We awoke to find that the hut was shrouded in mistand visibility was down to about 20 yards. But we hadn’t been going more than 10 minutes when the clouds miraculously lifted.
We had chosen to take the less steep service track down to Kreuzboden, but we hadn’t realised that the overnight rain had swelled the stream, which the track had to cross several times. Our first crossing was OK, as there were some decent stepping stones, but we had to scramble down by the side of the stream to find two other crossing points. (As in pics 1, 4 & 8).
By the time we neared Kreuzboden the cloud had come down again, so it was with some amusement that, after we had crossed for the third time (pic 8), we noticed that there was a bridge not more than 30 yards away. (See pic 9). Oh, how we laughed!!
I was also extremely excited to find out (later of course, when I looked it up) that the Incised Bellflower, (pics 13 & 14) is described as “very rare” in my Alpine flower book, which I think is a first. In Switzerland it only occurs in the south of the Valais and in NW Ticino. (I therefore thought it deserved 2 photos. ๐)
Our plan for the day was to drop off our rucksacks at the Almageller Berghotel, where we would stay for the night* and then walk up to the Almageller mountain hut and back again. The 700m or 2,300ft of ascent/descent was certainly a lot easier without our packs.
*At the Berhotel, not only did we have a room to ourselves but, apart from the staff, we were the only people staying that night, so we had the whole place to ourselves! (This also happened on our Tour de Muverans trip a few years ago, so hiking midweek in September is certainly recommended, if you want to keep away from the crowds).
Alittlebitoutoffocus 
I am so jealous. The incised bellflower is gorgeous! And I can relate to the ‘missing bridge’. It also reminds me of the times when we’ve lost the path over scree or snow, got soaking wet and then looked up to see the marker clear as day about 10 metres away.
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Yes, sometimes you wonder how you missed it… Or, as we did on day 4, take the wrong path and then only realise when you’ve descended 300m and haven’t got the will to hike back up again. (Luckily it took us to the same place, but it was a steep descent and Pete and his knees are not good on any downhill sections).
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Oh how I hate that missing the path, and it seems to happen in bleak conditions and when you’re already on your last legs. Must be the mountains testing us out (and in my case, usually finding us wanting :-))
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It was one of those situations where you get a fork in the path and the sign points right – so we followed it. (The annoying thing was I had a GPS in my bag with the route on it, but I’d switched it off thinking there was only one way along that stretch. The battery was only partly charged, so I was saving it for later when navigation might be more difficult). Doh!
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The butterfly is exquisite! Such a beauty! You arenโt joking when you say youโre going for a walk. By my standards Iโd say thatโs an epic hike. Maybe even an odyssey. I love that I can keep pace with you from my comfy couch. Thank you Mike!
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Yes, I guess it is a bit more than a walk. But you see now why we need a beer at the end! ๐ป๐
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Good point! Cheers!
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Cheers! ๐ป ๐
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Breathtaking snowy mountains, Mike!
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Awesome post, Mike. Great and very descibing pictures of the paths and landscape. I realฤบy enjoyed reading it in my chair ๐
Seeing picture nr. 33 made me smile๐
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Thanks Hanna. I hope you also enjoyed Day 1, 3a, 3b and 4 too(?) – just to complete the walk of course (while maybe enjoying one of those from pic 33?). ๐
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Picture 33 is a BIG beer placed in the middle of the photo ๐
It’s a nice reward after a long day!!๐
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Yes, I couldn’t recall the photo, so I had a look. A perfect end to a perfect day in the mountains! ๐บ๐
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