4000 Meters over Sea Level
The mountains are calling and I must go!
Everyone knows this slogan. The mountains were calling us again – this time the somewhat higher ones. Four of us were allowed to climb a peak of 4000 masl for Valais/Wallis Promotion, for almost all of us the first one of this height. Our anticipation was enormous! So we trained and looked forward to this adventure. The weather didn’t look so good for the next few days… On the first day, we packed all our things in an underground car park in Zinal, as it was raining really strong outside. We put on our rain jacket and the rain protection for the backpack and marched off. 1600 meters of altitude had to be climbed to the first destination of the day. After a few hundred meters of altitude, the weather cleared a little so that we could see the surroundings, but the rain and clouds took over again. Soaked, we arrived at the Cabane de Tracuit after three hours and recovered with a hot tea – it was almost snowing outside. We checked into our room and joined the beautiful restaurant with its huge panoramic windows that let us look into the mystical scenery. A puzzle captured our attention and so a few hours passed until we met our tour guide Michael for dinner and had a little chat. After a delicious dinner we were in bed full of anticipation, ready to sleep.
The alarm clock rang early, we ate our breakfast and got ready for the big tour. Valentin stayed at the hut because he had a foot injury and caught the mood from there. The other three of us started at daylight. We mounted our crampons while the sun slowly illuminated the surroundings in beautiful light. After a few meters of altitude, dense fog rolled in, which accompanied us to the summit of Bishorn, along with light snowfall. Unfortunately, the view of the mighty Weisshorn remained in our dreams and we slowly descended again in the bitter cold. A delicious Rösti was waiting for us at the hut.
Soon we were off again and walked confidently to Cabane Arpitettaz. The view was again denied us until we reached the hut. There we played an interesting board game again and ate dinner when the clouds finally cleared! We grabbed our cameras, ran out of the hut and took pictures of the landscape around us. The atmosphere in the evening was fantastic and we went to bed with happy hearts.
The alarm clock didn’t ring so early the next day. Sunrise was on the agenda, of course, and we were able to photograph a beautiful, cloudless atmosphere. After a delicious breakfast, we packed our things and slowly made our way down. Except for Joni, who decided to climb the Bishorn again the following day, as the weather looked promising.
The other three hiked down the adventurous blue-white trail and arrived at the car in Zinal happy and tired. Joni recovered a little in the hut from the first night before setting off early in the morning at 2am. After a few hours of sleep, the adventure started again. The guide and Joni walked up the Bishorn in headlamp light. The weather was still a bit cloudy and there was some uncertainty as to whether it would be worth it. Uncertainty was there whether it was worth climbing a second time. Then they arrived at the summit, the view was gigantic! The clouds were gone and the most beautiful sea of mist formed below them. The view of the gigantic Weisshorn was also breathtaking. Standing so high up on the summit during sunrise was unforgettable. Mountains as far as the eye can see. Mountains that call us on further adventures. And we must go!
