Stage 6: Europahutte to St. Niklaus
We left the Europahutte early the next morning and continued following the Europaweg north toward Grachen. We soon came to several rocky sections which were subject to rock fall. Here we were again protected by a tunnel. Next we traversed a gorge and soon after came to a steep path which headed off left down to Breitmatten and Herbriggen. After another 100m of ascent we reached the highpoint of the trail at 2663m (8737ft). From here it would be downhill all the way, but it didn’t really feel that way! Far below us was the Mattertal and on the opposite hillside we could see the hamlet of Jungen, high above St. Niklaus. Soon we came to a statue of St. Bernard (1523m – 4997ft), the 11th century patron saint of alpinists, who established two hospices on high passes in the Alps to protect travellers and pilgrims. Grachen could now be seen on the other side of the valley ahead of us. From the statue we descended steeply down and into the forest. After a while we came to the village of Gasenried 1659m – 5443ft), and then about a mile further on, Grachen (1619m – 5312ft). Here we spent the night and enjoyed a much needed rest. It was but a short bus ride down the mountain to St. Niklaus.
Note: This completed the route from Arolla to Zermatt, the northern portion of the route around the Matterhorn. Katherine and I would undertake the southern arc going from Arolla, south into Italy and then back to Zermatt in September of 2009 completing the entire Tour de Matterhorn.
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- Al enjoying the view with the Matterhorn in the background
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- Statue of St. Bernard
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- The Village of Grachen
