We woke up at seven, after sleeping little and not very well. Sun streamed into the windows and the sky was blue and clear. Before breakfast, we could see all the surrounding mountains without any fog. We sat down for breakfast and between one bite and another, the panorama outside changed completely. Fog had rose up from the valley in an impressive speed and we went back to not being able to see anything. There wasn’t even enough time to take photo.
At around 8:20 we left the hut and started hiking upwards towards the Sefinenfurgge. After a few hundred altitude meters, we started to feel that we were passing the clouds and suddenly we were above all the fog and clouds that were still hanging in the deeper mountains.
Crossing several snow patches, the path went further up through rocks, boulders and lots of wild flowers and alpine herbs. We could even see a little marmot hopping around on a grassy field right in front of us.
I was pretty happy about my decision not to take my new trail shoes but to stick with the sturdier hiking shoes. The Altras wouldn’t have given my feet the necessary stability in this terrain.
Before reaching the mountain pass Sefinenfurgge, we had to pass a few rope-secured patches. Up there, at 2612 m, the view was incredible. A little mountain lake beneath us, gassy fields between rocks and snow patches and glaciers on the higher parts of the surrounding peaks.
The trek took us further up and around a corner from where it started descending through difficult bouldery terrain with a few more ropes and steps. In the distance we could whiteness how a helicopter took 4 charges of stuff to tomorrow’s hut.
With slightly shaking legs, we saw two little mountain goats that were climbing up the hill towards us. They had seen us too and were delighted to have some company. Quickly, they approached us and came to cuddle with my leg. One decided to eat my trousers and tried my hiking poles after I had told it that the pants weren’t suitable for eating.
After a while of goat-petting, we went on towards the “key passage” of the trip that showed up behind the next corner. Our new friends followed us happily. The passage consisted in a secured path along the cliff of a big rock and then a 3-meter ladder downwards. The goats were disappointed to loose us there but apparently also too lazy to try the stairway so we went on alone through more boulders along and across a big snow patch.
It didn’t take long until we reached the corner right opposite of the two glaciers we had been seeing in the distance since passing the pass. This also meant seeing our next hut – the Gspaltenhornhütte – which is built into the mountain right in front of the glacier. We still had about 45 minutes to go and stopped for lunch about 20 minutes before the hut on a patch of grass between the rocks.
The hut was really nice, with a sunny terrace hanging over the canyon and views over the glaciers, mountains and valley. This one didn’t even have drinking water nor a waste water pipe, I won’t even mention warm water or showers. It was very cozy nevertheless, with smaller dorms (16p), a nice common room, and a sympathetic speech between the main course and dessert.
During dinner, the clouds rose again to exactly the height of the hut and covered up everything above us.
