Days 2 & 3 - So what about that water...

Readers of our day 1 blog will recall that we committed to report on whether the mountain stream water was safe to drink. Answer: more research needed. Felix went down with a fever in the night and was pretty sick in the morning, definitely not ready for the 1000m climb we had planned. Archie and I were fine. To be fair, Felix had been nursing a cold for the past week so we don't have conclusive evidence on the water safety question. However we had to make a choice - split up and reconvene in 2 days in Zermatt, or all go to Zermatt and allow Felix a couple of days to recover.

We decided to all fast forward together to Zermatt on the train and give the boy a chance to recover.

We checked into the very pleasant Europe Hotel and Spa in Zermatt and Archie and I went up to Gornergrat while Felix slept. No sooner had we arrived at 3039m when it started to rain.

The temperature dropped 15C and a hail storm started. We decided running down would be the appropriate response as lightnight shot horizontally through the sky in front of us. Quite dramatic and also quite cold and unpleasant. So we got on the train and went back to the hotel.

It was still raining the following morning and Felix was still crook so Archie and I decided a side trip hike to Stafelalp for lunch would be something to do while Felix rested. As we left the hotel the rain stopped, the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful day.

The 2 hours each way to Stafelalp made for a nice walk, uphill all the way but very good paths and downhill all the way back. We should have brought the free resort map with us because there are a multitude of paths and the signs are quite confusing. 1 hour into to 2 hour route we were greeted with a sign that told us we had 1 hour 45 minutes to go. That was a downer and also, fortunately, a nasty Swiss lie. Why do they do that?

The restaurant was splendid lying directly beneath the North face of the Matterhorn.

So we felt it appropriate to eat a large dry aged T bone steak in honour of Felix and other absent friends.

Magnificent.

When we got back to the hotel the boys were introduced to mixed nude European spa culture (couldn't bring the camera in for the naughty bit).

And as we walked back to the hotel after dinner the Matterhorn finally revealed itself in its own nudity, unclothed from the clouds which had shrouded it all day, and we snapped a couple of pics.

Tomorrow we embark on the route to the highest point on the hike, the Theodul Pass at about 3300m where we will hike across the glacier into Italy and cheaper food. The weather forecast is not promising with a high of +2C and a Low of -2C predicted. Probability of rain and snow 80%. Let's hope Felix is feeling better... Wish us luck!

Archie's comment

Over the past 2 days I have felt pretty good because of the rest we have had. We walked to Stafelalp which took quite a while but was worth it. The day before we went up Gornergrat and that was cool but as soon as we got up there it started raining and hailing, so dad and I ran down to the next stop and took the train down. It was nice to have a rest even after only 1 day of full hiking.

Today's learning

We learned today that we don't know the appropriate adjective for a heavy hail storm. A blizzard for snow, pissing it down with rain, raining cats and dogs; tinkling with hail? Stoning it? We settled for pelting with hail but did feel it quite proper as pelting is also used for rain. Please advise if you know the right answer.