The Matterhorn, Switzerland

I kept checking the weather app on my phone all week to plan a trip to Zermatt, Switzerland, for my first look at the famous Matterhorn. I didn’t want to trek all that way and then have the peak obscured by clouds.

Finally, Friday emerged as my best bet. I got up early and drove down the mountain into Aosta at dawn. To cross from Italy north into Switzerland, I had to use the Great St. Bernard Pass. It’s the same location Napoleon crossed to move the French army into Italy in 1800.

Today, the long tunnel under the pass made things much easier. The monks didn’t have to send any St. Bernards out looking for me (this is actually where the dog breed and legend originated).

My first stop once I was safely in Switzerland was in the town of Sion (pronounced zee-on in German). Walking through the old town, I knew some sort of festival was underway. I wasn’t sure exactly what was happening, but I lined up near the band and acted like I did.

Someone important was making a visit and flags for all 26 Swiss cantons were unfurled as the band fired up a marching tune. It was quite a scene. I just melted into the background and soaked it all in.

Of course I had to climb to the highest point and survey the area. Sion was crowned by an intact castle and a fortified church. The views were incredible but the clouds had me worried. Would they obscure the Matterhorn?

Back on the road, I turned off the main Swiss highway and started up the Mattertal (valley) on its twisty road. The valley was cut by a deep gorge. I pulled over and took this photo of an old bridge spanning the gorge with the Alps in the background. As a large truck rumbled past, the new bridge I was standing on trembled. You can bet I hurried back to my car.

I knew I was getting close to Zermatt when an old Seilbahn (cable car) was mounted in the middle of a roundabout I traveled through.

You can’t actually drive to the village of Zermatt. There are no cars there. You park in the town of Täsch and ride about 15 minutes on a special shuttle train on up the valley. Once I finally arrived in Zermatt, I started my hike along Bahnhofstraße.

There, hiding behind a building, finally emerged the Matterhorn. No clouds! Its iconic shape was unmistakable. The isolated peak of the Matterhorn looked roughly like a pyramid with four distinct faces.

Plaques were embedded in the sidewalk and I stopped to take a closer look. I realized they were memorials to the first men who climbed the Matterhorn in 1865. Sadly, four of of the seven men in the climbing party fell to their deaths coming back down the mountain.

It began a grim tradition. Since 1865, more than 500 climbers have died on the Matterhorn making it one of the deadliest mountains in the world. Many Alpinists were buried in the cemetery behind the church in Zermatt.

After reading through the gravestones, I wisely decided to limit my hike to a respectable distance. I climbed close enough to see the peak with the background music of bells clanging around the necks of sheep in a meadow below. I was thankful to enjoy such a clear view. It seared in my memory.

Later in the evening, I arrived safely back in Aosta across the border in Italy. I’d wanted to see the Matterhorn for some time. Today was the day.

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