The long flight home

So I had a 7:15 flight from Geneva this morning.  All seemed to be going well because the City Hostel have me a free transport pass, the train station is a six min walk from the hostel and there were at least two possible trains that I could take. 

I got to the airport in plenty of time but I was really tired as I hadn't slept well. The room was pretty warm. 

I caught my flight. I arrived in Amsterdam. It was pretty far to where I needed to go. However I seemed to make it in a reasonable time. I even went through passport control pretty quickly. However I then needed to go through two addition screenings. I am not exactly sure what they were but they moved very slowly. Iade it on the plane with only a few minutes to spare. 

Once on the plane I realized that my sub port and my entertainment system were not working. The captain announced a 30 minute delay due to weather. After that he announced that we had a hydrolyic  problem.   He moved our plane off the run way. They checked to problem and determined that we had lost all the hydrolyic fluid in one system. They then said that they needed to locate the part and fix it but there would be a problem with crew time (they would exceed the limit) A Delta representative then came in the loud speaker to say that it would be a three or four hours delay. We could get off the plane but we couldn't get another flight because they are all booked. We couldn't wait in the terminal because we would all have to go through customs. I tracked her down to ask three or four hours from when she made the announcer or three or four hours from the original flight departure time. (By this time Inhad been sitting on the plane for over two hours l). She side that if we weren't in flight by 1:19 the flight would be cancelled. That was slightly more than an hour. I figured  I could tough that outbb

About an hour later they asked for volunteers to step off the plane so that a second crew could ride in the plane and take over from the crew that would be over their time limit. I volunteered. I received a 1st class seat the next day, a hotel room and food, and a choice of 600 euros or Delta credit for 800 euros I took the 800 euro credit to fund one of my next trips. I am hoping to have a better ride in the next flight. It was a hassle but I think that maybe the flight didn't even leave anyway. 

I caught a shuttle to the hotel when it finally came. The driver started putting luggage in the van and it started rolling away. He hadn't put on the parking brake   The funny thing is that the same exact thing happened at our hotel when unloading. 

On the way I asked about the strange road markings. The red lanes are bike lanes one for each direction. The middle lane is shared by cars going in opposite directions. I find this to be a very  unique system.   The driver said that when only one car is on the road it goes very fast down the center. Otherwise cars go very slowly and are part in the center and part in the bike lane. FYI in Amsterdam any accident between bike and car is blamed on the car even if the bike driver is drunk and driving the wrong way

Zermatt

With a day and a half to spare we hoped to do some of the great hikes in the Zermatt area. Unfortunately the weather has not been cooperating. 

We had hoped to hike up to the five lakes hike that begins at the top of the Sunegga funicular. Unfortunately we woke to rain. The rain slowed and stopped and we got a nice view of the Matterhorn from our hotel 

The weather forecast thunderstorms and rain at 11 so we (Leah Peta Arielle Ethan and my self) took the funicular up to the trailhead.  A funicular is a very steep train like device often enclosed in a tunnel to take you up the mountain. It was not my favorite transportation form for sure. We did the 9km hike around the lakes and got glimpses of the Matterhorn as we hiked. 

The weather was quite variable. Raining one minute and sunny the next. At one point a wall of low lying cloud moved in below us. It was really surreal.  We asked a kind gentleman to take this shit when that happened. 

We eventually made it to Stellasee. It is a famous lake where many photos of the Matterhiorn are taken. Just as we arrived the cloud rolled in and we were lucky to see ourselves. 

Hoping for it to clear we waiting but the cloud did not leave. We walked down to the funicular and hung out for a couple of hours. During this time clouds came and went in front of the Matterhorn. We tried to get a nice photo which entailed hopping up every so often and running over to the other side of the deck to get a photos. It was quite the sport. 

Eventually we took the funicular back down to town. I bought my train ticket to Geneva for the next day. We talked to the tourist info about what hike we could do the next day. We visited the mountaineering museum. There we learned about an early mountaineering accident and the controversy surrounding it. We also visited the mountaineering cemetery. 

The evening was quite fun as all the people we had met on the trail got together to have a drink and eat at our hotel. There were at least fifteen people swapping stories from the trail. It was good fun. I really hope to meet up with these people again. We took a group photo but it was on a camera so Incant post it yet.  Goodbye Haute Route and my trail friends. I hope to hike another day with you. 

Haute Route Final Day - Europaweg

It was a steep climb (but isn't it always in Switzerland) up to the viewpoint at Grat. On the way up I saw two groups of Chamois. I was lucky to see the first one because it was moving fast. In fact I actually heard them before seeing them.   There was also a nice view of the Reid glacier.  I could see the Matterhorn in the distance. 

After Grat the terrain became more challenging with immense drop offs, scree, falling rock/ ice hazards and boulders to deal with. These I knew about. What I didn't know about were the goats. Not only were they knocking rocks down in my general direction, they also made weird noises ate and got in my personal space. At one point they were leading me down the trail. Then they were following me down the trail until I got to a section that so eroded that there was not much trail left. There was a rope across it to make it feel more secure. 

The rest of the trail included a number of obstacles such as falling rocks to avoid, large boulders to clamber over, eroded trail, possibly rotten wooden walkways, very exposed trail, worn and broken ropes along the trail and a suspension bridge. 

The positives were great views of the Weisshorn, the Matterhorn in the distance and  the Hobarg glacier above me. 

I had a quick snack of berry apple cake and diet coke at the Europa Hut. I could see the very long unusable suspension bridge in the distance.  Then walked down into Randa and took the train to Zermatt because the next section of the Europaweg was closed. 

Haute Route Day 11 Gruben to Gasenreid

As usual it was an early start. We came upon some of our trail friends camping site. Their tents were surrounded by cows. It was so funny 

We hiked up to a lovely pass called Augustbord. Once there a number of trail friends converged. We discussed climbing Swartzhorn peak. Only Olga and I were game. There was supposed to be a trail but much of it was scrambling over boulders and scree. There was also a little snow. Olga encouraged me and waited for me all the way. I fully credit her with my makin it to the peak. The view from there was awesome and I  so glad that I did it. 

When we got back to the pass I met a few other trail friends. Leah had continued on down the trail with the guys from Oklahoma. I walked for awhile with Peta. Then on my own until I caught up with Leah. We walked down down down. We got a few good photos from a view point overlooking the valley. 

The day was pretty warm and we were facing some pretty downhill. So we took the cable car down. This could have been free for us because they only sold tickets at the bottom. However instead of jumping off and walking away we hung around while I used the bathroom and empties my shoes thus giving the cable car guy a chance to ask Leah for a ticket. Lesson learned. 

Then we caught a bus up to Gasenreid b we were lucky to catch it because we were told it was at 5:15. Being my fathers daughter I got there early. Good thing  because the bus left at 5 and I think it was the last one for the day. 

While riding the bus we amused a local who kept laughing at us and correcting our pronunciation. 

Once we got to the hotel we weren't sure where to go. Leah walked into a room labeled matratzenlager. I told her that I thought that meant dormitory. After I heard her talking I followed her in. She was talking to someone behind the curtain. The person behind the curtain was saying something about being the only one. Leah asked if he worked there. He said "no it's Hank I'm taking a shower". Yes it was a dorm and yes this was one of our trail friends who recognized our voices and was trying to help us out. 

We then went upstairs and found the owner/manager. She didn't have our reservation. It turns out that we had a reservation at another hotel. She sorted it out for us we got a pretty sweet room. 

We went out to dinner and Hank helped us translate the menu. It was good except they charged 2.50 for a carafe of plain water. That did not impress me. 

Haute Route Day 9 and 10

Leaving Cabane de Moiry was slightly sad as it was so beautiful. We had thought that we would start a little later but a number of early risers woke us and we headed out early.  The light on the glacier was very pretty and so was the lake below the glacier.  Leah did not enjoy the trip out any more than the trip in but the rest of the day did not have challenging footing. We did,however, miss a turn and walked all the way down to the lake parking lot.  We then took a trail that we didn't know and gambled that it would intersect with the trail that we needed. The gamble paid off. 

We walked above Lac Moiry which was a stunning shade of turquoise.   We saw a family of chamois. I think I finally got a few good shots on my camera. Then we hiked up and over Col de Sorebois. We had some nice views but it was cloudy so the views could have been better. 

We walked down to the cable car and caught a few ride down to Zinal courtesy of a card given to us by the cabane. 

We had a fun dinner and drinks with some trail friends and headed to bed.

The next morning there was a mixup. Leah had put her clothes in the drying room. She was worried that the room was locked. I suggested she go check. Then I went to the bathroom. She texted to ask if I was checking. I said no bathroom. She took this to mean her clothes were locked up. She told me to go ahead and she would catch me later.   (We didn't figure this out until she arrived in Gruben)

My walk to the Hotel Weisshorn was great. It was cool and the masses were not yet out. I scared a family of chamois which took off down the mountainside. 

The hotel was old and historic. I had a soda and did a bit of Internet. Then I headed over the Medipass. The view there was phenomenal. 

The walk down was pretty but one of the guys that I was with twisted his ankle twice. I am beginning to think that I am a jinx.  

We all made it to Gruben and stayed in a hotel there. We had dinner with all the people we had met over the last week or two that were also at the hotel (the only one in Gruben) 

The Haute Route is drawing to a close. I am sad to see it end and know that I must return to reality 

Haute Route Day 8 Cabane de Moiry

A big shout out to our accomadation in La Sage.   It was called Cafe Restaurant L'Ecureuil.  They were so great. There was a hang out room. The showers were hot. Dinner was super. They made omelettes for us with potatoes and veggies and a nice dessert of vanilla ice cream with a berry sauce. It did have creaky floor boards.  Also they let us have breakfast whenever we were ready because it was self serve. 

We set out early and climbed 3800ft in 3.6 miles to Col Tsate. I had a very close encounter with a cow when it got very very close while I was seated on a rock waiting for Leah. We were a little confused at one point but saw someone walking towards us. Turns out he is a Californian working as a cattle shepard in the Alps despite being a Swiss physicist. One of his grandmother's lives near Napa and has a cattle range. His other lives in Tracy near where I live in Mountain House. It was an really random coincidence. We didn't see anyone else on the trail today until we got to the Moiry Glacier Parking lot. 

On the other side of the pass we carefully picked out way down. At one point I looked up from my feet to see this huge boulder wobbling. It was huge - at least five feet across. At first I thought it fell from somewhere but as I got closer I realized that it had dislodged from its place in the snow and had moved down the slope. 

At the bottoms of the slope was a collection point for water from the glacier.   The water had that blue green color. Silt was being removed from it before it became part of the water supply held in Lac Moiry. 

It was a big uphill from the lake. It was 1800 ft up from the lake in 2 miles. We walked for a time in the ridge of the lateral moraine.  We crossed a very narrow wet ledge with a sheer drop off. Luckily there was a chain to hold on to which gave me some comfort but Leah didn't feel comfortable but went anyway.  Then we crossed a steep snow field.  It kinda of worried me a little because a slip would put you in an icy lake with a iceberg in it. Luckily there was a rope to hold to. Leah was still apprehensive and has rope burn from hanging on to the rope to tightly. We also had to climb over a number of wet rocks and boulders which made her day. 

She was so focused on the way up that she didn't see a small dog on the trail and skewered him with her pole. I think that despite being vegetarian she was going to roast him on the fire because it was a wiener dog. Just kidding. She only hit it on the head (lightly).  It poor owner did not look very fit and this probably didn't need this to happen. 

We eventually made it to the hut which literally overlooks the glacier and it is incredible. 

Unfortunately there is no diet coke for me or sparkling water for Leah. Also the water is not potable. I plan to filter some instead of paying out the nose for water. I did have a yummy brownie. Leah had a hazelnut berry cake that wasn't as good.

We had dinner with lots of friends at the hut. It was super fun 

Haute Route Day 7 Cabane Dix to Col Roux to Barrage Dixence

The hut guy was really cool. We were able to have breakfast at whatever time. Many climbers were ipa no about before 4am. I am a early riser but not quite that early. It was nice however to be able to have breakfast early without haggling. 

I headed out and crossed a very icy snowfield. The glaciers receedvbehind me and  Lac Dix emerges in front of me. There was a raging waterfall dumping into the lake. Flowers abounded. I walked happily around the lake and bumped into Katy and Jordan. We had a bit of a catch up. After I left  them I climbed up to Col Roux. I stopped by a little hut along the way that was run on the honesty policy. You say or buy water you pay. I was amazed and delighted at this. Then I headed up to the Col. I didn't go quite all the way but I great views of the lake and many surrounding glaciers. From there I descended and walked to Barrage Dixeon. It is world highest gravity dam. I had to walk through many tunnels to get to it. At the start of the first tunnel there was a digging machine. That was a bit ominous. Some of the tunnels were so long that they had lights in them. You had to push a button for lights. The first on I didn't and I stepped in several puddles. 

After the tunnels I emerged at the dam. I chose to walk down but there was a cable car option to shorten the time  at the bottom I picked up a series of buses to get me to La Sage to continue the Haute Route traditional sequence. I bumped into Elise and Jim on the bus.