We awoke to the sound of rain pattering on the roof of our little room in the Cabane. This wasn’t unexpected because the forecast had predicted it. We delayed our usual 8ish departure, having a leisurely breakfast, hoping the weather would improve. We knew we had a relatively short and easy walk today so there was no rush.
The cloud took its time lifting, so we left the hut in damp and gloomy conditions at about 9.30. We’d only been walking for around 10 minutes when the rain came again, so we put our ponchos on and trudged on. The rain only lasted for about a quarter of an hour though!
The route meandered through hilly ground and under ski lifts, past lakes and over streams, swollen with rain. It was fairly easy going, although our feet were soon quite wet in our summer boots.
As we climbed steadily the landscape became harsher and much rockier, and the wind picked up making it a little chilly.
After a couple of hours we reached the foot of the steepest climb leading to the Meidpass col about 200m above us (2789 metres). This proved to be a relatively easy ascent because the gradient wasn’t too steep, thanks to the series of switchbacks.
Once at the top, we quickly took some photos and then headed down the other side to get out of the cold wind.
We took our time on the descent, having a couple of breaks for food and enjoying the views. Even though we were going slowly, John still managed to slip twice, grazing an elbow and kicking himself in the shin!
Once we were out of the mountain terrain and into the pastures we passed through a couple of little hamlets of cute alpine huts. Then we passed through woodland, with slippery damp tree roots and rocks, as we dropped to the valley floor and the village of Gruben.
We’re staying in the only accommodation in Gruben, the Schwarzhorn Hotel. The sun is now shining and we enjoyed relaxing with beers and ice cream on the terrace. Day 8 done, with relative ease. I suspect tomorrow will be more difficult because we have a 1100 metre climb to start the day!
Ramblings 
Leave a comment