Overview: July-August 2013

The following 30 blog 'chapters' illustrate chronologically the following: 

I.  Champoly, Rhone-Alpes, France:  one post for brief visit to 'Champoly 2013'

II.  2 posts, getting ready for a hiking tour in the towns of  'Sion' and 'Graechen'

III.  Hiking Tour of the Matterhorn:  21 posts:  'Day 1 Augustbordpass' to 'People on the Europaweg Trail'

IV.  In and around Zürich, Switzerland: 4 posts:  Sights, Meals, Ufenau, Schaffhausen

V.  Flight home:  one post

Note:  when you get through all 10 of the blog posts on this page, there are more photos from August.  Just click on "Older Posts" to see the next 'chapter' or click on the title of the blog chapter that you want to see.  Blog chapter titles are listed on the right side under the month and year.
The Tour of the Matterhorn is the densest portion with the most images.
This hike totaled 150 km over 11 days.
Daily average was about 14 kilometers per day, 900 meters ascent and 1,000 meters descent.  (There were two times when we took a cable car or bus to go up.)
Most of the hike was in Switzerland, 3 days in Italy.
Languages German, French, Italian.
Map:  https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=217907250670539717383.0004e407ed113d82791be&msa=0&ll=46.152248,7.715149&spn=0.830513,1.286774

  Day 1:  St. Niklaus - Augstbordpass - Gruben-Meiden
   elevation 1,120 m        2,900 m                1,820 meters 
   total          16 km           1,800 m up            1,100 meters down

  Day 2:  Gruben-Meiden - Meidpass - Zinal
                1,820                     2,800 m      1,675 meters
                 22 km                   1,000 m up  1,200 m down

  Day 3:  Zinal - Col de Sorrebois - Barrage de Moiry
                1,200  2,900 m                   2,300 m
                12 km  1,700 m up              600 m down

  Day 4:  Barrage de Moiry - Col de Torrent - Les Hauderes - (bus to Arolla)
                2,300 m                   2,900 m               1,450 m
                15 km                          600 m up          1,500 m down

  Day 5:  Arolla - Col Collon - Refugio Nacamuli
                2,000 m  3,100 m      2,830 m
               12 km     1,100 m up   300 m down

  Day 6:  Refugio Nacamuli - Prayerer - Col di Valcornera - Rifugio Perucca
                2,830 m                     2,010 m    3,100 m                    2,900 m
                10 km        1,100 m up      1,000 m down

  Day 7:  Refugio Perucca - (Perriere) - Breuil/Cervinia
                2,900 m                   1,900 m     
               9 km            no up               1,100 m down

  Day 8:  Breuil/Cervinia - funivia to Theodulpass - Glacier - Gandegghut
                2,100 m                                 3,317 m                           3,030
                3 km + 6 km stroll                 300 m up                    600 m down

  Day 9:  Gandegghut - Furgg - Hornlihut - Stafelalp - Zermatt
                3,030 m          2,400 m  3,260 m                       1,600 m
                17 km              850 m up                                     2,250 m down

  Day 10:  Zermatt - Ottovan/Taeschalp/Europaweghut
                  1,600 m     2,200 m
                  8 km          800 m up           200 m down

  Day 11:  Taeschalp - Randa - St. Niklaus
                  2,200 m        1,440 m   1,120 m
                  20 km            200 m up   1,400 m down



Favorite Pictures

Josette Valloton, mountain guide from Arolla Switzerland.

 Ghiselaine Bornatici, one of the owners of the Hotel Aiguille de la Tsa in Arolla, takes a break above to go hiking with the professor across the glacier.

Ursula, owner of the Walliserhof hotel in Taesch.

Glacial boulder above Gruben-Meiden in Turtmantal.  First day of the hike.