High in the Alps

We set out on our three day adventure by hiking from Champex down to Sembrancher. The hike was downhill for 3 hours . . .unfortunately it was very warm. . . Sweaty feet . . .blisters! Unfortunately my blisters have slowed me down, but I think tomorrow will be better. Back to the story . . .from Sembrancher we took a short train ride to Verbier ( a beautiful ski resort) then took the cable car up the mountain. We had a short hike to the Mont Fort hikers lodge. We watched a beautiful sunset while we ate dinner on the deck looking at Mont Blanc Massif mountains. The picture below is the moon rising in the mountains.

The next day we headed for a long hike that took us about 10 hours . . .we crossed 3 alpine
passes during the hike. We hiked in beautiful meadows, crossed several streams, and many boulder fields. We came close to some glaciers on our hike to the Prafleuri Hut. The day was very long and the hiking rugged! We saw a few chamois (deer/antelope) and some huge ibex (mountain goat looking animals with curled horns) during the day. The Prafleuri Hut was an experience. . . Co-Ed bathrooms (2 toilets and 2 showers for the whole hut) and the beds were bunk beds 3 beds wide . . .no spaces between each bed. Interesting night to say the least! The pictures below are from the hike.

Jeanna surveying the valley!

This is the part of the hike where Jeanna starts promising me a week in Hawaii :-)

You can see me at the very left edge of the photo. . . second week in Hawaii for this climb:-)! We climbed up to the "u" and went over the pass.

Forging a fast moving stream. . . praying for steady feet!

The next day we chose the shorter way to Arolla because my blisters were really hurting me. We left the Prafleuri Hut and made a steep ascent up the Col des Roux then hiked down to the beautiful Lac des Dix. The lake is formed by a huge dam that collects the runoff of the snow covered peaks the surround it. The water is then used to make electricity for the surrounding area. The weather was cloudy, foggy, and misting as we hiked, but as we reached the lake the skies started to clear. We hiked along the lake and saw many marmots on the hillside. The marmot looks like a cross between a ground hog and a prairie dog. The marmots alert one another to take cover from the approaching intruders!

When we reached the dam we took a cable car down the mountain and then a van ride to our hotel in Arolla. I was glad to be off my feet for the afternoon!

This is the Lac des Dix . . . the clouds rolled in low over the dam and the clouds are reflected on the lake.

Today was a rest day. . . Thank God! We took a leisurely walk from one little village to another. We had a great lunch in a cafe and got to see a small Swiss village up close and personal.

Tomorrow is another killer hike day. I am hoping that my blisters will be healed enough to make the trip tolerable! I think might be earning more tropical paradise time tomorrow!