Alphubel Pass
Our next excursion was across the beautiful Alphubel Pass to the valley of Saas, lying easterly and parallel to that of Zermatt. On the afternoon of August 3 we went to sleep at the modest inn at Taschalp, whence we started for our pass at 2.30 a. m. next day, using a lantern for the first hour and a half. It was good to be again walking in that crisp morning air, and glorious scenery of rock, ice and snow began unfolding itself with the approach of dawn. This occurred shortly before 4, when we observed a faint gray light on the great snow peaks about us, followed, perhaps an hour later, by the early rays of the sun, at first on a few of the highest and later on countless smaller ones. This impressive spectacle is one I have often had the chance to witness, and each time it has seemed more beautiful than the last.
We walked for four hours without halt except to adjust the rope upon reaching the ice, and at 6.30 stopped for breakfast at a point about an hour below the summit of the pass. The Alphubel is justly noted for its fine views, and thanks to the cloudless weather we were able to enjoy them fully. It is not often that one breakfasts with a panorama of such surpassing beauty as was spread out before us on this occasion, comprising as it did Monte Rosa, Lyskamm, Castor and Pollux, Breithorn and Matterhorn, all in a perfect setting, partly in the shade, partly in the soft light of the early sun. Between us and the two peaks first named the eye met nothing but snow and ice extending over many miles and to an altitude of some 15.000 feet. We gained the summit of the Alphubel at 7.40, and there, at an elevation of about 12.500 feet, enjoyed further splendid views in new directions. The descent to the village of Saas Fee, which we reached at noon, calls for no special mention, except that after 8 it became very hot, the snow soft and the going heavy. We were constantly sinking in below our knees (as on the Mönchjoch) while my face, which was not yet hardened to the extremes of cold and heat encountered on Alpine excursions, continued to burn throughout the rest of the day.
The village of Saas Fee enjoys a picturesque location in an amphitheatre formed by splendid peaks, the greatest of which are the two noble Mischabelhörner, the Dom and the Täschhorn, each of them nearly 15.000 feet high. It has not yet been invaded by the railroad, and the postal service from Stalden is still performed with the aid of some fifty mules.
Our plan was to return to Zermatt via the Nadelhorn, and for this purpose we went, the day following (August 5), to sleep at the Mischabel hut, situated at a height of nearly 11,000 feet on the slopes of the Dom. We were four and one-half hours in reaching it. Two other parties had preceded us, one French, the other English. Upon entering the hut I was struck at once with the bad air within, and came to the conclusion that the Englishmen had not cared to raise the issue of ventilation with the Frenchmen. But I felt obliged to do so and am glad to say that we soon found ourselves in accord. It was even agreed that a small window should remain open throughout the night. Guides, of course, never see any reason why fresh air should be let into a mountain hut, and most Continental tourists entertain the same views.
The weather, in the meantime, had turned bad; it came on to snow, and we retired with but small hopes of being able to cross the Nadelhorn next day. Upon awaking we found that there was no improvement and were confronted with the alternative of waiting in the hut for good weather (with the necessity of sending down to the valley for more food) or utilizing the period of bad weather to proceed to the base of some other peak. We chose the latter, wisely, as the event showed, and, descending quickly to Saas Fee, walked thence in four hours through the long valley of Saas to Stalden, observing on the way a peasant woman smoking a long pipe while at work in the fields. At Stalden we took the train for Zermatt.
We walked for four hours without halt except to adjust the rope upon reaching the ice, and at 6.30 stopped for breakfast at a point about an hour below the summit of the pass. The Alphubel is justly noted for its fine views, and thanks to the cloudless weather we were able to enjoy them fully. It is not often that one breakfasts with a panorama of such surpassing beauty as was spread out before us on this occasion, comprising as it did Monte Rosa, Lyskamm, Castor and Pollux, Breithorn and Matterhorn, all in a perfect setting, partly in the shade, partly in the soft light of the early sun. Between us and the two peaks first named the eye met nothing but snow and ice extending over many miles and to an altitude of some 15.000 feet. We gained the summit of the Alphubel at 7.40, and there, at an elevation of about 12.500 feet, enjoyed further splendid views in new directions. The descent to the village of Saas Fee, which we reached at noon, calls for no special mention, except that after 8 it became very hot, the snow soft and the going heavy. We were constantly sinking in below our knees (as on the Mönchjoch) while my face, which was not yet hardened to the extremes of cold and heat encountered on Alpine excursions, continued to burn throughout the rest of the day.
The village of Saas Fee enjoys a picturesque location in an amphitheatre formed by splendid peaks, the greatest of which are the two noble Mischabelhörner, the Dom and the Täschhorn, each of them nearly 15.000 feet high. It has not yet been invaded by the railroad, and the postal service from Stalden is still performed with the aid of some fifty mules.
Our plan was to return to Zermatt via the Nadelhorn, and for this purpose we went, the day following (August 5), to sleep at the Mischabel hut, situated at a height of nearly 11,000 feet on the slopes of the Dom. We were four and one-half hours in reaching it. Two other parties had preceded us, one French, the other English. Upon entering the hut I was struck at once with the bad air within, and came to the conclusion that the Englishmen had not cared to raise the issue of ventilation with the Frenchmen. But I felt obliged to do so and am glad to say that we soon found ourselves in accord. It was even agreed that a small window should remain open throughout the night. Guides, of course, never see any reason why fresh air should be let into a mountain hut, and most Continental tourists entertain the same views.
The weather, in the meantime, had turned bad; it came on to snow, and we retired with but small hopes of being able to cross the Nadelhorn next day. Upon awaking we found that there was no improvement and were confronted with the alternative of waiting in the hut for good weather (with the necessity of sending down to the valley for more food) or utilizing the period of bad weather to proceed to the base of some other peak. We chose the latter, wisely, as the event showed, and, descending quickly to Saas Fee, walked thence in four hours through the long valley of Saas to Stalden, observing on the way a peasant woman smoking a long pipe while at work in the fields. At Stalden we took the train for Zermatt.
Dieses Kapitel ist Teil des Buches My Summer in the Alps, 1913