The Hotel Kurhaus in upper Arolla is on the Swiss historical registry. And what a magnificent and welcoming home for the night. The accommodations rival anything so far and the base price per room is the same as the no shower hut from the previous night. The rooms had hot showers for us and the hotel staff washed and dried all our dirty clothes. We are very refreshed. Arolla is a Mecca for alpinists. A large group of Brit, Germans and I think Scandinavian climbers had gathered for either training or a climb and shared the hotel with us.
The resteraunt served us Hikers Rostis which I will learn to cook when I return. I really want to own the special stoneware or porcelain coated dishes they are cooked and served in. The breakfast was another buffet spread and I just could not eat all the variety of fair I wanted. The coffee is rich, dark and flavorful. As it was raining all night and as we ate breakfast I could have sat there for hours sipping cup after cup.
However, we had reservations in Les Haudères to make in less than 10km. The guide book claims only a couple hundred meters of climbing and 554 meters of descent. The walkers trail is designed to avoid highway walking by climbing steeply out of Arolla. There are warning signs for a few exposed stretches of trail where fixed chain and cable are set to grab onto so you can focus on something other than the drop to your right. These warnings were written for trail use when it is dry....
The rain was constant and cool, but not unbearable. It kept my mind off the fact that we were supposed to be descending down the valley, although my legs kept balking at the steep grade up. Because of the rain I don't have many pictures of the trail hike. I was focused on using my hands to grasp the fixed chains and cable. Besides, my camera was getting wet and I stowed it in my pack.
The trail eventually wound its way down the side wall of the canyon to the highway. We only had to back track a few hundred meters to drop onto a nice and wide trail with an easy grade into Les Haudères. The rain has let up some and after we checked into our old but pleasant hotel, we strolled through the village. It is early afternoon and most shops are closed for a few hours each afternoon. I did find my daily cappuccino to warm me up. Rhonda is out looking for a pastry. All the buildings are adorned in flowers and makes you warm inside after a wet and cool hike.
The Lord was gracious to hold off the weather during yesterday's ladders.
Anybody can do the Haute Route when the sun shines.
Awesome day, my friends!
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