HAUTE ROUTE_2013

DAY 13: ST. NIKLAUS (3697 FT) TO GASENREID (5442 FT)

WITH SIDE TRIP TO GRACHEN (5298 FT)

The loud 7am chimes of the church bells woke us this morning. We had a typical breakfast at the Pension Wallisekeller before checking out and hitting the trail at 8:45am.  We planned for a short and easy day today in preparation for the longer final two days of the Haute Route on the Europaweg starting tomorrow. It was refreshing to hike at a leisurely pace, soak in the scenery, and take plenty of breaks during the hike, which was steep and weaved through forest trails and villages.  We arrived around 11am at the tiny town of Gasenried, nestled half way up the east side of the Mattertal valley.

We got a huge room at Hotel Alpenrosli with a L-shaped balcony, large private bathroom with shower and tub, and a view of the Weisshorn. It was still a little early for lunch, so we sat down at the hotel restaurant and had two beers and three scoops of ice cream.  For lunch, we had a rack of spare ribs with roasted potatoes (Fan), rosti with speck and onions (Jie), and two glasses of Dole rose. We did some laundry by hand in our room and hung it out to dry on the balcony.

Since we still had the entire afternoon free, we walked over to Grachen, the larger and significantly more touristy neighbor of Gasenried to the north. The walk was very easy, took 45 minutes one way, and stretched over a gravel path through pine forests. Hotel after hotel lined the streets throughout Grachen, but most shops were closed because it was Sunday. After having some water and chocolate, we walked back to the much more low-keyed Gasenried. Upon re-entering town we were greated by a small parade featuring llamas, perhaps on their way to summer pastures in the mountains, shepherded by grumpy local teenagers.  We bought some picnic supplies for tomorrow at the local store.

 There was still time to kill before dinner, so we washed up and relaxed at the hotel. We started our early dinner downstairs at the hotel restaurant by sharing a large salad. Fan had a tender grilled pork chop with bacon, and diced carrots and potatoes, potatoes and onions fried in butter, and a glass of Dole. Jie had a savory veggie puree soup followed by sliced roast beef in a brown sauce with steamed potatoes, purple sauerkraut, and a glass of Syrah. We finished dinner with two mugs of hot Ovalmaltine, one with whipped cream. Everything was delicious.  The last rays of the setting sun were visible over the Augstbordpass and Jungen across the valley floor.  Over the radio, Lionel Richie and Diana Ross declared their “Endless Love” for each other. It was cheesy, romantic, and the perfect ending to a relaxing day.  Went to bed around 9:15pm.

2.5 miles, 2.25 hours (plus 2.5 miles round trip hike to Grachen, 1.5 hours)