Botanical wonders of the Alps

Leer en español.

We recently spent a weekend in Zermatt, a small town at the foot of the Matterhorn peak in the Swiss Alps (or at least in the Swiss side of the Alps, as the Matterhorn is shared with Italy). Despite having lived in Switzerland for five years, for some reason I had never visited Zermatt, and I have to say that it is one of the loveliest places I've been to.

Zermatt is, of course, world famous as a ski destination, but also for hiking and climbing, for example for the brave folk who decide to climb the Matterhorn. But, since climbing the Matterhorn is kind of low in my list of priorities, and given that we were there in summer, hiking and enjoying the beautiful sights of the Alps in summer is what we did. 

As is the case with many picturesque Swiss mountain towns, the center and the areas immediately around it are very touristy and crowded. However, you only need to get a little bit away to enjoy hundreds of kilometers of well-maintained hiking trails, where not many from the tour bus crowds venture.

For my first day in Zermatt, I chose (of course) the "Botanischer Lehrpfad", which sort of translates to "Botanic Nature Trail", and which promised  "Edelweiss, gentian, different orchids: numerous rare alpine flowers grow along this botanical path". My loyal hiking companion was my dog, Gordon, who happens to be a Swiss citizen (he's a proud Genevois, with the Swiss dog passport to prove it). Gordon loves to be outdoors too, but for different reasons than me: while I enjoy to leisurely walk while observing the plants, trees and flowers, he -a half Pointer- prefers to blindly and fanatically follow his nose in any direction (never mind cliffs, rocks or steep descents) searching for marmots, squirrels, or any other animal big or small that he could (in theory) hunt. Gordon also seems to have an inexhaustible source of energy, which is not always the case with me. 

We set off late in the morning with our dog and human water bottles, apples and dog treats toward our big adventure. I had seen online that the trail was a bit steep, and it certainly was: the 4 km walk starts in Zermatt (1608 m) and ends in Trift (2337 m). Only a short part near the middle of the trail is flat; but most of the hike is uphill, and a large part goes along the canyon of the Triftbach river: a feat a bit difficult if one of your hands is holding the leash of a very eager hunting dog, who would also be happier if you wouldn't walk SO DAMN SLOWLY!

Gordon, wearing his Swiss bandanna, way ahead of me on the trail, as usual. 

The estimated time to walk the trail on the way up from start to finish was 2:10 hours. I thought that it would take me much longer to do it, but checking the time of my photos, I see that it took me about 2 hours and 25 minutes from Zermatt to Trift; and this includes multiple stops to drink water, observe the plants, take pictures, read the information panels about the vegetation at different altitudes, and just to get my breath back from walking uphill all the time. So maybe that means I'm not in such a terrible condition after all. 

A refreshment break...

The views along the path are stunning, as is the vegetation. First you can see Zermatt, and afterwards you can look up to the mountains, most of them with snowy peaks, or down to the rocky canyon of the Triftbach. You can also appreciate how the vegetation varies depending on the altitude, the mineral composition of the soil (e.g. the presence of calcareous or silicate minerals) and the humidity of the area. You cross streams of fresh Alpine water, something that Gordon loved. 

The first half of the walk goes through a dense forest with Larch trees and other conifers. As you climb up, trees start disappearing and you appreciate many herbs and colorful flowers. At the highest point there are almost no trees, and as the path gets rockier, the vegetation is marked by plants that can survive difficult conditions. I also saw many little blue butterflies, which were very difficult to photograph.

The photo below includes some of the flowers I saw, such as Whorled Lousewort (Pedicularis verticillata), Alpine Aster (Aster alpinus), Wood Cranesbill (Geranium sylvaticum), and Chamois Ragwort (Senecio doronicum - which I first thought was Arnica). Unfortunately, I couldn't identify the species in the top left corner (the small flower on the rock) and the bottom right corner (which looks a bit like a chive flower).  I also didn't see the promised Edelweiss.

At the end of the hike you arrive at the Hotel du Trift, at 2337 m. While I was there, I also could see supplies being delivered to the hotel by helicopter. 

After resting for a short while to get my breath back, it was time to walk back down. This I found to be much more difficult than going up, as it is harder on the knees and feet, and it also involves keeping Gordon from going too quickly and making me fall down a cliff. I had to spend 90% of the time telling him to walk slowly and to stop and wait for me after each curve. For these reasons, I don't have many pictures of this part of the walk.

About 40 minutes before Zermatt, you arrive at the pension and restaurant Edelweiss in Alterhaupt, which is a nice place to stop for a well-deserved rest. At this point, even Gordon was quite exhausted, mostly due to the heat. 

We made it back to our hotel after about 4 and a half hours of walking up to Trift and back. It was great exercise with amazing views, and many lovely flowers.