As we reached the top of the Pigne de la Le, the first summit of our weeklong ”Zermatt Trek,” we were rewarded with an extensive view. Range upon range of jagged peaks thrust abruptly from snakelike valleys cradling gigantic, contorted glaciers.
The Matterhorn was not the highest mountain in sight, but it certainly was the most impressive.
The International School of Mountaineering, an English-speaking establishment based in Leysin, Switzerland, specializes in weeklong climbing courses, ski tours and high-altitude treks in the Alps.
Ours would go over glaciers, passes and easily accessible summits. Starting from the Lac de Moiry, just above Grimentz in the Valais Alps of Switzerland, we would wind our way toward the Matterhorn, skirt its base, visit Zermatt and then finish in Saas Fee.
Our summer trek consisted of four Britons and one American, led by professional guide and mountaineer Martin Doyle.
Accommodations along the way were in rustic mountain huts. The first night proved typical of life in a Swiss Cabane or Huette, simple mountain cabins. We removed our boots outside and attempted to find a near-fit among the clogs stacked by the doorway. We deposited our ice axes in the cubbyholes provided for them.
Our food was stored in a basket on a high shelf. Doyle gave the warden cream of mushroom soup, spaghetti and sauce to cook for us. After the effort expended in reaching the hut we were starving.
Sleeping quarters consisted of a long, raised platform, one body-length wide, six body-widths long, which lined the wall of an otherwise bare room. Stacked neatly along this giant communal bed were pillows and blankets, but no sheets.
Back in the main common room, several groups of climbers huddled over hearty meals. One could choose to bring one`s own food, and, for a fee, have it cooked by the warden (as we were doing), or to buy the set meal of the day. The lodging provided metal pitchers of Tee Wasser (hot water for tea or coffee). We thirstily consumed large bowls of tea as we waited for our food.
The air in the hut was alive with satisfied fatigue from the exertions and anticipation of the next day`s adventures.
When our soup arrived, it was a conglomeration of every packet of soup that had been given to the warden to cook, rather than the cream of mushroom we expected. But it tasted delicious.
We hoped this would not happen with the rest of our dinner. Fortunately, the spaghetti and sauce, when they came, were faultless.
As in most Swiss mountain huts, the toilet consisted of an outhouse and there was no indoor water for washing or drinking. There was an outdoor faucet.
As dusk turned into darkness, everyone, including the warden, retired to bed. Next morning he would have the Tee Wasser ready before giving the 4 a.m. wakeup call.
One thing that had attracted me to trek with the school was that though it is not for beginners, mountaineering skills are taught as needed along the way.
In the following days, under Doyle`s guidance, we sharpened our expertise in the use of ice axes and crampons. Roped together, we trudged up glaciers and learned how to ascend and descend near-vertical ice slopes on the front tips of our crampons.
Days were long-generally stretching from 4 a.m. to early evening. Gradually, we approached the rocky base of the Matterhorn.
On the fourth day, we arrived at the Thrift Hotel (another mountain hut)
at about midday, and after a short break, set off to climb the 11,174-foot Mettelhorn, just west of Zermatt. Although dwarfed by surrounding peaks, it promised to be a challenging climb.
A steep ascent on green pasture rapidly gave way to snow. We encountered no serious glaciation, so we could proceed without ice axes or crampons. The final few hundred feet consisted of a sharp incline and a flaky scramble on slick slate.
The rocky summit afforded a magnificent view of the chalets of Zermatt and its valley crowned, as always, by the Matterhorn.
After the descent, we witnessed supplies being unloaded from a helicopter. (Because no roads serve Swiss mountain huts, this is the way many necessities are delivered.) The noisy machine hovered above as large nets containing crates of beer, wine and foodstuffs were lowered to the ground. Behind the growing stack, cows stared, bells around their necks clanging in competition to the engine roar.
The next day, a serpentine 3,000-foot descent put us in touristy Zermatt, where we spent a couple of hours exploring the village and consuming large quantities of pies, cakes and coffee.
From Zermatt, a train travels up the eastern valley side to Sunnegga. From there we followed a gentle trail just above the tree line leading toward the Tasch Hut.
Carpeting the alpine meadows were wildflowers, though initially none of Switzerland`s fabeled edelweiss. (Doyle explained that they only grow at an altitude of close to 9,000 feet.)
Suddenly, I saw a cluster of edelweiss. Their thick, off-white petals had the texture of felt. Then I saw another patch. As I moved up the path, more clumps became visible. Then they seemed to cover the whole mountainside. It was a vast field of edelweiss. I was ecstatic.
Later, at the Tasch Hut, Doyle surprised us with our last evening meal of the trek-cold chicken, with our favorite potato dish rosti (carried from Zermatt)-cooked to perfection by the hut warden. We sat outside watching the sunset over the distant Zermatt peaks.
The last day of the trek arrived. A trail led down the glacier from the 12,756-foot Feechopf, our highest summit. Seracs (ice towers) the size of trucks perched precariously above our heads. The mouths of ominous, crackling crevasses seeming to tremble with malicious intent. Others betrayed their presence only by hairline fractures in the ice. The path skirted the large crevasses. We jumped the narrower ones.
The cafe at the top of the Langflue cable car beckoned from far below, signaling the end of the weeklong hike.
It was a long descent. Hour after hour we slogged downward, sliding in the slushy ice. As the sun beat down and the temperature rose, conditions became more perilous because the way became slippery.
Finally we jumped the last crevass and made it to safety. Tourists, clad in summer dresses and slacks and sandals, crowded around, marveling at their proximity to the rugged icefall.
After enjoying a refreshing Swiss coffee, we took the cable car down to Saas Fee from where the school`s van would return us to Leysin, a comfortable end to a memorable week.
