Monday 1st Septrember: Slightly cloudy and misty morning, sunny afternoon 2°C to 10°C
Zinal to Cabane du Moiry: 24.0k: 8.30am to 5.45pm: 9hrs 15mins
6am and washing to pack
It snowed last night
Bread from the boulangerie
Painfully I chuck away 400g of books
A fairy wonderland of snow
I'm taking the jeep track
Alps, snow, meadows and cows
Must stop to look at the view
The view from anywhere today
First morning tea with magical view of snow on alps across valley
Cable car is free but it's not going
The mist rolls in
Coffee at Corne du Sorebois
Corne du Sorebois at 2894 metres
The other side of the mountain and this is what you see - Lac du Moiry
An ad for Hagloff's rainjacket
Lunch at Lac du Moiry
Wild fowers along edge of dam
Icy blue Lac du Moiry and dam wall
One and a half hours to go
So close to the Glacier du Moiry
It's a long way up
Views on climb to Cabane du Moiry
Cabane du Moiry 2885 metres
At Cabane du Moiry 2885 metres
Can you beat this view
Alps and snow wherever you look
Dining Room with magnificent view over the Glacier du Moiry
Dinner menu at Cabane du Moiry
A bit sunburnt but all's good
Moon over Glacier du Moiry - by Ian
Oh what a stunning day in the Alps! It snowed last night so there's a fresh cover of powder snow covering the tops of the Alps. A total ascent of 1800 metres, 1200 metres to the Corne du Sorebois, down 700 metres, then up another 600 metres to the Cabane du Moiry. And to add to the magic of the day, there was the beautiful icy blue Lac du Moiry, and the stunning Cabane du Moiry, perched high in the Alps right next to the Glacier du Moiry.
We're awake at 6am, and it's pitch black. I heard it rain in the night, so we're thinking it might be a miserable day. Our washing has been strung across the room and is mostly dry. A shower, then down to breakfast at 7am. It's really nice - meusli with yoghurt and really really fresh bread with meats cheeses and jams. We're out the door at 8am and realise that though it rained in the valley, it snowed on the Alps and it's all a picture wonderland. Time to stop at the boulangerie for some of that fresh bread. Then it's time to chuck away some of my guide books. They're all on e-book on my computer but I had about 500 gms of hard copy. And yesterday my neck and shoulders were so achey and tired I have to do something. This extra weight must go!!
We've already decided to take the jeep route. But the Hotel kindly offered us free passes to the chair lift to the Corne du Sorebois. It was a tinsy bit tempting, but after chucking my books I'm ready to climb. It's picturesque postcard stuff as we walk along the jeep track up and up. And the views become more stunning. We have the first of two morning teas at the stop for the first stage of the chair lift. The views - well just magic. It's also freezing cold - about 2°C.
The mist begins to roll in as we climb further towards the top. We see a sign on the end stage of the cable car - FREE - but they're not running yet - so waiting around for a cable car would have been a waste of time. We arrive at the Corne du Sorebois at 2895 metres and shelter behind the cable car hut for our second morning tea. There's fantastic views in between clearings in the mist. We wander down from to the Col and all of a sudden the brilliant icy blue Lac du Moiry appears on the other side of the mountain. The mist has cleared on this side and it's sunny but still very cold. Ian has put on his new Hagloff's Rain jacket.
It takes 2 hrs to walk down the mountainside to the lake's edge where we have luch of really fresh bread, meat cheese and tomatoes at 2.30pm. We've still a 2 and a half hour walk up to the Cabane du Moiry but it's so nice by the lake, we dawdle. There's a 3k walk around the lake's edge and the wild flowers are beautiful. It's a bit late in the season for wild flowers and these are the best we've seen.
At the end of the lake, there's a sign to Cabane du Moiry and the Glacier du Moiry comes into view. It's sunny but still cold. We strip off our jackets prepared for a 600 metre climb. Then it's up and up. The Cabane appears on a rocky outcrop beside the glacier - but it's a long long way up. Steadily we climb up the moraine - a collection of rubble and stones brought down by the glacier.It's hard work and for the first time today we're sweating. At 5.45pm, we finally arrive to this wonderful Cabane du Moiry at 2885 metres with stunning views over the glacier less than 10 metres away. Dumping our shoes in the shoe room, we're soon in the dining room overlooking the glacier - and it's so warm in teh western sun.
We're in a 4 person room with Francesca and Antony from the UK - they're doing Chamonix to Zermatt, the reverse direction to us. The coin operated showers cost 5 Swiss Francs each but they're hot and last 5 minutes. Dinner is at 6.30pm. Everyone migrates to the warm dining room facing the western sun, with stunning views overlooking the Glacier du Moiry. Time to blog and chat for a bit to Tony and Francesca before dinner. They told us an interesting tale about the Refuge at the Col de Balme. We have been past it 3 times on our three time trip around Mont Blanc and every time we hear an amusing tale. The lady who runs the refuge has been seen to come out with a broom, chasing away people who picnic at her tables without buying anything - hence the name the Witch of the Col. Five years ago we walked some of the way with an American who told us she came into his room when he was asleep and kicked him out to another partly full dorm, as she didn't want him to have a dorm room to himself. Francesca and Tony told us on one of their trips through the area they found the notes from self-guided Tour Group with suggestions to avoid the Cold de Balme refuge as it was a bit weird. Bad news travels fast!
But good news travels fast to and it seems that everyone has heard of or is headed for the Cabane du Moiry. We were not disappointed. To go with the stunning views, is a beautiful meal of onion soup, followed by sausages, rice, beans and boiled peppers, then a piece of delicious caked with chocolate melts spread throughout. Most people stay chatting til 10pm. The 2 boys sitting next to us are climbing the mountain behind the Cabane tomorrow. The visitors to the Cabane are either through walkers going to Zermatt of Chamonix, or mountain climbers who stay for a few days and climb everything in sight. They're well equipped with ropes, crampons and ice axes etc.
The room is comfy and warm considering it's 0°C outside but we all had a sporadic nights sleep.