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Alps 2023
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Introduction

Saturday July 29, 2023
Geneva
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Monday July 31, 2023
Mönchsjochhütte


04:37 Europe time 19:37 California time
Dusty: Where you at Kent?

07:34 Europe time 22:34 California time
Kent: Heading to the bus in 15 minutes for Ferpecle from Sion and eventually the Dent Blanche hut 5-6 hrs uphill
Kent:  I may take a few more hours with my advanced age



Kent's pic
Kent: Sion was nice last evening

13:39 Europe time 04:39 California time
Paul: Look at those clouds! Nice!

16:35 Europe time 07:35 California time
Kent: I'm at the hut
Kent:  Big hike
Kent:  Super beautiful
Kent:  Sadly weather isn't great, but hut is filling up
Kent:  Sprinkled on me most of the hike
Kent:  Feeling physically very good
Kent:  hut life



Kent's pic



Kent's pic




Kent's pic




Dusty's plane
17:30



Dusty's plane and another A380
17:31



17:42
free food and beverage from the british airways lounge



19:23



04:49 Europe time 19:49 California time
Kent: Yep, just checked outside and inch of snow here at the hut and super windy
Kent:  Too much for me
Kent:  Probably too much for most of the other climbers, but most are going up
Kent: Oh well, it'll be a fun hike down (1700m) and I've got plenty more time to try some others
Kent:  Somebody is playing the theme from Mission Impossible loud
Kent:  I suspect it's the hut master
Kent:  Love it!  (4:48am)

Just had an interesting talk with the hut warden.
Very experienced climber.
I asked him if he thought anyone would get up today.
He laughed and said "no way".
He said I made a wise decision.
I agree.
He also told me the glacier outside the hut lost 12m of thickness the past year!
Going to wait a little before heading down.
Let the sun get a little higher up.
Have a good journey over the pond.

04:51 Europe time 19:51 California time
Dusty: You are wiser than the other mountaineers
Dusty:  Conditions do not sound enticing
Dusty:  About to take off..
Dusty:  British Airways has 3 types of gin, 2 scotch whiskeys, and only 2 types of beer
Dusty:  My, how confused they are.

05:01 Europe time 20:01 California time
Kent: Have good travels Dusty
Kent:  It's easy to make those calls as a solo climber
Kent:  I would have gone as high as possible in my 20's/30's, but it's misery and dangerous out there now for a guy without a rope
Kent:  If there was no wind, I'd go, but this climb is known for its windy conditions
Kent:  A ridge climb at 4300m!  It's howling outside!  No thanks
Kent:  :)

05:03 Europe time 20:03 California time
Dusty: See you in Interlaken, maybe?
Dusty: Sound like a challenging hike down..

05:07 Europe time 20:07 California time
Kent: It will be!  It was steep and a few "via ferrata" sections
Kent:  If wet or icy, likely, It'll take a lot of work
Kent:  Lots and lots of laborious moraine the top 60%
Kent:  And it's Sunday, which means I can't catch the bus in ferpecle but have to hike all the way to les hauderes




19:33 Alps time 11:33 California time



19:34 Alps time 11:34 California time



20:50 Alps time 12:50 California time



21:11 Alps time 13:11 California time



21:26 Alps time 13:26 California time
Dusty:  Mcdonalds cooks better than British air, salmon drowning in butter is not food



12:46 Alps time 04:46 California time



12:46 Alps time 04:46 California time
This was the last time I saw my iphone cord, in my hurry I left it on the plane.
Fortunately those are easy to replace.



18:08 Alps time 10:08 California time
Geneva is at the far end of the lake, the Alps are in the background.

Two families seemed to be planning their entire vacations if not their lives at the train station ticket counter.
I foolishly waited at the airport train station for at least 15 minutes to try to buy my half fare card before realizing the main Geneva train station would be faster.
It was.  Problem solved.  And you don't need a ticket to get to the main startion.
I was not off to an efficient start.



20:57 Alps time 12:57 California time

Reliable, air conditioned Hotel Astoria.



21:17 Alps time 13:17 California time



21:18 Alps time 13:18 California time

While digging around online for Jungfraujoch reservations, I realized that return trips to Kleine Scheidegg tomorrow afternoon were already sold out through much of the afternoon.  I spent $10 for a reservation perhaps a little later in the afternoon than I would have preferred at 341pm, but still much better than waiting another hour or two up top.

Previous
Introduction

Saturday July 29, 2023
Geneva
Next
Monday July 31, 2023
Mönchsjochhütte
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