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GORNERGRAT
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Gornergrat [297 Kb]
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We left Geneva early in the morning, 6 July, 2003, driving along the north shore of
Lake Geneva to its eastern end, continuing up the Rhône Valley past Martigny, Sion,
and Sierre, finally turning off the main highway at Visp. From Visp, a narrow mountain
road heads south into the Valais Alps, ending 26 kilometers later (as the crow flies) at the small
town of Täsch. After parking our car in one of Täsch's many parking lots, we
purchased our train tickets and took the short 20 minute ride up to the resort
town of Zermatt, at the foot of the Matterhorn. Ordinarily, we would spend some time
sightseeing around Zermatt before enjoying a lunch in town and a walk afterward, but
this time we were aiming for a higher destination.
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Cogwheel train to Gornergrat [503 Kb]
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After purchasing another ticket, we
bordered the train to Gornergrat, a 3090 meter vantage point perched on a mountain crest
southeast of Zermatt. The ride is spectacular as the cogwheel train works its way
up the mountainside with ever widening vistas. The train stopped at a few resort hotels
along the way before reaching Gornergrat, its final destination, shortly after noon.
After taking some photos and looking around Gornergrat for about 30 minutes, we
started our bipedal descent back down to Zermatt, stopping for lunch about 20 minutes
later, away from the crowds back at Gornergrat. The trail down is mostly in open meadow,
generally well away from the train track, with spectacular views all around.
Gornergletscher is occasionally visible hundreds of meters below.
The Matterhorn, of course, dominates the view to the west. To the right of
Matterhorn is Zmuttgletscher, with the SAC
Schönbielhütte
barely visible perched on a rock bluff above.
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Riffelsee and Matterhorn [329 Kb]
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During most of our descent, there were few if any other hikers nearby. At one point
however, while stopped to take a picture, I glanced over my shoulder only to see several
dozen Japanese tourists lined up along a ridge crest and about to descend upon us.
The scene reminded me of an old western movie with Indians lined up along a
ridge crest preparing to attack.
We hastily picked up our packs and continued on our way. Most of the other
hikers only descend part way down, catching the train at one of its stops
to finish the descent to Zermatt.
We continued on at a leisurely pace, stopping often for photos, and encountering
more sheep than other people.
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Approaching Riffelberg [290 Kb]
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Although one could lengthen the walk by contouring around to the small hamlet of
Findeln,
we opted to descend directly from Riffelalp on a forest trail
for the final leg. We arrived back in Zermatt, elevation 1615 meters,
at about 7 pm. After enjoying a nice rösti and an even nicer beer, we
boarded the train back to Täsch, then started the two hour drive back to
Le Léman and Genève.
Other stuff:
Panoramic pictures
Other pictures
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