After my family left to go to England, I had five days to spend by myself walking the Haute Route, a classic mid/long-distance trekking route with endpoints in Zermatt and Chamonix. The full 10-14 day hike takes you over many high alpine passes and down into beautiful green valleys.
Lodging and meals (save for trail snacks) are provided by mountain huts, which feature four-course dinners, breakfast, cold showers, large (6-20 person) shared bunk rooms, and a fun atmosphere to spend your evenings after hiking. I speak very basic French, and it was plenty as to be understood. The primary language of the trail changes about halfway through the hike - it starts as French in Chamonix and changes to German before Zermatt. I was the only solo hiker and also the only American, but I found good conversation and camaraderie both on the trail and in the huts. Many of the small towns you pass through have access to public transportation, making shorter hikes on the same long-distance route an option. This was essential for me, when I opted to shorten my hike after the weather turned nasty.
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| Mont Collon as seen from the Arolla ski area |
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| At Dixence, the dam at Lac des Dix |
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| Top of the pass at Pas des Chevres. My destination, Cabane des Dix, is barely visible directly above my orage pack on top of the left rock outcrop. |
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| The 'Pas des Chevres' or 'Goat walk,' a couple-hundred foot vertical ladder down a cliff & scree slope. This first section was short, then you step left and continue down much further. |
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| Mont Blanc de Cheilon and the Glacier de Cheilon |
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| Crossing the glacier (read: post-holing through the mid-afternoon slushfield...), Cabane des Dix visible on the rock outcrop on the top left. |
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| Looking back at the Pas des Chevres from down on the glacier. The ladder is visible coming down from the low point on the ridgeline. |
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Cabane des Dix
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| Mont Blanc de Cheilon from the deck of Cabane des Dix |
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The flag of Valais and Pas des Chevres
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Cabane des Dix
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| The Matterhorn, barely seen through the haze in the distance |
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| Self-shot |
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| Trail markers also included these red and white stripe pattern painted on rocks |
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| Dam-controlled Lac des Dix |
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| Approaching the Col des Roux |
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| Cabane de Prafleuri |
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Chamonix, France
I hunkered down here for a few days while the weather was stormy. |
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| Real Harry Potter butterbeer at the Warner Brothers Studio Tour near London. (A few days later) |
