Haute Route Highlights D4

Cabane Prafleuri to Arolla. 18km, 700m ascent, 1300m descent.

Prafleuri has always been an odd mix of wonderful location, stunning hut, poor facilities and appalling management. It hit every nail squarely on the head again.
Add in 60 soaked trekkers, no actual drying room, 2 showers and 2wc's and it's fair to say we were glad of the 05.30wake up and 06.30 departure (extra 1). Many many people were still trying to sort gear, and by the time we reached the Col du Roux we were first into the Dix valley, where we shared a wonderful moment with the herd of bouquetin in the main blip.

Much like yesterday this is a serious tough day in a place right on the edge of trekking and climbing. I'd told my group I thought the Guardian's forecast was too generic and probably centred on the upper Rhône, we were rewarded with a simply stunning day.
Lots of movement coaching has started to pay off and we made great time up to the foot of the Glacier du Chielon, and then the steep dramatic climb onto the 150m High lateral moraine.
This is a wild and scary place, about as challenging as my job gets. In many places the storns of the last two days had caused rockfall onto the path. A goodly portion of everything we stood on moved.
Eventually its time to put the pôles away, to give a strong brief and to lead the way footstep by careful footstep, hands for balance never to pull. A wrong move here, a dislodged rock either would spell disaster.
Fortunately Ive studied my clients, I know them well, I know we can take the ladders of the Pas de Chèvres, meaning we traverse early, away from the boulder field to relative security under the steep cliffs.
The ladders are spectacular, we manage them with ease. By 12.30 we have our boots and shoes off 2900m, picnic lunch and a snooze, our forzt view of the distant Matterhorn.

The walk down to Arolla is a joy, added to by meeting an old client. Three years ago I taught him to read a map and to tie his first knots. Today he is enroute to climb his first peak.
Beer in the beautiful Hotel Glacier rounds off a perfect day.
Later the clients partners will be joining us, will be interesting to see what that does to our dynamic.