A few weeks ago I published a post about my last summer hike… The photos from this post are from last July, but that day was so cold that it didn’t feel like summer then… Now in November, when I have edited them, it feels more appropriate to post them 😛
This was one of the three hikes I did when I was in Zermatt last July. The first day I did the 5 lakes hike, a beautiful trail with amazing views of the Matterhorn (and Alpine flowers like edelweiss and funny encounters with marmots and deer). The second day I did the Matterhorn Glacier trail, an impressive route along the remains of two old glaciers at the east side of the Matterhorn. The last day I went to see the Gorner glacier.
I was very excited about this route. The day started with a bright blue sky and finally the Matterhorn was totally visible, there were no clouds around the mighty mountain. I took the Gornergrat Bahn, the mountain trail that links Zermatt and Gornergrat (from 1604m to 3089m above the sea, the Gornergrat Bahn is the second highest mountain railway in Europe!), to Riffelalp (2211m) and started walking from there. The views were impressive. From this part of the valley, the Matterhorn looks even greater that it already is. But those weren’t the only views. Along the way, I passed along three little alpine lakes and incredible views of all the glaciers that flow into the Gorner glacier. At the top is the highest peak in the Monte Rosa massive and the highest peak of Switzerland, with 4634m of altitude. And flowing at both sides of the Monte Rosa massive, the Gorner and the Grenz glaciers… I stayed in Gorgergrat for a while, enjoying the views. It was already cold at the summit, with about 9ºC… and suddenly, the weather started to change. Dark clouds started to cover the sky, the temperature dropped and a freezing rain started to fall… I ran down the mountain to Riffelalp station, taking a few quick photos along the way, and took the train to Zermatt village again… Funnily, when I got to the village, the sun reappeared and it was again a warm summer day… so I decided to enjoy the rest of the day spoiling myself in my hotel Spa 🙂
I learnt a few lessons that day. The most important: be always prepared when you go to the mountain, weather does change fast. Even on a summer day, you can get freezing cold and soaked! Since that day, I always carry extra layers and waterproof clothes in my bag, because you never know what can happen in the mountain! I also invested in a new backpack with raincover… 😛
So, here are some photos of this “not very summer” hike from last July. Editing them now has made me dream again with Zermatt and the Matterhorn… I hope I can go there again soon and explore more this beautiful part of Switzerland! It’s worth a second trip, don’t you think? I hope you like the photos!
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