Kent: On [Hohsaas] lift up.
Talked to 70+ year old woman who must be an alpine legend.
She says tomorrow noon big weather change coming.
Was super fun talking with her.
Dusty:
- took the train from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen, then train to
- Interloken, then train to
- Speisz, then train to
- Visp, then took the bus to
- Saas Fee, then
- rented a locker for half the crap in my backpack that I didn't want
to carry for the next two days, then took the bus to
- Mattmarksee, then
- started hiking to the Italian border, where I would catch the lifts
down to Macugnaga.
10:13 Alps time 02:13 California time
Dusty: Downhill from Mattmark bus stop.
When I was here in 2015, there was no marker for the 88 workers who
died on August 30, 1965 when the glacier they were excavating collapsed
on them.
10:19 Alps time 02:19 California time
10:24 Alps time 02:24 California time
10:26 Alps time 02:26 California time
10:32 Alps time 02:32 California time
10:36 Alps time 02:36 California time
10:56 Alps time 02:56 California time
11:09 Alps time 03:09 California time
Seewjinen glacier is top right
It has of course receded noticably since 2015.
11:41 Alps time 03:41 California time
Talliboden Glacier is nothing but a ghost.
In 2015 it was nearly gone.
11:56 Alps time 03:56 California time
12:25 Alps time 04:25 California time
12:25 Alps time 04:25 California time
12:26 Alps time 04:26 California time
12:41 Alps time 04:41 California time
12:44 Alps time 04:44 California time
Dusty: The lake in the background is Mattmarksee
Dusty: The Mischebel group in the clouds above the lake.
12:45 Alps time 04:45 California time
13:01 Alps time 05:01 California time
Dusty: Monte Rosa
The wind is ripping, it is not warm and visibility it poor.
I headed down quickly.
13:07 Alps time 05:07 California time
13:22 Alps time 05:22 California time
I wandered up to my hotel, found that my room was not ready yet, then
wandered over to the Belvedere lift to watch Monto Rosa for a while.
Owner speaks zero English and still hearing zero English here, this
place still seems off the tourist map, at least to non-Italians.
One of the staff members speaks English.
14:43 Alps time 06:43 California time
Round trip on Belvedere ski lift still only 15 euros.
Back in Italy, dinner here doesn't start until 730pm.
Paul: Did you take those tiny blue ski lift chairs down from the
mountain?
Kent: Dusty, I think I can see someone stealing your luggage down
there!
Dusty: They can have all the National Geographics they can carry
14:54 Alps time 06:54 California time
14:59 Alps time 06:59 California time
15:05 Alps time 07:05 California time
15:08 Alps time 07:08 California time
Not great weather.
I've got 36 hours for conditions to improve.
16:16 Alps time 08:16 California time
16:39 Alps time 08:39 California time
16:43 Alps time 08:43 California time
18:33 Alps time 10:33 California time
View from my room at Casa Alpina de Phillipi, the only affordable place in the area on booking.com.
This place appeared on booking.com about 6 weeks before my trip, I was shopping for a room for months.
There are a few hotels in Pecetto, but it is hard to find them online.
A guest was at the front desk complaining that they shower only dripped water.
First room the put me in had a leaky faucet.
Second room they put me in was room 21, which was an incredibly dark room that faces
the southeast - no view of Monte Rosa.
He must hate me.
I asked for a room that faced Monte Rosa and got the next room 22.
It was much better.
Dusty: This place was not horribly rated
Dusty: My review of Zumstien is one of maybe 3 English
reviews
Dusty: This place seems only marginally better.
I finally realized there's no remote for the 25y old tv, which I never bothered to try to turn on.
18:33 Alps time 10:33 California time
Monte Rosa from my room.
The hotel seemed packed my first night, nearly empty the second night.
18:33 Alps time 10:33 California time
18:35 Alps time 10:35 California time
View from my bathroom - the first room they gave me only had this view.
17:40 Alps time 09:40 California time
19:29 Alps time 11:29 California time
19:51 Alps time 11:51 California time
Bambi with noodles with Monte Rosa in the background.
The venison pasta was another gut bomb
20:00 Alps time 12:00 California time
Nemo the perch (or trout?)
20:00 Alps time 12:00 California time
22:01 Europe time 13:01 California time
Paul: Dusty is staying at La Locanda
22:02 Europe time 13:02 California time
Paul: Or just eating there?
Paul: Dang
Paul: That sounds good
Paul: Perch and venison pasta sounds pretty good too tho.
Just eating here.
Staying at Casa Alpina de Phillipi, the only affordable place
20:42 Alps time 12:42 California time
20:43 Alps time 12:43 California time
Meanwhile, Kent climbed Weissmies:
Kent's pic
Kent's pic
Kent's pic
Kent's pic
Kent's pic
Kent: Still a ways to go to get to a hut or even more down to a hotel.
I'm feeling great!
I did it!!!!!
I've got to go.
Maybe they serve beer till 9!
It's all road from here!
Dusty: What did you do?
Kent: Weissmies north ridge up and standard route down.
I meant to go a different way down, but by time I discovered my mistake
it would have been to much to go back up.
Normal route down was the spookiest PD I've ever done.
Jumping big crevasses and under huge seracs.
Spooky.
The ridge was another level for me though. :)
Kent: Weissmeiss hut for the night.
Can't make it down another 2 hours.
Dusty: Cheers! Well done!
Kent: The ridge of my dreams.
You can see the only other 2 people I saw on the ridge near the
top.
I kept up with them sort of.
I had to pull the rope out 2x and rope solo is really slow
I also got the rope snagged once.
I was super careful about that after.
The ridge seen in this is about 1/8 of the total ridge.
Dusty: That ridge looks sharp!
Kent: Had to stay on its crest nearly the entire way.
Classic.
Where those other climbers are was actually a crappy place.
Not snow, but more like transparent ice.
Below it was easy snow but at the top.
I wished I had both my ice axes at that place.
22:49 Europe time 13:49 California time
Dusty: 1049pm and %$$#% church bells keep going off for @#$%#$%
sake...
22:50 Europe time 13:50 California time
Paul: For #$%#$ sake indeed
Paul: Heathen
22:52 Europe time 13:52 California time
Dusty: If people want to hear that @@#%$@#%, I'm sure there's an app
for that so they can hear the @#$@#$ 24x7
