Stepping off of the tram, I expected the air to be colder, but it felt the same as any other station I’d gotten off at over the past day. I had arrived in Zermatt, a town found on a plateau halfway up this section of the Alps.

The town is known for its tourism and holiday homes with nearly every building in town being rentable in some way. For my stay here I’ll be staying at a hostel directly opposite the station known as the Hotel Bahnhoff.

Im staying on the top floor of the hotel for my night here in the Alps, the hostel floor. The rest of the floors are made up of private rooms for couples and families, but today I want the full backpacking experience so I picked the cheapest option (only 52€).

The Town of Zermatt

I got my suitcase up to my room (the room was called Kilimanjaro for a reason), and dumped the contents of my backpack onto my bed. Then, without skipping a beat, I headed out into the town to see what was happening.

As mentioned, the town is very built around tourism. Every shop is all about either trinkets, expensive gifts, or equipment for hiking the mountains. The latter two were pretty out of my price range, but I stopped by a stationary shop to grab a couple postcards, and a new sketchbook!

It’s not all tourism here though, the town also has lots of spots for recreation! One major one is a section for a few tennis courts right in the centre of town. They have equipment ready to rent if you fancy playing tennis at one of the highest courts in the world! For me though, watching the ball bounce back and forth was plenty entertainment for the time being.

I stopped by the local supermarket, and grabbed some snacks as well as a fresh water bottle. I had a mission on my mind that I felt I had to achieve.

Hiking the Alps

Whilst on my train earlier, I’d plotted myself a route through the forests which line the sides of the valley surrounding the town. I was determined to follow the trail, and find some excellent places to rest and gaze at the mountains.

The route was almost vertical. Immediately after leaving the main street of the town I found myself needed to climb some steps upwards towards the woods. I took them slowly, making sure to breathe enough, and keep myself hydrated as any good hiker should. About 20 to 30 minutes later I reached the top of the steps and entered the woods.

Once the terrain levelled out, I felt my energy returning to me. I had joined the Gourmetweg, a commonly used hiking trail which is stated to offer great views of the alps. Now I was simply on a casual hike through some woodlands, taking in the vegetation around me, and breathing in that fresh Alpine air.

With me being in yet another new country, I of course have even more new plants to come across. This forest is made up of one tree in particular though…

Larix Decidua – European Larch Tree

This tree is native to and can mostly only be found in the European alps, which makes sense because that’s where I am! European Larch trees often grow to be over 1000 years old, with many often becoming 2000 years old! Comparing that to a common Oak tree which usually grows as old as 600 years, and these trees start to seem a lot more ancient than first though.

Larch trees are a type of pine tree, so their leaves have the same needle like shape to that seen on species like christmas trees. They also drop pine cones which are a favourite snack for many of the local wildlife.

Continuing my hike, I was desperate to come across a nice spot to be able to see the mountains. Occasionally I got a good glimpse through the branches, but not enough to be able to stop and properly admire what I could see. As I continued though, through the dense foliage and winding paths, the mountains became more and more visible, until eventually I came to a perfectly placed bench, and took my favourite picture…

The Matterhorn

The Matterhorn is a mountain located on the border of Switzerland and Italy. It has a peak rising 4,478 m above sea level which is more than twice my current elevation. The mountain has a near perfect pyramidal shape with the four faces pointing in each of the cardinal directions making it a very satisfying mountain to behold.

The Matterhorn is most famously known for its use on the Toblerone logo, which I may or may not have bought a bar of whilst here. It felt so cool to actually be in the place that is known around the world, to see it all with my own eyes and stand where so many others have stood, just to admire.

Onwards and Upwards

My path continued, turning once more further up into the hills. I felt the sweat begin to build on my brow once more and saw my water supply getting low, I was determined to finish the hike though, and pushed on.

Soon, I heard the sound of running water echoing through the forest and making my way to a clearing. Found that I was stood near the edge of a large gorge, I had reached the Findelbach, one of the many streams travelling down the mountain to reach the main river. With the drop into the gorge being around 300 m I was careful to mind my footing, but did my best to show the incredible view of the opposite forest.

From here, the path smoothed out again, my climbing was done and I couldn’t help but be curious about my new elevation. I checked one source, but it couldn’t be right, so I checked another, and it said the same! From where I was stood, I had passed the 2k mark, and was standing 23% of the way up Mount Everest. In a mathematical way of course, I was nowhere near Nepal! Still, I thought I’d teach a little more physics in a useful place.

I was now looping back on myself, just on a higher path. From here I could see the town of Zermatt down below me, and it looked tiny. As I followed the path, the sides got steeper and steeper, until I found myself walking along the edge of a cliff.

I was very thankful that there were fences here to protect me. The hundreds of meters I would drop before even hitting anything didn’t look too appetising, I was very set on making it back to my accomodation so that I could continue my adventures elsewhere.

It was getting late, around 8pm now. At this time of year it wouldn’t usually be a problem, but here in the moutains the sun sets a lot earlier because of the large hills on the western side. Seeing the woods start to darken slightly made me quicken my step, and take a quick shortcut home. The path down was even steeper than the path up, and I had to be sure to watch my step, but eventually I made it back to the steps I had climbed up earlier and found them much easier to walk down than up.

If any of you are in the area, and fancy following in my footsteps, I’ve put a picture of the route for my hike below.

An Evening in the Alps

I grabbed some food from one of the many restaurants and takeaways they have here in Zermatt and went to sit by the tennis courts whilst I ate. There was only one couple playing tennis this late, and it was getting dark so I don’t think they were playing their best. Instead I decided to make a few calls to my different family and friends, check in with them and their lives, and show them the amazing time I’m having here.

The sky darkened fully, by the time I got up to move I could only see where I was going by the lights of the sparsely placed lanterns. But sure enough I made it back to my hotel and decided to sit out on the balcony for a while.

I think I sat there for about an hour, thinking back over the journey that had brought me here. My many trains had taken over 17 hours from Rome, but that didnt feel like a lot compared to what I was now able to see. Europe is such an incredibly diverse continent, and if you’re willing to travel you can go to all of these incredible places. It’s all just waiting out here!

As I sat and watched, all of the lights of the lodges around the valley came on, lighting up the whole area as the silhouttes of the mountains slowly faded into the night. It was late, and it had been a long and eventful day. Time to sleep!

The Crisp Morning Mountain Air

I woke up early, about 6am. With all the travelling I’m doing I’m starting to wonder if I’m becoming a morning person. That incredible mythical beast capable of waking up. I decided I’d start my day out by doing an incredibly rough sketch of my view in my new sketchbook.

With the morning sun just starting to rise over the Eastern hill, the Matterhorn had an interesting glow to it. The Larch trees lining the valley were still indistinguishable from eachother and rather than draw them all individually I opted to simplify their shapes. What resulted is not my best work, but it was a nice way to start a brand new day in a brand new country.

The adventure had to continue though, and soon enough I found myself packing my bags and leaving the hotel. I had to get the next train back down the mountain and onwards.

I got on the train, let the doors close behind me, and wished the Alps…

Auf Wiedersehen,

Cassie