Matterhorn Hornli Trek 20 Aug 2011

After the demanding 9 days Walker Haute Route Trek from Chamonix to Zermatt (see http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2011/09/walker-haute-route-part-c-17-to-1982011_861.html), our guide Sonia decided to change the itinerary of the last day, which included a hike up to Matterhorn Hornli Hut (MHH), to the chagrin of several members of the group.

Somehow, we felt that our Swiss Trek would be incomplete without the trek up MHH, the base camp for Matterhorn climbers. So on the morning of 20.8.2011, four of us informed Sonia of our decision to leave the group to accomplish the task of climbing to MHH ourselves. There are several ways to hike up to MHH. With only 1 full day available, the option of hiking from Zermatt to MHH (5-6 hours – 1 way) and returning the same day was out of question. So we decided to take a cable car from Zermatt (1620m asl) to Schwarzsee (2682m asl) and trek up from thereon to MHH (3260m asl) and return via the same way. This strategy would provide us more than adequate time to trek at a slower pace to soak up the mountain atmosphere and admire the surrounding vistas as well as to indulge in our photography hobby.

Starting at 9.30 a.m. from Schwarzsee, we took about 2 hrs 20 mins (against the suggested time of 2 hrs 10 mins) to hit MHH at 11.50 a.m. The trek was certainly remarkable with a constant view of the majestic Matterhorn ahead. The scree trail which zigzagged up to MHH was generally wide with adequate footholds and safety handhold chains/ropes along precipitous sections. Fortunately, there were no patches of leftover snow and ice which might render the trail slippery. At MHH, we had our lunch while admiring the surrounding beautiful mountains and watching (binoculars) the tiny figures climbing down the north-east face of Matterhorn. We also explored the trail beyond MHH up to the beginning of the climber proper marked by a series of fixed and various plaques. During this time, we saw many exhausted Matterhorn summiteers (equipped with ropes, karabiners, crampons etc) descending to MHH with a contented sense of accomplishment. Apparently, the summiteers started their ascent at 3.30 a.m.

We left MHH at 1 p.m. On route to Schwarzsee we spent about 30 minutes drawing our footprints i.e. Happy Trekker and Malaysia on flat scree plain. At 4 p.m. we took the cable car from Schwarzsee back to Zermatt.

We were happy to have made the right decision to do this wonderful MHH trek.

For the photographs, please see http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/11702.

Next we went to Bernese Oberland (http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2011/09/bernese-oberland-montreux-21-to-2682011_12.html) for more trekking and sight-seeing.

Walker's Haute Route (Pt C) 17-19 Aug 2011

...continued from Part B: 14 to 16.8.2011 (Please refer to http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2011/09/walker-haute-route-part-b-14-to-1682011.html).

WHR Day 7: Hôtel des Alpes, Arolla Les Haudères to Au Gite de Saint Jean, Grimentz (Up900m and Down670m)
After breakfast, we ride by van to Le Cotter (2013m) to begin our hike. We ascended up beautiful meadows and pastures, over the Col de Torrent (2919m) and down to the turquoise Lake Moiry (2250m). Mountains sighted along the way included Dents de Veisivi (3418m), Pigne d’Arolla (3476m) and Dent Blanche (4357m). Eight of us decided to explore the Moiry Dam and to follow up with a short bus ride to Grimentz while the energetic seven opted to trek from the dam through the forest and small gorge instead. The ancient village of Grimentz is most picturesque and historic village in the Alps. Trekking time was about 6 hours.

WHR Day 8: Au Gite de Saint Jean, Grimentz to Hotel Schwarzhorn, Gruben Meiden (Up760m Down960m)
In the morning, we were transported by minibus to an elevation of 2030m at Saint Luc to begin our hike along the Planet trail which passes by Francois-Xavier-Bagnoud Observatory. After the Saturn monument, we left the dirt road and took the trail which winded gently upwards through alpine pasture before a steep climb to Meidpass (2790m) and into the German speaking region. From Meidpass, the trail zigzaged steeply before leveling off near Lake Meidsee where we had a fantastic mountain view of Bishorn (4153m) and Weisshorn (4506m) despite the cloudy sky. Soon after, it was steep downhill descent and a passing through a lovely larch forest before reaching Hotel Schwarzhorn, Gruben (1825m). Along the way, we had the chance to pass by grazing Wallis Blacknose sheep (In German: Walliser sheep). Total trekking hours totaled 7 hours.

WHR Day 9: Hotel Schwarzee Horn to Hotel Tannenhof (Up1070m and Down900m)
Before sunrise, we were up to begin our uphill hike through larch forests, alpine meadows and rocky terrain to Augsbordpass (2894m), our final mountain pass. After enjoying the fabulous views at the top it was a long downhill and traverse through rocky terrain before we finally reached Jungu Cable station (1988m). Ten of us rode the cable cars below to St. Niklaus (1120m) while three energetic members trekked all the way down. From St Nicklaus, we were transported to Zermatt (1620m) and saw the iconic Matterhorn (4478m) standing like a sentinel watching over the car- free town, with the exception of electric taxis and buses. The trek to the Jungu station took about 7 hours.



Trekking mates: Choong Lai Cheng, Catherine Mak, Christina Goh, Chin Mee Poon, Lee Beng Eng, Dr Ng Ban Che, Law Chin Teong, Barbara, Christine, Monic, Jorge Costa, Armando Sobral, Manuel Pires and Sonia Tissieres (Guide).

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/11542.

The next day four of us went for the Matterhorn Hornli Trek (http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2011/08/matterhorn-hornli-trek-2082011.html).