trek.  The day had warmed by now and the conditions were the best of the whole trek-sunny but not hot.

A little too cold for a swim

Rocky final push as usual

Augstbordpass (9550 ft) the last of 10 passes for us

The descent from the pass

The descent from the pass is very pleasant as it goes through some nice alps and above a rather large stream.  Stu and I hiked down to the stream to filter some more water as the women enjoyed another type of "down time".

The guys filtering water as....

...the women waited in comfort

The trail as the magnificent view up the Mattertal begins to come into view

 When you begin to turn south and the Mattertal  comes into view you will be struck with  an incomparable sense of awe at the magnificence of Switzerland.  The Dom, the highest mountain completely in Switzerland,  and much of the rest of the Mischabel range can all be clearly seen.  To the north you get a wonderful look at the mountains of the Bernese Oberland.  You can not rush by this vista regardless of what time of day you arrive here.  This spiritual sense we all felt is what makes it all so worth doing; here by sweat of our brows- worth all the pain and effort.  Can any of us who venture into these mountains find an adequate way to describe this sense to those who don't???  Probably not-

We were really rewarded for living such good lives

Looking towards Zermatt 

Jeanne risking her neck for a better view (if her mother only knew)

 Now comes the descent- if the hike down to Zinal was a long, long, long way down this was interminable.  The hike down to the hamlet of Jungen seemed to take forever even with the mountains in view and when you get there you still have almost 3000 ft more to descend.  There is a small cable car that one can take from there to St. Nicklaus; we would recommend you take it.  We did see a very large and docile herd of Ibex (Steinbok since we are now in German speaking Switzerland) along the way.

Steinbok on the descent to Jungen

A LONG way down to St. Nicklaus

Approaching Jungen

In St Nicklaus we stayed at a funky little hotel here called the Hotel la Reserve/Pizzeria ($200).  It was actually pretty good and the half board permitted you to choose any pizza as your entree.  Our friends, Stephen and Martha, serendipitously met a couple from Norway they knew professionally.  Neither couple had any idea the other would be at this hotel this night. What a small world!

We had decided in our planning that we would go from St. Nicklaus to Zermatt by walking the valley instead of doing the Europaweg above the valley.  There were two reasons for this.  First it would have taken two extra days (one to Gasenried and one at the Europahutte) and the second was that the Europaweg is notorious for wash outs.  But I'm sure it is a spectacular hike.  The day to ascend to Gasenried seems a real waste of a day after the glory of the Augstbordpass but you could take the Postbus up the hill when you reach St. Nicklaus.

Day 16:  St. Nicklaus to Zermatt ( 11.8 miles, 2100 ft ascent, 200 ft descent)


This is a long but pleasant hike up the valley.  All six of us did the hike together so it was nice that we could end the trek this way.  We took our time as we all probably felt a bit bitter/sweet about this being our last day of the trek. There are lots of lovely views along the route as it follows the stream most of the way.  You get views up the small valleys and even the trains going by have their charm.  We stopped in Randa to have lunch before continuing on to Zermatt.

Starting out in the morning

Where does this trail start?

Pleasant views as you ascend the Mattertal

The red trains to Zermatt

You do not see the Matterhorn until just before you reach Zermatt.  Then it really hits home that this adventure has reached its conclusion.  We gave each other hugs and entered the metropolis of Zermatt.  The hiking here is very good and we have taken many a hiking group here on the tours we led but it is not my favorite Swiss "village".  It really is a small city even if it does not have gasoline powered transport.  All the electric taxis are a real hazard and it is crushed with people especially in the afternoon when the day visitors have come down from the mountains and have yet to leave the town.  But with that said there are loads of wonderful places to stay here.  Most recently we have grown quite fond of the Hotel Europe ($350).  As you can see it is a bit pricey but is worth the cost.  Many of their rooms face the Matterhorn  and the food is absolutely outstanding.  The dinners are wonderful and the breakfast buffet is the best and most elaborate we have ever seen.  Give yourself time to linger over breakfast if you stay here.  The next morning we left for Zurich and home but if you have the time some of the hiking here is outstanding.

Post Notes:

So in the end we were very proud to have done the Hiker's Haute Route especially since we walked the entire distance.  But as mentioned previously we would never do it that way again.  Much of the route has really spectacular scenary (if you have sunny weather) but the trails are poorly maintained in comparison to many other areas of Switzerland.  Also the vistas are not as consistently lovely as the Bernese Oberland (central Switzerland) and the Engadine (eastern Switzerland around St. Moritz).  This year (2011) we are going to do a shorter trek across the Bernese Oberland, starting in Gstaad and ending in Wengen.  We led many tours in this area and the trails are much better and the views spectacular EVERY day.  Another factor to consider is that the Bernese Oberland has absolutely stunning displays of wildflowers and if the weather is not great that visual delight can make a grinding day into a very pleasant one.  The flowers in southern Switzerland are nice but not spectacular.

Finally if you are going to a multi-day trek with companions it is important to choose the right companions.  Even though we did not hike together every day and even if it took them longer to do what the other four of us did, Stephen and Martha always had smiles on their faces and were good and lovely dinner companions.  They were the brave ones, often hiking as just a duo.

As for Stu and Jodi, I (we, Jeanne and I) can only thank our lucky stars for having met and fallen deeply in friendship with them.  Never in our many years of hiking and adventuring have we been so blessed with companions such as these.  My father used to sing Home, Home on the Range around the campfire and the lyric of "never is heard a discouraging word" fits Stu and Jodi perfectly.  They literally laugh in the face of adversity and always, always care for the others around them.  Thank you, guys, for suggesting we do this together- we love you.

Contact us vis email (djhkswis@comcast.net) if you would like any other tips on doing this and thank you for reading our blog.