David & Michael's Summer Trek in the Alps

On July 16th 2012, Michael and David arrived in Chamonix, France to begin the Haute Route trek.  The Haute Route is a walker's route that connects the alps two great mountaineering towns: Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland; Mount Blanc to the Matterhorn. Few long distance hikes offer the variety and grandeur of landscape as this route. And I suspect few are as difficult.

The Haute Route was established almost a hundred years ago as a high mountaineering route that linked together two of Europe’s premier mountaineering centers, Chamonix and Zermatt. It was more recently developed into a high-level mountain hike.The route traverses below the summits of ten of the twelve highest peaks in the Alps, and crosses eleven high passes, eight  of which are over 9,000 feet and another two of 8,000+ ft -- we spent a good portion of many days climbing. The highest pass we crossed was the Col de la Chaux, at 9.646 ft.  The trek brings one into a world of awe-inspiring glaciers and towering snow-capped peaks. The route also traverses evergreen forests, flower-covered alpine valleys, and stops in small traditional Swiss villages.  It is a challenging trek full of contrasts and variety.

The trek is a bit unusual in its orientation as it goes across the grain of the alps (as opposed to many hikes that follow contours around mountains or up and down valleys).  The route crosses high passes into new valleys nearly every day.  The Swiss alps are particularly steep and dramatic, which means most days require significant ascents and descents.  In all, we walked over 90 miles, of which much was challenging terrain; ascended a total of 37,327 feet; and descended 30,460 feet.

Overall, we had a great time.  We saw amazing scenery and got a close-hand look at quaint Swiss towns and village life, and more than a glimpse into the mountaineer's world.  This was, however, a very tough trek; one that required long days and traversed a fair number of difficult and exposed paths.  

Most definitely, the Haute Route was the hike of a lifetime.  We were glad we did the hike, but I don't think it is a hike we will repeat soon; after all, there are still have so many new places to explore. 

If you are considering this hike please feel free to email any questions you may have.