I had the good fortune of spending four summers (1947-1949, 1951) in Switzerland as a schoolboy, and on each of these trips I spent about a month with a Swiss family. We often went for hikes, and I enjoyed both the hiking and the views immensely.
Events in my country prevented me from returning to Switzerland for more than two decades. In 1974 I emigrated to the United States, and soon thereafter started spending a couple of weeks with my mother in Geneva every summer until her death in 1996.
Then, in 1987, I had my first hike as an adult in Switzerland, followed by a bit (later a lot more!) of hiking in New Hampshire.
This blog will focus almost exclusively on my Swiss hiking, though I spend eleven months of the year hiking in New Hampshire!
Events in my country prevented me from returning to Switzerland for more than two decades. In 1974 I emigrated to the United States, and soon thereafter started spending a couple of weeks with my mother in Geneva every summer until her death in 1996.
Then, in 1987, I had my first hike as an adult in Switzerland, followed by a bit (later a lot more!) of hiking in New Hampshire.
This blog will focus almost exclusively on my Swiss hiking, though I spend eleven months of the year hiking in New Hampshire!
Gemmi Pass and other things
Posted 06.08.2008 at 17:25 by RetiredInNH
Yesterday (Tuesday 5/8) I did a hike I had been thinking about for a long time: Gemmi Pass. Since EF was down this morning I have posted it on our New England board, prefer to link than to copy and paste 
On Sunday I hiked one of the bisses near Sion, they are irigation channels, often centuries old, that bring water to the vineyards. This is the first bisse hike I did, so I hate to generalize, but this hike had an nice approach through the woods to the point where water is drawn off the torrent, then followed the water to the vineyards, and finally became a "normal" vineyard hike. I think that makes it more interesting than a "standard" vineyard hike.
Monday I took the bus to Derborance, a breathtaking ride. Heaven knows why some people drive it when the bus will get them there with much less effort. Nice hike over Pas de Chevilles to an alpage on the other side. For the record, I crossed the cantonal line into Vaud, so I can now claim to have hiked in that canton
Tomorrow I am leaving (hiking part way if the weather is better than predicted) to the Col de la Forclaz where I will join an American group doing the last stage of the clockwise (opposite usual direction) Tour du Mont Blanc. On Friday we will hike together to Champex Lac, and on Saturday one of them will join me for a week in Zermatt.
Life is Good
On Sunday I hiked one of the bisses near Sion, they are irigation channels, often centuries old, that bring water to the vineyards. This is the first bisse hike I did, so I hate to generalize, but this hike had an nice approach through the woods to the point where water is drawn off the torrent, then followed the water to the vineyards, and finally became a "normal" vineyard hike. I think that makes it more interesting than a "standard" vineyard hike.
Monday I took the bus to Derborance, a breathtaking ride. Heaven knows why some people drive it when the bus will get them there with much less effort. Nice hike over Pas de Chevilles to an alpage on the other side. For the record, I crossed the cantonal line into Vaud, so I can now claim to have hiked in that canton
Tomorrow I am leaving (hiking part way if the weather is better than predicted) to the Col de la Forclaz where I will join an American group doing the last stage of the clockwise (opposite usual direction) Tour du Mont Blanc. On Friday we will hike together to Champex Lac, and on Saturday one of them will join me for a week in Zermatt.
Life is Good
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Recent Blog Entries by RetiredInNH
- Zermatt (14.08.2008)
- Gemmi Pass and other things (06.08.2008)
- My first Swiss 3,000 meter peak (01.08.2008)
- A real combat de reines at Lac Bleu (30.07.2008)
- Musings on the trail ... (30.07.2008)
