DAY 10_ZINAL TO HOTEL WEISSHORN

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DAY 10: ZINAL (5495 FT) TO HOTEL WEISSHORN (7667 FT)

(Alternate Stage 11)

We woke up without the help of an alarm at 6:30am after a very good night’s rest. Breakfast at the hotel was delicious as usual (bread, butter, jam, granola, milk, tea). We withdrew more money from the ATM and left Zinal around 8:30am. We quickly gained elevation on steep trails on the eastern side of Val de Zinal. Ollie passed us early in the morning. There were gorgeous views south, including Besso, Zinalrothorn, Dent Blanche, and (maybe) even a glimpse of the tip of the Matterhorn. We stopped for lunch on a grassy bluff overlooking the town of Ayer. In addition to the food from the grocery store in Zinal (baguette, pimento sausage, cheese, salmon pate in a tube, nectarine, fruit juice, Oval-drink), the half bottle of wine from dinner last night made it an extra special and relaxing meal.

Several mountain bikers passed us going down steep, rocky, narrow trails. Countless varieties of alpine flowers dotted the side of the valley, and houses in the town of St. Luc dotted the valley floor below. The Bernese Alps slowly came into view to the north. We arrived at Hotel Weisshorn around 2:30pm. Although we could have pushed onto Gruben today, we decided to take it easy and stay at Hotel Weisshorn because of its famed history. This supposedly Victorian style hotel, which date from 1882, had an air of disrepair. The sagging floor boards squealed with each step and faux stone blocks were painted on the walls. The dark hallways reminded us of the typical horror movie set. Our room had windows facing southwest and there was a strong breeze, making the conditions perfect for drying our hand-washed clothes. After doing laundry we asked the hotel staff to make a reservation for us at Hotel Schwarzhorn in Gruben for tomorrow night and ordered to picnic lunches to go for the next day

Before dinner we relaxed in the hotel courtyard with some Verbena tea and chocolate. It felt great to be able to just soak in the sun, enjoy the breeze, and ponder the fact that more than half of our trek was already behind us. Dinner at Hotel Weisshorn was as classy and delicious as the hotel’s decor was run down and dingy. From our corner of the dining room, we had a panoramic view of the valley below us as the sun began to set. The first course was a selection of thinly shaved cured meats, with cornichons and pickled pearl onions. We paired this with a beer and a glass of Fondant. The entree was raclette (which explained the slightly burned cheese smell wafting throughout the hotel before dinner) with baby butter potatoes and bread. We each had seconds of the raclette; some other tables had third and fourths servings. Dessert was a refreshing pear sorbet soaked in strong pear schnapps. The sun set began to disappear over the mountains to the west just as we finished dinner around 9pm. We stepped outside to snap some more photos and went to bed very full, satisfied, and relaxed around 10:15pm.

6.2 miles, 6 hours.