Monday Morning

Interesting diagram outside the front of the Monte Rosa Hutte. 

This morning we have had snow, a spell of clear blue and then a dark grey cloud descended bringing more snow! That settled we beat a retreat down from the hut and had an uneventful return trip across the Gorner Glacier. We decided to trek all the way into Zermatt. At least for this part of the journey I could be certain that we were likely following in the footsteps of WW2 evaders that had made it down the glacier system from the Italian side.

The path is picturesque, if still quite steep in places. Now and then we would hear a marmot call and on one occasion came across two hunters out with rifles stalking the poor creatures.

After a total of about 5 hours we found ourselves permanently away from snow and ice and once again passing through alpine pasture. Many of the communes still had some very old traditional barns. The circular stones at the base of the timber walls were placed there to stop rats getting into the barn and eating their way through the crops stored within.

We arrived in Zermatt high street about 5 pm. We passed a hotel which had been completed in 1943 ad so would have been shinny and new to all those allied POW's that made the journey to arrive here.