There were about 21 people at the cabane tonight. We had orzo soup, carrot salad, elbow macaroni with some meat and gravy. It was all so good I had a second helping of everything.
I went to bed early and read. We didn't have lights on in the room. I would have had to buy a "jeton", a token, if I wanted lights. I just used my headlamp.
September 6, 2003
We woke to a dreary gray day. We heard that the weather was going to be rain/coudy for four days. That really changes the mood on hiking. We were going to try to hike out with the Irish group we met.
I had breakfast of cereal and bread. Some places only give you bread and butter for breakfast. Cereal was a treat to get. I also ordered hot chocolate. They use steamed milk for hot chocolate and it was delicious.
We were all set to go. The Irish guys weren't quite ready so we started without them. I kept thinking that they would catch up (they never did).
It was mostly cloudy, foggy, and raining off and on the whole day. At least it was clear enough to see the trail and markers. When it rained it wasn't all that hard.
The day was tougher than we thought and it took longer than we thought it would. At least part of the trail was flat, by the lac dedix, which is a large man-made reservoir. The toughest part of the day was the last section of the Col de Riendmatten and then the long descent into Arolla. I kept thinking just around the bend I would see the village. We finally got there at 4:15. Didn't look like much, but we got a room at the Hotel Mont Collen. It is a very old place (at least it looked old) and it needs work, but it was charming.
I almost lost my wallet today. I went to the phone booth to call a hostel. I put my wallet down and forgot it. When I went to pay for something, 15 minutes later, I realized I left it there. I ran back to the phone booth. It was GONE! Oh no, now what do I do. As I went up to tell Laurie I saw some men come out of a building and one of them was holding it. Thank goodness. As I am writing this I felt like I should have given him something for it.
I am very tired. My body hurts, but at least I am clean, I have a bed to sleep in, and I am going to be eating soon. I certainly can't complain. I know Laurie is having a tough time. I don't know if she really wants to finish this. We only have six more days. Tomorrow is only suppose to be four hours, if I can believe the book. So maybe that will give us a little bit of a break. We hiked 10 miles, climbed up 2,460 feet, and climbed down 4,400 feet.
September 7, 2003
There isn't much to write about today because we didn't do anything. Laurie and I got up to have breakfast in the dining room. It was after 8:00 when the dining room opens. There wasn't a soul in there. There was a placard on a table with our room number. We sat down and ate.
After breakfast, Laurie and I debated about whether to stay another night. It was a nice place to stay. The people were wonderful. If it was raining out, it would have been an easy decision, but it was beautiful out. We just thought it would be a good place to take a day off. They have a nice sitting room, a TV, and movies to watch.
Laurie and I finally decided to stay. It was a great day. I felt like I was home on a Sunday afternoon. The hotel was pretty much empty and it felt like we had the place to ourselves. We watched movies and went for a walk to the center. I read for awhile, also. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now it will be hard to go back on the trail tomorrow. Oh well, it was worth it.
September 8, 2003
It looked gray out when I first got up. It was raining when we were having breakfast. I was not in the mood to hike. I know it was suppose to be a fairly easy and short hike. Well, easier and shorter than the last few days.
By the time we started hiking the rain had stopped and I saw blue patches in the sky. The day was fairly easy, but I felt like I was struggling on the uphill. I guess that is what I get for a day off.
There was one section that we ended up taking the wrong path. We still got there and it was not a lot of time wasted and energy up the hills.
We checked into the Cafe L'Ecurevil. The people at the hotel called for us yesterday to reserve two beds. Laurie and I were the only ones there. We arrived at 2:15. I showered and then sat out in the sun and read. Just sitting there looking around me makes me happy that I hiked to here. It is so enjoyable to see the beautiful large snow covered mountains; to see the small hamlets in the green hills; to see the wooden chalets covered with flower boxes. How could I not want to finish? We only have five more days. Tomorrow the elevation gain will be the highest for the hike, close to 5500 feet. Supposedly the hike won't be as tough as the others.
Laurie and I took a walk around. We picked up a few things at the grocery store. When we got back to the cafe there was a couple that we talked to. They were from San Francisco and they were both pilots with United. They are also doing the Haute Route. It was good to talk to them because they have done alot of traveling. They gave us some ideas. Well it is time to get a bite to eat.
September 9, 2003 - Happy Birthday, Joe
Today certainly turned out different than we had planned. Our original intent was to hike the next section to Cabane du Moiry. I made reservations the night before. When we woke up it was gray and rainy. We stayed in bed a little longer. It was still raining when we got up. I walked up the street to check the bus schedule. We had read that we could get a bus somehow to an area where we could walk about two hours to the Cabare. The bus schedule looked complicated and it looked like we would have to take several buses.
