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I have trekked in the Andes,
Patagonia, the Himalayas, and closer to home in the
Sierra Nevada, Rockies, Cascades, and the Olympics.
Europe, in my view, had always seemed to be about cities,
museums, and cathedrals, and not a place to go for
wilderness and mountains. Why would you go to Europe
to hike? Maybe to ski in the Alps and stay at glamorous
resorts, but not to hike! However, after repeated discussions
with Mountain Travel Sobek travelers and experienced
hikers, I began to open my mind to the notion that
perhaps I should reconsider my view. |
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The Haute Route, in the
Swiss Alps, is considered by serious hikers to be one
of the classic mountain treks in the world. It is traditionally
done as a ski trip, but in the summer we take the trails
that connect charming mountain villages and go over
eight mountain passes in seven days. We begin our trek
in the village of Verbier, hiking the first day through
the Val de Bagne, ending up at the lovely Lac de Louvie,
where we spend the night at a recently constructed
and comfortable refugio, Cabane de Louvie. We saw chamois,
the small goat like antelope, along with fabulous mountain
vistas, so even on the first day of hiking my narrow
view of Europe was beginning to change!
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Leaving the refugio in the
morning we go around the beautiful Lac de Louvie where
we see ancient slate roofed mountain homes and then
begin the challenge of crossing two mountain passes,
the Louvie (9'640') and the Prafleuri (9,785'). The
scenery today is spectacular as we cross a glacier,
climb through a boulder field, up steep cliffs and
glissade down a snow bank. Truly thrilling hiking on
such varied terrain! And, today we also see ibex, and
lots of wildflowers, including gentia, eidelweiss,
arnica, and monks hood. No need to try to change my
mind any longer! I'm hooked! This is some of the most
challenging and rewarding hiking I've done anywhere
in the world and it's just the second day! |
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| On the third day of hiking
we walk about three miles along the lake created by
the Grande Dixence Dam, the highest in Europe at 7'065'.
We see picturesque Swiss cows with their large bells,
marmots, waterfalls, and many more wildflowers, before
crossing the suspension bridge and beginning our ascent
toward the Pas du Chat at 7,800'. We then cross a glacial
moraine to the Pas de la Chevre at 9,785', before descending
to Arolla (6,660'), a small ski village of wooden houses
with flower filled summer window boxes. Arolla is the
name of the pine trees that surround the village, and
the scenery is very alpine in nature. Our vistas are
of the legendary summits of Pigne d'Arolla, Mont-Blanc
de Cheilon, and Mont-Collomb. Another remarkable day! |
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We start the fourth day
with a van transfer to the town of Cotter at 6,790'
before beginning our ascent to the Col de Torrent at
9,630'. This, for me, was the most beautiful day of
all as we passed through emerald green pastures strewn
with wildflowers, dotted with cows, and eagles soaring
overhead. We had fabulous 360-degree views of the Dent
Blanche (14,380'), before descending to the turquoise
glacial Lac de Moiry at 7,420' and then on to the picturesque
and restored old village of Grimentz. Parts of the
village are like a living museum representing the old,
vanishing way of life in the Alps. |
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| On the fifth day we go from
the French speaking "Romande Switzerland" to
the German-speaking region, and it feels like we're
entering a whole different country! We start the day
with a short transfer by van to Zinal at 5,500' and
begin our hike with a steep climb through a beautiful
larch tree forest filled with blueberries and heather.
Today we make a traverse along a ridge top and a steep
ascent to the Col de Forcletta at 9,480' from where
we have views of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn! We
descend through beautiful green hills with large mossy
rocks and babbling brooks to the small summer hamlet
of Gruben at 6,012' to spend the night. |
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Our sixth day of hiking
begins with crossing the Augstbordpass at 9,550', the
last major pass of the trek, which takes us into the
valley of the Mattervispa. It is quite sad to know
that we will be leaving this mountain wonderland to
descend to the world of cars and commerce, museums
and cathedrals. Our views are spectacular again today
as we look out upon a whole range of 14,000-foot peaks.
We make a long descent through green hills covered
with beautiful old stone houses and board a cable car
to the village of San Nikklaus at 3,630' where we take
the train to Zermatt. Even Zermatt, a town without
cars, feels bustling and overgrown after our week in
the mountains and small Alpine villages. |
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| Our last day before departing
for home or other parts of Europe is spent hiking to
Zmutt, a small village at the base of the Matterhorn.
Our views of this famous mountain just get better and
better as we climb the hills outside of Zermatt. We
stop for lunch and a cold beer, feeling exhilarated
by our week in the mountains, and reflecting on our
new notion of Europe. |
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I now tell people, when
I tell them about my hiking and trekking adventures
in the great mountain ranges of the world, that the
Alps just may be my favorite and most challenging hiking
yet! I long to return and hope you'll join us on one
of our great Alpine hiking trips so that you can see
for yourself that Europe is more than cities, museums,
and cathedrals! |
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For more information and reservations,
please contact:
Mountain Travel Sobek
1266 66th Street, Suite 4
Emeryville, CA 94608 USA
Toll Free (USA and Canada): 1-888-831-7526
Phone: +1-510-594-6000
Fax: + 1-510-594-6001
Email: info@mtsobek.com |
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