Day 10 - Tuesday 1st September 2015 - Cabane de Moiry to Zinal

Total distance walked:	14.00 km	8.70 miles
Total hours walked including stops	6 hrs 17 mins
Total hours walked excluding stops	5 hrs 45 mins
Height at start	2825 metres	9268 feet
Height at finish	1675 metres	5495 feet
Total Height Gain	748 metres	2454 feet
Total Height Loss	1892 metres	6207 feet
Maximum Height	2831 metres	9288 feet
Average speed excluding stops	2.43 km/hr	1.51 miles/hr

Up at 6.00 am, dressed, washed, packed and down to breakfast at 6.30 am.  Muesli, yoghurt, hot milk, orange juice, bread, butter, jam and café au lait.  I left the refuge at 7.05 am, the first to leave the refuge.  I was quickly down the steep and rocky path that we had climbed the previous afternoon and on reaching the bottom of the slope saw a long trail of blood on the path and then came across a hunter with a dead Bouquetin – one shot at 100 yards and apparently about 8 years old with a life expectancy of 10 years – this I heard from Patrick who had left the refuge after me and had helped the hunter drag the dead Bouquetin for a while.  The patron at our auberge said that the hunting season didn’t start until 20^th September but Patrick was assured that the hunter had a license – the hunting season in Switzerland varies from Canton to Canton.

The path continued on an occasionally undulating path high above the Lac de Moiry.  I stopped for a short break at around 8.30 am and then again above the Barrage before starting the climb to the Col de Sorebois (2847m) at around 9.30 am.  A relatively easy although occasionally steep climb up to the col which I reached before 11 o’clock.  I saw two groups of Chamoix, the first above the car park at the head of the Lac de Moiry, about 12 of them which quickly disappeared before I could photograph them and a second group above the Barrage, about 20 of them and I managed to get a couple of photographs before they ran off further up the mountain side.  I also saw and photographed some Edelweis. 

By the time that I reached the col, the mist and cloud was beginning to obscure the views and by the time, after a short rest on the col, that I had reached Sorebois (2438m) it had started to rain.  I donned my anorak and put on my rucksack cover above Sorebois but once below the cable car station, it started to rain even harder and I stopped to put on my waterproof trousers.  I continued down across grassy slopes with a lot of cattle and electric fences and reached the forest at about 12.30 pm.  The guide book says that “soon enter forest” after taking the turn below Sorebois but this is rubbish as you don’t enter the forest for at least 30 minutes or more.  The “knee-jerking” descent was not nearly as bad as suggested in the guide book and there was only about 15 to 30 minutes of steep descent through the forest, made worse by the rain.  I soon joined a gentle slope heading down towards Zinal and I arrived in the centre of the village at around 1.30 pm.  I went to the nearest café, the Café-Restaurant Le Bessu, it was still raining and I stopped for a beer, salad, glass of red wine and coffee whilst my anorak and waterproof trousers drip dried!

It had stopped raining at 2.30 pm and even a little sun so I headed down the village to find the Auberge Alpina where I checked in and was shown to my dormitory – just one bed.  I went downstairs and hung up some of my wet clothing in the boiler room together with my boots and rucksack. I found Chandresh, Himan and Lucy in the bar and sat chatting to them.  Lucy had arrived by bus catching one at the car park at the head of Lac de Moiry.  I had a glass of wine with them and sorted out my phone messages and phoned Pam – I couldn’t get either Skype or Smartcall to work – we decided later that there were so many people trying to use the Wifi because of the rain that there wasn’t much strength left in the signal.  I then had a shower and shaved before going back to the bar and writing my diary with a second glass of red wine.  I also tried to sort out my phone with the help of Himan, as the Calendar had disappeared.

Dinner was at 6.30 pm and I had another glass of red wine.  Dinner of green salad, Risotto and then ice cream, all with another glass of red wine and finished off with a Genepi.  Then up to bed in my one bed dortoir.  Read for a while and then slept extremely well and managed to charge all of my mobile phone batteries during the night.  Total bill for dinner, bed, breakfast and four glasses of red wine was CHF 77.30.

Day 9 - Monday 31st August 2015 - La Sage to Cabane de Moiry

Total distance walked:	10.00 km	6.21 miles
Total hours walked including stops	7 hrs 44 mins
Total hours walked excluding stops	5 hrs 45 mins
Height at start	1667 metres	5469 feet
Height at finish	2825 metres	9268 feet
Total Height Gain	1711 metres	5614 feet
Total Height Loss	581 metres	1906 feet
Maximum Height	2874 metres	9429 feet
Average speed excluding stops	1.43 km/hr	0.89 miles/hr

I was up at 6.00 am, washed, shaved and dressed and down to breakfast at 6.30 am.  Cornflakes, fruit yoghurt, orange juice, bread, butter and jam with café au lait.  I was away at 7.10 am with the GPS working properly.  I had emailed to Viewranger and had some suggestions as to what might have been causing the problem.  Probably improved by switching on the Google assistance on and also Wifi and/or mobile networks. 

I climbed for an hour through the forest and had a ten minute rest before leaving the forest.  I met Patrick and Veronique just short of Motau after which there was a steady climb across grassy slopes before a steep climb to the Col du Tsaté (2868m) which I reached just before 11 o’clock.  I didn’t stop long on the col and descended fairly quickly and stopped to eat the sandwich which I had bought from the gite (CHF 4.00) beside the Lac de la Bayenne at midday.  Then down to the Lac de Moiry where Patrick and Veronique stopped to eat their lunch.  I continued up towards the Cabane de Moiry (2825m) which I reached just before 3 o’clock.  I checked in and had a cold peach tea and a large beer and then another large beer with Patrick and Veronique who had arrived about 30 minutes after me.  I sat in the sun watching the glacier for a while and managed to photograph a small avalanche – but only just!

I then went and had shower shortly before 5.00 pm after which I sat in the sun writing up my diary and taking the odd photograph before dinner at 6.30 pm.  Dinner of carrot soup, couscous with a beef and vegetable stew followed by yoghurt with cinnamon all with a 50 cl bottle of red wine.  After dinner, saw and photographed a Bouquetin (ibex) below the veranda of the refuge.  Then to bed, read for a short while and slept very well.  The total bill was CHF 121.00 which included CHF 5.00 for the shower and CHF 25.00 for the wine which was extortionate.

Day 8 - Sunday 30th August 2015 – Arolla to Le Sage

Total distance walked:	10.40 km	6.46 miles
Total hours walked including stops	5 hrs 01 mins
Total hours walked excluding stops	4 hrs 00 mins
Height at start	2006 metres	6581 feet
Height at finish	1667 metres	5469 feet
Total Height Gain	564 metres	1850 feet
Total Height Loss	875 metres	2871 feet
Maximum Height	2121 metres	6959 feet
Average speed excluding stops	2.60km/hr	1.62 miles/hr

I was up at about 7.oo am, washed and dressed and across to the hotel for breakfast at 7.30 am.  My dortoir was in a separate building from the hotel on the other side of the road.  A leisurely breakfast of cereal, yoghurt, fruit, orange juice, coffee, bread, butter and jam and there was a choice of fruit, salami and cheese.  Leisurely because I didn’t have very far to go.  I left Arolla at about 8.30 am and headed up the path to Louché and Lac Bleu.  I stopped once at about 9.30 am before reaching the Lac Bleu at around 10.30 am.  Not a difficult climb but quite twisty and up and down so nowhere once could stride out.  The exposed areas mentioned in the guide book were not at all difficult in the dry but might have been worse had it had been wet.

I rested for a short while at Lac Bleu before heading swiftly downhill to La Gouille and then on an easy downhill slope to Les Haudères which I reached about midday having passed Patrick and Veronique as I came into Les Haudères.  Patrick and Veronique had walked on the more direct path avoiding that to Lac Bleu because they had read that there were “several slightly exposed sections protected either by fixed cables or chains”.  There was nothing on the walk via Lac Bleu would should have given Patrick any concern whatsoever.  I also me a couple of Americans at Lac Bleu, Anna and Shaun – I saw them again a couple of times but never spoke again.

I stopped at a café in Les Haudères for an hour and had a couple of small beers and a crepe with sugar and lemon juice.  I managed to get my phone to work and spoke to Pam briefly.  I tried to send an email to Viewranger but failed despite spending money for extra data.  I set off through the back streets of Les Haudères at about 1 o’clock and quite quickly reached La Sage after an Hour.  An easy steady climb through the forest but very hot in areas where there was no shade,  I checked in at the Chalet-Restaurant l’Ecureil and spent half an hour washing almost all of my clothes including my sleeping bag liner, shorts and sleeping kit, hanging them all out on the veranda in the sun.  Hopefully, I would have got rid of any of the bedbugs should they have remained in my clothing.  I also had a nice hot shower.

Patrick and Veronique had already arrived at L’Ecureil as had Lucy from the party of five Americans – she had caught the bus from Arolla.  I had a two glasses of cold peach tea and then a beer whilst writing my diary and later talking to Patrick (god he does talk), Veronique, Dave and Tom.  Later the five Americans from New York arrived Greg, Himan, Chandresh, Lucy and _____ .  Well Lucy had arrived by bus earlier.  Dinner was at 6.30 pm; two bowls of soup, pork chops with sauté potatoes, beans and red cabbage and then an ice cream with chocolate sauce – all with two glasses of red wine.

The total bill for dinner, bed and breakfast was CHF 66.80 which included the two glasses of wine.  Then off to bed and read for half an hour before going to sleep at about 9 o’clock.  I slept well apart from the bites itching but I was well dosed with Anthisan.

Day 7 - Saturday 29th August 2015 - Cabane de Prafleuri to Arolla

Total distance walked:	15.60 km	9.69 miles
Total hours walked including stops	7 hrs 17 mins
Total hours walked excluding stops	6 hrs 37 mins
Height at start	2624 metres	8609 feet
Height at finish	2006 metres	6581 feet
Total Height Gain	876 metres	2874 feet
Total Height Loss	1509 metres	4951 feet
Maximum Height	2982 metres	9783 feet
Average speed excluding stops	2.36 km/hr	1.46 miles/hr

I was up, once again, at 6.30 am for breakfast at 7.00 am.  Cereal (very small bowls), pancakes with honey, orange juice, bread, butter, jam and café au lait.  I set off at 7.40 am and within 25 minutes after a steep climb arrived at the Col des Roux (2804m).  Then a fast descent to the Lac des Dix where I stopped for about 10 minutes with Dave, the Scotsman, who I walked with for most of the day.  A fast walk alongside the lake on a very level road although we had to pass a herd on the local Hérens cattle.  We arrived at the head of the lake at about 10 o’clock where we stopped for a short rest together with a Chinese couple who worked for the UN in Geneva.  Then up a steep ascent which levelled out although we had to cross several boulder fields and climb a moraine.  We stopped in the shade of two large boulders at around midday and were joined by Chandresh, one of the party of five Americans from New York.  It was very hot in the sun so the shade was very welcome.  I ate some lunch of bread and cheese, the remnants of breakfast plus a mini Mars bar.

Dave went ahead with Chandresh a little before I started up again.  Then up a very steep and rough rocky path until I reached the bottom of the ladder at Pas de Chèvres (2855m).  A relatively climb up the ladders which I understand were replaced recently and I reached the col at about 1.20 pm.  I only stopped briefly at the col before descending steeply before the path levelled out and a fairly quick walk down to Arolla which I reached at about 3 o’clock.  I met Dave and Chandreash in the village centre before I went down to the Hotel du Glacier and ordered a large beer and was joined a short while later by Dave.  It had been a very hot day which made the beer very welcome.  We talked to an Australian couple who were also walking the Haute Route but in a leisurely way taking cable cars and buses where they thought the walking might be too difficult for them. 

I finished my beer and took my bag up to the Dortoir where I had a room for six for myself and then went up to the Tourist office where I got some cash – I only had a few Euros left.  I bought some chocolate at the nearby shop and then went for a shower and shave and wrote up my diary for the previous day.  I met Patrick and Veronique who I discovered were also staying at the Hotel du Glacier.  Dave was camping and Chandresh and his party were staying at Chalet Les Ecureils.  I also discovered that Greg and Molly were staying at the Kurhaus where they were going to have a rest day so I wouldn’t see them again.

I tried several time to send a text and phone Pam and also tried the hotel Wifi to send an email but all attempts failed.  After going to the shop, I met the Chinese couple and had a beer with them at the Hotel du Pigne.  They were going to catch a bus to Zinal sometime after 5 o’clock so I wouldn’t see them again either.  After meeting Patrick and Veronique, I had a beer with them at our hotel and agreed to meet them for dinner at 7.00 pm.  I walked up to the Hotel du Pigne at about 7 o’clock as I had tentatively arranged to meet Chandresh and his friends there for dinner before I realised that I was demi-pension at the Hotel du Glacier.  I met Dave and Chandresh outside the hotel on a public bench drinking cans of beer, so I had a can of beer with them before returning to dinner at the hotel.  A very nice meal of a fish loaf with salad, pork chops, mashed potatoes and broccoli followed by a Peach Melba, all with one glass of red wine.  After dinner, I walked back up to the Hotel du Pigne to discover that the rest of Chandresh’s party had arrived – there were still three people who hadn’t arrived at 7 o’clock.

I then walked back to my room and went to bed but not before discovering that I had definitely been bitten by bedbugs at the Cabane de Prafleuri with bites up my arms and around my waist band.  I applied Anthisan and took a Piriton.  I read for a while, charged my mobile batteries, getting up at midnight to charge a new one.  My bill for dinner, bed and breakfast plus one large beer and one glass of red wine was Є87.50.