Our time in Zermatt tested both patience and flexibility as the Matterhorn played hide-and-seek behind stubborn clouds. For our last full day, we had planned to hike up to the Hörnlihütte base camp, the Matterhorn’s iconic mountain hut, for what would have been our most demanding hike of the trip. But with low visibility in the morning, we spent hours watching webcams and waiting for the skies to clear. By the time the fog began to lift, we made the call to skip the steep Hörnlihütte ascent and instead focus on the Matterhorn Glacier Trail – and it turned out to be the right decision. Dressed warmly, we rode the gondola up to Trockener Steg at nearly 10,000 feet and stepped into a stark, otherworldly landscape of gray rock and glacial ice, hiking toward the shadowed face of the Matterhorn that seemed close enough to touch. We paused at a scenic spot for a snack, waiting nearly an hour for the clouds to break, and though the summit never fully revealed itself, the drama of the shifting light made it unforgettable. As afternoon turned late, we hurried down toward Schwarzsee, catching the gondola partway and making a quick detour in Furi to cross the suspension bridge, a fun and scenic bonus before the day’s final dash. Racing against the clock for the last gondola, we narrowly avoided getting stranded – thanks to a kind guard who let us ride the freight cable car back down to Zermatt. That evening, we celebrated our alpine adventure with fondue at sunset at Old Zermatt, just steps from the Kirchbrücke Bridge, as the Matterhorn glowed gold and rose in the fading light – an unforgettable finale to our time in Switzerland.

Continue Reading