After a steep descent into Zinal on day 1, it didn’t take me long (maybe about 5 minutes) to realise that almost all paths around Zinal are steep. My GPS was telling me that the 50m contours were coming every 120m, which makes it a gradient of over 40%. However after about an hour the path levelled off and then it just meandered and undulated all the way to the Weisshorn Hotel, where I stopped for some refreshments. 🍺😊
From there I thought it would be a simple 450m/1,500ft climb to the Meidpass but, just to make life interesting, the path dropped about 200m before it started to climb again. But what a wonderful walk it was. I was completely blown away by Le Touno (see pic 19) which stood majestically above everything, even though it’s only 3,018m (9,902ft) high. After that, both sides of the Meidpass felt extremely remote and I only saw 5 other walkers before reaching the Schwarzhorn Hotel in Gruben,
It was there that I met up with the dozen or so people I mentioned yesterday, who were indeed British. They were all walking from Chamonix to Zermatt on a 2 week holiday – not that everyone considered it a holiday! I’ve mentioned coincidences recently but, one of the party leaders hailed from my old neck of the woods, near Hull. Also, I offered to take a picture of a couple near the Weisshorn Hotel and, although they lived in Germany, the lady also came from near Hull. What are the chances of that happening on the same day in the Alps?
As usual, I’ve done my best to identify the butterflies below, but one eluded me. Despite it having some very distinct lines on the under wing, I couldn’t find it in my book.
Alittlebitoutoffocus 
The mystery butterfly is a aberration of one of the blues where the markings do not conform to the norm, very nice.
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Great images and we enjoyed how you labeled the butterflies. Some great scenery there. Thank you for bringing us there through your photos.
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I’m very happy that you are enjoying the journey. I hope the pictures give you a flavour of the Alps – the plants, the scenery, the butterflies and the terrain. I’ve never really thought about it but, I guess, that’s my goal (as well trying my best to get a good image of whatever it is I’m looking at). On this trip I took over 1,000 photos, though many I take 3 or 4 times, to make sure they are either in focus or framed correctly – though I do crop or straighten them sometimes to highlight the subject, particularly the butterflies and birds. Thanks for your comments and support. 🙂
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You are doing a wonderful thing by presenting your journeys for us to experience. It’s neat being able to see the birds, butterflies and scenes and how different they are from this side of the pond. The mountains are glorious!!!!! Be safe!
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It’s my pleasure. 🙂
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Pingback: Swiss National Route 6, Gruben to St Niklaus (Day 3 of 3) | Alittlebitoutoffocus
WOW, such beauty, Mike, I am in awe of the scenery you captured. ❤ And how cool to run into people from your old neck of the woods!
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Yes, I think Day 2, especially the afternoon, was my favourite part. And, as they say, it’s a small world! 🙂
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