Walker's Haute Route: Day 6

Day 6: Les Hauderes - La Sage – Villa - Col de Torrent – Barrage de Moiry - Col De Sorebois – Zinal

Brian and I got up around 7am and went to the local pastry shop to get some breakfast. Brian and I absolutely loved the little pastry shops that we were able to find in a few of the villages, and we took full advantage of them when we had the chance! After eating some pastries, we put on our rain gear and headed out. This morning was the first day we had any semblance of rain – but it was only a drizzle that lasted for about an hour, and then cleared up the rest of the day. As we were leaving town, I noticed all the small school kids laughing and talking waiting for the bus. It made me think how different these kids were growing up than how I grew up – I don’t think there daily life included movie theaters, or Walmart, or video games. None of these village homes even had dryers for goodness sake! It’s so easy to forget how simply most the world lives, when we’re all too busy being stressed out in our part of the world. Sigh.

We headed up the path the La Sage, which was maybe a town of 15 homes, and then 10 minutes up the path from La Sage was Villa, which was an even smaller town. Soon after that we found ourselves climbing up the mountainside to the Col de Torrent and, as usual, Jeremy caught us rather quickly. I’m not sure how the topic of conversation came up, maybe we were talking about how hot we were under our rain gear and had decided to stop and take it off. But anyway, Jeremy told us not too long ago there was a “naked rambler” on the loose making headlines all over England. Apparently, this guy hikes with nothing but a rutsack on. The police keep catching him and throwing him in jail, but as soon as he gets out, nothing can stop this guy from his repeated “naked ramblings.” I guess everyone gets their kicks a little bit differently.

The climb up the Col de Torrent was unbelievable. As we passed the occasional house up the mountainside, I couldn’t believe people woke up to this view every morning. At one point when we were climbing up to the Col de Torrent, I had fallen behind, which was pretty common. I was definitely a bit slower than the guys. But as they were waiting for me and I was approaching them, they were laughing and looking at me.

“What are you guys laughing at? Are you laughing at me?”

“No, come on. Let’s go,” Brian said. And he was still laughing.

Jeremy hiked on ahead, and Brian let on that Jeremy had thoughtfully told him, “You know, she’s kind of like a pack horse. Strong and steady. You just have to give her a little kick now and again.”

Sigh.

Anyway, we reached the Col in good time, with fantastic views at the top. As we headed back down the other side of the mountain, is started to mist over a bit. But when we reached the Barrage de Moiry, is started to clear up and we took some time to have lunch and admire how blue the water was. It was such a rich blue, it almost looked unreal.

After lunch, as we started up to the Col de Sorebois Jeremy proposed that we play a game. I guess we had just about talked about everything under the sun, and Jeremy was getting a bit bored. Either way, Brian and I agreed. Jeremy proposed that we play a geography game. We would start with the letter O, for example, and Jeremy would have to name any geographic entity such as a place, region, lake, mountain, etc that began with the letter O. And then the next person had to think of a geographic entity that began with the last letter of the entity he just named. For example, if Jeremy said Ottawa, then if I was next, I would have to think of a geographic entity that began with the letter “A.” So the game began.

Well, Brian and I found out rather quickly that we totally suck at geography. Because Jeremy was kicking our butts. I would like to think he had somewhat of an advantage knowing half of Europe and every little small village, town, city that exists on this age old continent. But nonetheless, when Brian and I kept getting stuck and weren’t able to think of much anymore, we decided to join forces – Team America versus Team England. Jeremy also proposed a new rule – that the other team had to have heard of the geographic entity that was suggested. Yeah sure, that rule didn’t last long, because Brian and I never heard of half of Jeremy’s answers. And, after two hours of this game, Jeremy was still going strong, and we still sucked. So once we got to the top of the Col de Sorebois, Team America raised the white flag in defeat. But it was interesting to learn about all these places Jeremy knew of, and it did make the time go by quite fast, as we arrived at the top of the Col before we knew it.

However, shortly before the top of the Col, we met a Dutch man hiking with his dog. We took a brief break to chat – apparently this man had bicycled from the Netherlands down to France with man’s best friend and then begun his hike. He also planned to bike all the way back. I was quite impressed. Jeremy and the Dutch man had quite a go at each other, making fun of each other’s Queens, and Jeremy poked fun at the Dutch man saying, “Well, at least you’re not German.” I was quite amused – I love how each of these European countries actually have history, and people can joke with each other about it. There’s just nothing like that among us Americans.

So as you might guess, once we reached the top of the Col (yep, that’s right!) we then started our decent back down the mountain, towards the town of Zinal where we would be staying the night. This side of the mountain was actually a ski slope, and the going down was rather easy. I considered taking the ski lift down to Zinal, but the walk was gentle and it was only 45 min to the bottom, so I didn’t bother.

Once in Zinal, we found a cute bed and breakfast that the Kev Reynolds book recommended. The owner was very kind and showed us a loft full of beds, but there would only end up being two other people sleeping in the loft that night besides the three of us. We showered and then headed out to find some dinner. Because dinners in Switzerland ranged from $25 - $40 a person, Brian and I decided to eat cheap tonight, and get some sausage, cheese, and bread from the local grocery store for dinner. Oh, and some beer. Of course.

Once we ate dinner and rested a bit, we went out that night to explore the town, as we usually did. Zinal was one of my favorite villages as well. It wasn’t touristy like Chamonix, or popular and ritzy like Les Chables. It was an authentic, cute, Swiss village. The real deal. I also noticed that on all the homes, there weren’t house numbers to identify them – they were all identified by the family name written tastefully on the home. How much more personable can you get? We actually met a man who was in the process of building a chalet in town. He told us to be careful – hiking through Zinal years ago was how he ended up here building his chalet!

Oh a side note, it’s important to note that I was very conscious of how much cash we had at all times, and I was concerned that we were running out of money. Most of these small villages only accepted cash, and ATMs were few and far between. But there happened to be an ATM in Zinal, so I made sure that Brian got out enough cash for the remainder of the trip. Well, or so I thought. But you will see why I mentioned this later.

Walker's Haute Route: Day 5

Day 5: Cabane de Prafleuri – Col de Roux – Lac des Dix – Cabane Des Dix – Pas de Chevres - Arolla – Les Hauderes

As usual, Brian and I set off bright and early, while Jeremy opted to have a nice sit down breakfast and coffee before beginning the day. It was a short hike up the Col de Roux before the path descended back down to Lac des Dix - the Lake of Dix, I suppose. The lake was crystal clear and absolutely gorgeous. I very much enjoyed the hike down to the lake.

Jeremy soon caught up to us, and for the rest of the morning, he would not shut up about how nervous he was to climb the ladders today. You see, last night we decided to take the route where we would have to climb two ladders up a section of the mountain to get to the Pas de Chevres. Really, no big deal. They were just a couple of ladders! I’m not sure why Jeremy was so nervous about it, and I must have said “Jeremy, you’ll be fine,” about 30 times that day before we finally got to the ladders.

We made it to the Cabane des Dix – right before we’d be crossing the glacier and climbing the ladders. The Cabane des Dix was amazing! I wish there had been a way were we could have stayed the night at this cabin – and besides, there was an awesome, outdoor panoramic shower that was totally calling my name.

But alas, we used the bathroom, bought a coke light, and were on our way again. We crossed the glacier and finally came upon the ladders. And let me tell you, I totally underestimated these things. I mean, you would think they were just ladders. But they were an impressive 200 ft tall in total length maybe, completely vertical, and there was no safety belt holding you in case your hands slipped or you misplaced your feet. And if you fell – I mean, you fell, if you catch my drift. And don’t forget, you also had to lug your 30 lb unbalanced pack up the ladder with you. Ekk…

Even knowing all this, I felt quite eager and excited for the challenge. I had a surge of adrenaline run through me, and I quickly volunteered to go first. So I scampered up the ladder slowly, but surely, shaking a bit, but I made it!

Next Jeremy wanted to go next and get it over with. He was extremely nervous. Brian kindly offered to carry his pack up for him, and then come back down and for his own pack. And although Jeremy considered it, he said that was a bit “cheeky,” and didn’t want to put Brian in that position. So Jeremy began his climb up as I yelled encouraging words from the top. When Jeremy did get to the top, he gave me a big hug and said he was very relieved and glad that was over with, but wasn’t sure he was glad he did it. But nonetheless, thank goodness it was over, so I wouldn’t have to hear him worry about it anymore!

Brian came up the ladder last. And as I was laying on my belly over the cliff taking pictures of him ascending, suddenly I saw the lens cap of his camera clink, clink, clink down the ladder and into the rocks below. Brian muttered a four letter word, and asked me if I could see when it landed. Well, it landed way.down there. But I just told him to just keep going – a camera lens cap was definitely not worth risking going back down for. If that was the only loss we had climbing those ladders, I’ll take it!

Once we were all safely on top of the Pas de Chevres, we started our decent down to Arolla. When we arrived in Arolla, we took a break to eat some bread, cheese, and sausage – our daily staples. We even had the luxury of stopping in a local store and buying some fresh fruit and juice, and boy was it delicious. On the way down to Arolla, Brian contemplated taking a bus to Les Hauderes, but I stood firm that I would walk with Jeremy and meet Brian there. But once we got some food in us and had taken a short break, Brian was re-energized and decided he would be able to walk the 2 hours to Les Hauderes with us.

We got to Les Hauderes around 5pm and were able to find a great hostel to stay in for the night. In a stroke of luck, Madame Stephanie worked at the restaurant where we inquired about her hostel, and the bar tender said she should be showing up at the restaurant any minute to begin her shift. So we waited for her to show up, and learned that we would be her only guests that night. Score! We got our own rooms and because there was a kitchen we could use, decided to cook dinner that night. So while I showered, Brian went to the local butchery and got some pork, and Jeremy went to the grocery and got some noodles and vegetables. It was a fantastic dinner.

Not long after dinner, Jeremy spotted Brynn and Nelson. Apparently they hiked to Arolla and took the bus to Les Hauderes. Jeremy eagerly asked if they’d like to join us for a beer later at the local restaurant, but Brynn was “absolutely knackered” as Jeremy put it. and “all she wanted to do was go to bed.” Oh my. We didn’t see them again for the remainder of the trip.

That night Brian and I walked around Les Hauderes, enjoying the peacefulness of the small village and all the flowers that the Swiss people seemed to love so much. I loved Les Hauderes. It felt like such a cozy, warm village with a large sense of community. I’m not sure if all Swiss people are born with a green thumb or what, but the abundance and beauty of flowers on all the homes in all of these Swiss villages was absolutely astounding. I would have killed these flowers in a matter of hours if they were in my care. I was so amazed at how well kept all the villages and homes were, and in how much pride the Swiss people seemingly took in their towns and country. As Brian asked, “where do the poor people live in Switzerland?” I still have yet to figure that one out. 

Walker's Haute Route: Day 4

Day 4: Les Chables – cable car to Verbier – cable to Les Ruinettes – Cabane de Mont Fort – Col Termin – Col de Louvie – Col de Prafleuri - Cabane de Prafleuri

Because Brian and I were short on the number of days recommended to do the entire hike (darn vacation time), we decided the previous night to take the cable car from Les Chables up to Verbier, and then take another cable from Verbier to Les Ruinettes. From there we decided to begin our hike to Prafeuri, as there was no way we would be able to hike all the way from Les Chables to Cabane de Prafleuri in one day. Jeremy was quite appalled to hear this. He told us in a panic of knowing he would be losing his hiking partners that he thought we were making a mistake not to hike the entire trail. And then when that didn’t work, he tried to convince us that we could hike the whole way from Les Chables to Prafleuri in one day. I might be crazy, but I’m not stupid. There was no way he was convincing me on this one. And there was no way of convincing Jeremy that he could take the cable car up with us and skip part of the hike. At first Jeremy seemed distraught that his original plan was not to hike all the way to Cabane de Prafleuri, because it was such a very long way. But apparently when he was not convincing us otherwise, he somehow convinced himself that he could indeed hike all the way from Les Chables to the Cabane de Prafleuri in one day, and that he would see us there that night. Oh. Goodness.

So we parted ways that morning. Brian and I indeed took the cable car up to Verbier, and it was a beautiful ride to the top. I was glad we decided on the cable car, as the hike up the mountain was steep and mostly in the trees anyway. It was wonderful to have the break and get a beautiful view at the same time. Verbier was a stunning ski town – I would love to come back and plan a ski trip there! When we got to Verbier, we jumped off the cable car, only to be told to get back on to go to continue on up to Les Ruinettes. Twist my arm!

When we got to the top, we started our hike to Cabane de Mont Fort and took a short break there, before hiking on to Col Termin, Col de Louvie, Col de Prafleuri, and finally Cabane de Prafleuir. I’ll let the pictures do the talking this day – I can honestly say that this was my favorite day of the entire hike. We were walking above 12,000 ft the entire day on exposed ridge, going over three passes. It was one of the most gorgeous days of hiking I have ever done. I could do that hike over and over and over again and never get tired of it.

We arrived at Cabane de Prafleuri around 3pm – at this point in the trip it was the first cabin in the Alps that we stayed at, versus a hostel or hotel in one of the villages. We were showed to a dorm room of about 25 beds nestled side by side, instead of the typical bunk bed scenario. Bed for the night? $33 swiss francs. The bare butt of a strange German snuggled up against you?

Priceless. You get the idea.

I promptly bought some (read: four) chocolate bars to eat, and then plopped down for a nap. And if you’re wondering if Jeremy made it to Cabane de Prafleuri, wonder no more. Because about an hour later, as I was napping, I heard someone come in the dorm room and an unmistaken voice ask the woman if an “American couple named Sarah and Brian had checked in.” I woke up and said I was glad he’d made it and asked him how his walk went.

“Oh bloody hell!” was how he started his response.

Apparently it was quite difficult, to put it mildly. I couldn’t help but laugh as Jeremy cussed on and on about how tough and exhausting his day was, and I knew better than to think that Brian and I could have done that and still ended the day a married couple. But I was quite impressed at his determination.

That night we all had dinner downstairs in the common room of the cabin with about 50 other hikers. Dinner was a wonderful 4 course meal of soup, salad, chicken curry and rice, potatoes, and dessert. We sat at a table with another American couple from Seattle who looked to be in their late twenties as well. We learned that Brynn worked for Boeing, and Nelson was an architect, and they were also on vacation to hike the Walker’s Haute Route – or at least an abbreviated version, as they had the same lack of vacation issue as we did. However, my solution was to cram the hike together in an impossibly demanding itinerary, and their solution was to bus some sections and skip others. Brynn scolded me saying that that “this is vacation” and gave me a crazy look – but I quickly corrected her and said it was an adventure, not a vacation!

A woman from England also sat at our table – so she and Jeremy talked about where they were from and other English things that the rest of us didn’t have in common with them. Unfortunately for this English woman, her hiking companion could not handle the hike, so she had to leave her in the last village and go on without her, and she was trying to figure out now what to do about her companion - if she should continue on with the rest of the hike or whatnot. I wholeheartedly chimed in that she should definitely continue on with the hike – it’s what her friend would want her to do. Because if she stopped, her friend would feel bad that she was the cause of her not being able to complete this much anticipated adventure they planned together. And then Jeremy used this opportunity to pose the question of why so many men hike alone, but you rarely see women hiking alone. Brynn brought up the obvious issue of safety, but Jeremy quickly slapped that down like she was crazy and implied that was a silly concern. I believe this alienated Brynn, because shortly after that she poked her nose in a book and ignored the rest of the conversation at the table. Nelson, however, was having a great time conversing with the others, and it became apparent that Brynn, like myself, had planned this entire vacation, and Nelson’s only concerns, just like Brian, were where he’d be getting his next beer. I was quite humored.

Shortly after dinner, it came to our attention that there were signs that the water was not potable, and we would have to purchase drinking water from the hut – 1 liter for $10.

Are you kidding me?

There was no way I was paying $30 to fill up my water bladder. However, I should not have been surprised by this. Because it was also $5 francs for a shower…for 2 minutes. Everyone in that place went to bed stinky that night. And the overhead light in the dorm rooms? You pay for that in the price for your bed, right? Oh no, no, no silly hikers! There was a coin slot next to the light, and if you wanted light in the room, someone had to pay for it. I don’t even know how much it cost, but do you think any of the 40 people in that room put coins in the slot for the light? Nope. We all used our head lamps, or if you were like me and lost your head lamp somehow on Day 1 of the hike, you simply stumbled around in the dark.

But back to the water issue at hand. Fortunately Brian, being the smart, albeit paranoid, hiker he now is, actually packed the water filter. So instead of paying for water, we simply had a pumping party in the bathroom with our new friends. While pumping water, always looking to make a buck Brian was jabbering away about how we could be making hundreds of dollars pumping water for fellow hikers that night. But even I couldn’t bring myself to charge people for drinking water out of the facet, for goodness sake. And truth be told – I don’t think there was a damn thing wrong with that water. And with our experience of being foreign travelers on vacation, and not to mention the outrageousness of the overhead light situation, I’m sure it was a scam.

Lights went out for the night after that - oh wait, there were never any lights on anyway.