Tuesday 1st September: Cool morning, cold afternoon, with hazy skies then misty rain: 19°C to 14ºC.
Elm to Weisstannen: Jan, Ian, Graham 24K: 8.00am to 4.30pm: 8hrs 30 mins -
Jenny 15k: 4hrs Mels to Weisstannen
Jenny's doing her own 15k walk
Blue skies but clouds looming
Clouds darkening
Half way up Foo Pass
Dairy farm high in the alps above
A long climb up to Foo Pass
What's Switzerland without cows
Graham and Jan slogging uphill
Looking like rain in distance
Foo Pass 2223m
Jan and Graham at Foo Pass
Second coffee break just over pass
Long steep descent from Foo Pass
Balancing act on knob over valley
Highlight of the day was getting to the top of the Foo Pass at 2226m, our last pass of the Via Alpina, or Alpine Pass Route. This was a difficult day with no cable cars/buses/trains or any form of transport to exit. Once we started we had to finish.
Our day started with an early 7am breakfast - typical Swiss with meusli, breads, cheeses and meats. Jenny has decided to bus/train out of Elm to Sargans in the next valley and walk the 15k back up to Weisstannen through the pine forests. Graham, Ian and myself decide to tackle Foo Pass, at 2223m, an ascent of 1226 metres up from Elm, and a similar descent down to Weisstannen. At 8am, e say hooray to Jenny, then walk across the fields of Elm to the start of the climb which is signed as taking 3 and 1/2 hours.
It's a pleasant 19ºC as we climb steadily upwards along a gravel road through the pine forests. The sky is blue, but the bank of clouds on the horizon, is a sign of weather coming our way. After 2 hrs, it's time for a short coffee brake sitting on some logs laying by the road, then on again before the weather changes. We're surprised that the track is so well graded and we make good time getting to the top of Foo Pass (2223m) at 11.45. It's quite cold at the top with a strong wind howling up the valley. No time to sit and eat so down the other side to find a nice place tucked in behind a large rock not far below the Pass. More cows and meadows and we see a strong looking mountain farmer carrying salt/fertilizer on his back up the mountain to his cows.
The track suddenly drops down the gorge of a fast flowing stream, and it's steep and shaley. This steep track goes on for an hour down and down until it levels out then rises to a lookout point overhanging the valley below. There's a log there - a ready made bench seat perfect for lunch at 1.30pm. Yesterdays bread and cheese with a tomato and onion is very nice. Down and more down until we reach the pine forests where the track flattens out, but the clouds have moved in and it's started to drizzle rain. The raincoats and ponchos come out just as the mist rolls in. It's only 3pm but feels quite late, as we move on down the valley, opting to take the road rather than the wet track running beside it.
Through Vorciez, where the bus departs for Weisstannen, but only on a Sunday, then down the road for 5 k to Weisstannen. Just as we pass the sign to the village, we eee Jenny walking towards us. She has been on a really lovely forrest walk up the Valley and has only arrived an hour ago. There's a cheese factory in the village and CHF8 later we walk away with a block of cheese to have with our beers.
Weisstannen village is beautiful, set in a narrow valley beside a fast flowing stream, with a small collection of timber chalets adorned with flower pots and just 2 hotels. The Hotel Gemse, where we're staying, is almost the last building in town and we're warmly greeted by our host into the lounge bar and who should be sitting there but Martin and Terri, our hiking friends over the past 3 days. Time to sit and chat over a beer with some of our Alp Kase - alp cheese. There's no shop in town so after a shower, it's salad, pork and pommes frittes from the Hotel Restaurant for dinner with a Pinot Noir and a chat to our hiking friends sitting at an adjoining table.
An early night listening to the stream gushing outside our window.
Lunch on a log
Down into the valley
Vorciez
Misty rain on road to Weisstannen