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Published: September 8th 2008
It's a Small World After all.
It's a world of laughter, a world or tears;
It’s a world of hopes, it’s a world of fear.
There’s so much that we share;
that its time we're aware,
it’s a small world after all Since I was a small child and visited Disneyland for the first time, the Matterhorn has always fascinated me. For some reason, my first real glimpse of the Matterhorn had me singing “It’s a small world” to myself. It’s amazing how things will zip you right back to your childhood. In fact, I now have that song stuck in my head, so feel free to sing along if you desire.
We arrive via train in Zermatt on Thursday, the 21st of August. Our Eurail pass provided transportation to Visp, Switzerland. From Visp to Zermatt, we had to pay 25 Euro because we had to ride the regional rail system. On the train ride we met a young backpacker who was on a whirlwind tour of Europe for the summer. Travis, it was a great pleasure to chat with you, we hope the rest of your travels are as great as the beginning
of your journey. I was greatly inspired by your free spirit of adventure.
Our arrival day proved to be a beautiful, sunny day and we got our first glimpse of the Matterhorn shortly after leaving the train station. We took the short walk to the Hotel and got settled in for our brief stay in this mountain paradise.
Our stay in the Zermatt area would be for 4 nights (21-25 August). Upon arriving in this town, we notice the lack of personal transportation. All transportation is done via electric, battery powered vehicles and a few horses to cart tourist around. This town is rather charming, but the excessively high concentration of tourists takes away from the overall experience of this little gem in the Swiss Alps. I guess we were part of the droves of tourist so I can’t complain about that aspect. It’s just part of the deal when you visit a popular tourist location.
Part of the agreement Lynne and I stuck to taking this adventure would be to include a periodic 5-star treatment. In lieu of the 5-star in Zermatt, we went the 4-star route so we wouldn’t bust the budget too much. We
would stay in the Style Hotel which featured a balcony view of the Matterhorn. When we checked in, we were given a mountain view room, but it was on the first floor. For those who may not know, the first floor of a building in Europe is actually the second floor. What we typically know as the first floor is actually the ground floor.
After one night, we moved to the 4th floor and we presented with a fantastic view of the Matterhorn. The hotel featured a nice indoor pool and a natural sauna area with a steam room and dry sauna. Naturally, we took advantage of this amenity each evening.
After a great night’s sleep, we awoke to a spectacular view of the Matterhorn and decided to go and venture out into the mountains. After a quick breakfast in the hotel, we were off and running.
We decided to take the Gornergrat Bahn, Matterhorn Railway to the Gornergrat summit. This involves taking the cog railway up and through the mountains. As the train made its way up the steep slopes of the mountains, the clouds began to roll in and we soon lost our spectacular view
of the majestic Matterhorn. We arrive at Gornergrat which is situated 10,132 feet above sea level. At the summit the temperature is downright chilly, the wind is blowing and we are in the clouds.
We walk around and take some photos and quickly decide to go inside and get some hot cocoa. The cocoa hit the spot and warmed the blood. Up at the summit complex, several vendors are taking pictures of tourists with Saint Bernards. The dogs are beautiful creatures. Typically, people would pose with the dogs with the Matterhorn in the backdrop. Today, there was no backdrop of the Matterhorn because of the thick cloud cover. I cease the opportunity to take a few photos of the dogs, but I miss the backdrop in the photos. After a short period, all of the vendors pack up the dogs and head back down the mountain because of the lack of business. After all, why would you buy a photo of the dogs and the Matterhorn if the Matterhorn isn’t visible? One consolation was the view of all of the glacier fields. A photo display board shows the glaciers as shown a number of years ago (sorry I don’t
remember the year). After a close examination of the photos and the current glaciers, it became crystal clear just how much these glaciers are melting away.
Lynne and I decide that we would take a hike despite the unfavorable weather conditions. We head out and begin our descent from the summit. The trail is well maintained and marked by route markers at each cross road. We are well above the tree line which means that no trees can grow at this elevation. We do see plenty of alpine flowers as well as brilliantly colored mosses and lichen. About 20 minutes into the hike, it begins to rain and the winds pick up to gale force winds. We continue down the trail and decide to terminate at the next rail station on the mountain. As we neared the Rotenboden Station, we began to encounter sleet mixed with the rain. We made it to shelter just in time. Our shelter was a toilet building that had heaters. Today's little hike was about 2km and had an elevation change of over 1,000 feet. We waited for the next train and retreated from the mountain for the day. The train filled up as
hikers all had the same idea we had and packed it in for the day.
After returning to town, we decided to cruise through the main street through Zermatt. This street is filled with tourist shops, cafés, and sports stores. After a quick pass through town, we decide to return to the hotel and take advantage of the sauna and steam room.
On Saturday, the 23rd of August, we stayed in town and enjoyed the sights and sounds of this mountain tourist trap. We had coffee and tea at an outdoor café and watched people as they scurried around the town. We took advantage of the availability of shopping and picked up some essentials. We even picked Lynne up her own single blade Swiss Army knife. We walked through the old part of town which featured a combination of old homes and barn type structures. Modern hotels were scattered throuout the old part of town as well. Nothing really spectacular to report for the rest of the day, but we naturally took advantage of the sauna and steam room again.
On Sunday the 24th, we woke up early to get a breathtaking view of sunrise on the
Matterhorn. Our fourth floor room provided an unobstructed view of the peak. She was showing herself in all of her glory and not a single cloud was in sight. It was truly one of those magical moments of this journey.
After a quick breakfast, we jumped on the cog rail and were blessed with an absolutely perfect day. We got off at the Rotenboden Station (9,248 feet) where we left off two days prior. With our hiking poles in hand, we began the descent again. The morning air was cool, but we quickly took off our fleece and enjoyed the warming of the mountain air. The trail took us by two awesome alpine lakes and we stopped to take in all of the beauty. The still waters of the lakes provided a remarkable reflection of the Matterhorn which added to the sheer beauty of this experience. We stopped for a picnic lunch and just marveled in the beauty presented before our eyes. I would like to describe the scene before us but could not even come close to beginning to describe it. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.
After our picnic lunch of bread, cheese and salami
and ham, we proceed with our fantastic hike in the Swiss Alps. We encounter flocks of mountain sheep and they crisscross the trail. I attempt to get some photos of the sheep with the Matterhorn in the background but these stubborn dudes just wouldn’t cooperate with me. Every time I would line up the shot, they would scurry around a corner or up the slope.
ALong the trail, we notice numerous remants of structures. These structures were constructed of rock and have fallen to ill repair due to being abandoned long ago. We assume that these were some type of winter shelters when the fierce weather threatened the mountins. Although they were in ruins, they still presented a stricking appearance in these mountains.
The mountain offers multiple trails with a varying degree of difficulty. We opt to take a more challenging way down the mountain and are treated to some really splendid views. At times, the trail we chose gets very steep and the switchbacks only offer a little relief to the steepness of the trail. We take a few moments to pause near a natural bench and I build a rock pathway to lead other hikers to
this neat little resting place. As we continue on our descent, we decide we would terminate the hike at the next available train station. We hike over to the Riffelalp Station (7,290 feet) and board the train to take us back to town. Our total hike today was about 8km and featured an overall elevation change of over 2,000 feet. Out of all of our hikes so far on our journey, this was the most spectacular.
On the train ride back down he mountain, a group of yodelers broke out in song and entertained everyone in an impromptu concert. It was one of those magical surprises. Here we are in the Swiss Alps, riding a gog rail down a mountain and listenng to yodeling. This was too cool.
While we were on the mountain, we saw a number of people that had camped out for the evening. Lynne and I looked at our options. We were due to leave the following morning, but were considering hiking in and camping on the mountain. We decided that if the weather cooperated in the morning, we would store some stuff at the main train station lockers and head out to camp
Plaque at Gornergrat
Dan or Marianne, Could you translate this and post it as a comment here? Thanksfor a night on the mountain. If the weather didn’t cooperate, we would head out as planned.
When we awoke on Monday the 25th, the weather just did not want to cooperate. We packed all of our gear and decided we would head into Northern Italy for a quick stop or two.
If all goes well, the photo problem has been resolved and you will see all of the photos from this exceptional place. Jack and Judy, we hope the photos bring back some fond memories of Zermatt, we know how much you enjoyed your trip here.
I will add one final note. As many of you know, I am fascinated with mountains. I love the mountains. I have seen many mountains in my lifetime, but no single mountain can compare to the beauty of the Matterhorn. As I previously stated, I was fascinated with the Matterhorn since my first visit to Disneyland. I can now say that visiting this mountain in person has satisfied a lifelong dream.
Stay tuned for our next update as we head off for Northern Italy.
Oh, and keep an eye out for Safety Dude. He will make his grand
appearance in the near future.
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DAWN WALDOCK
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Marco------Polo- Fish out of water.
Marco------Polo - Fish out of water. Tag your it.