Zermatt 2024 Day 10: Rothorn and Blauherd

To get there, we would need to take the funicular from the centre of town to Sunnegga, then a gondola to Blauherd, and a final ascent by cable car.

The sky was clear and blue, and from the terrace at the Rothorn we had spectacular views down across the Grunsee and our day 3 walk at Riffelalp, and then away to the Matterhorn beyond.

At the edge of the terrace, a steep cliff dropped down 500m or so to Blauherd.

All around us were high peaks wreathed in snow.  These are the Rimpfischhorn (4199m) and the Strahlhorn (4190m) to the east of us, on the Swiss-Italian border.

To the south-east loomed Dufourspitze, the highest peak of the Monte Rosa massif at 4634m.  There were heavy banks of snow up there, and a little cap of cloud.  This again lies on the border between Switzerland and Italy is the highest mountain in either country, in fact the second highest peak in the Alps, after Mont Blanc.

Findelgletscher

Below us to the south lay the remains of the Findelgletscher, now sadly retreated a great distance, leaving huge steep-sided lateral moraines running down the valley.

Although the sunny terrace around the cable car station was largely free of snow, it formed an island of scree in a sea of snow.  We would not be able to get far from the top of the lift without walking poles, and boots which offered more grip in the snow. However, the views down to Zermatt were spectacular, and we could trace all our routes in the town.

Saxifraga oppositifolia

Fortunately, we did not need to explore far from the cable car.  The paved terrace was surrounded by a larger area of flattened scree, and this glistened with floriferous cushions of Saxifraga oppositifolia.

Saxifraga exarata

A few plants of Saxifraga exarata were raising buds among their gaudier neighbours.

Eritrichium nanum

We found quite a number of plants of Eritrichium nanum, but all were over the edge of the cliff, beyond the safety fencing, and it was hard to get close enough to take photos.

Saxifraga oppositifolia

But the saxifrage was everywhere, dotting the rocky ground with cushions in varying shades of pink.

On the terrace, the usual tourist traps had been erected to capture that ‘I love the Matterhorn’ photo.

Silene acaulis

I preferred the views with cushions of Silene acaulis.

We found other plants as well:

• Great sheets of Salix serpyllifolia
• Small plants of yellow Draba aizoides
• As at Trockener Steg the previous day, Hornungia alpina was still in bud.

Sadly we did not find Androsace alpina, which is supposed to grow here, but we may have been too early for it to show colour, and I am not sure I would recognise it without that prompt.

Gentiana schleicheri

We were pleased to find the clustered spearpoint leaves and deep indigo flowers of Gentiana schleicheri in places among the pink cushions.

My nose-down focus on the flowers was interrupted from time to time by helicopters arriving from Zermatt.

These were ferrying up tourists and pilots to paraglide back down to the town.  Each couple is strapped together, so the passenger is almost sitting in the pilot’s lap.  It is a mystery to me how they manage to run forwards to attain lift-off from the snowy slope.

Blauherd

We made an easier descent, via the cable car, to Blauherd, where I slipped and fell on a damp drizzly day earlier in the holiday.

Tussilago farfara

As before, there were magnificent clumps of Coltsfoot on the piste around the cable car station.

This cable car station also provided frames for tourists to photograph each other in front of the Matterhorn.

Lotus corniculatus

Swiftly, we set off towards the Stellisee, following a footpath slightly higher up the hillside than the track we followed the previous time.  Immediately, we were surrounded by flowers, mostly familiar from our previous visit.  Among these were:

• the yellow of Helianthemum canum and
• Bird’s Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus),
• little mats of a Minuartia species,
• Viola calcarata (starting to look tired already), and
• good specimens of Primula farinosa.

Oxytropis halleri subsp velutina

We also found nice plants of the Oxytropis we found on our previous visit in the rain, along with the deep red heads of Nigritella nigra subsp rhellicani and a little Galium species intertwined with thyme, and Sempervivum arachnoideum.

Gentians

As we proceeded, there were frequent patches of blue, which included:

• Gentiana schleicheri
• Other spring gentians in a variety of colours ( brachyphylla / bavarica / orbicularis ???). I have given up trying to determine which species they are.  One was four-petalled.
• Gentiana acaulis.

The landscape became rockier as we rounded a shoulder of the hillside.

Helianthemum

Beyond, the warm, sunny slopes were yellow with rock-roses, both Helianthemum canum and H. nummularium.

Pulsatilla halleri

A few flowers still lingered on Pulsatilla halleri.

Daphne mezereum

Sheltered among the rocks, we found plants of Daphne mezereum, some in seed / berry, but others still in flower.

Viola rupestris

With the Daphne, there were some charming little violets – I think these are Viola rupestris.

Vitaliana primuliflora

Also among the rocks, we came across splendid specimens of Vitaliana primuliflora.

Salix breviserrata

There were some low-growing but not prostrate willows here, with lovely pink catkins.  I think these were Salix breviserrata.

Urtica dioica

And then, bizarrely, in the shade of a big boulder, we found a large clump of stinging nettles.

Saxifraga exarata subsp moschata

Saxifraga exarata subsp moschata was fully out here, nestled in rock crevices, and it wouldn’t be long before Saxifraga paniculata joined it.

Gentiana brachyphylla ?

There were more spring gentians here, but again I am not confident of names.  The first might be G. verna, the remainder, including the pretty pale blue ones, perhaps Gentiana brachyphylla ?

Pinguicula leptoceras

We were approaching Stellisee now; before we reached the lake there was a damp marshy area where a stream ran down the hillside.  The banks beside us were dotted with lilac Primula farinosa, but I was excited to find the lime green leaves and purple flowers of a butterwort.  Closer inspection revealed the white throats of Pinguicula leptoceras, the species we had not yet found on this trip.

Stellisee

We decided not to walk around Stellisee.  In retrospect, this was a mistake; we might have seen some interesting plants, and once again I missed discovering the iconic view of the Matterhorn reflected in the lake.  But the path around the lake looked busy, and I was keen to follow the path down from the lake to explore the glacial moraine left by the retreat of the Findelgletscher.

Instead we descended a little from the end of the lake, and stopped on some boulders for lunch, in warm sun, with magnificent views of the Matterhorn, surrounded by thyme and the white flowers of Geranium rivulare.

Aster bellidiastrum

As soon as I had eaten, I set off downhill, leaving Helen basking on a boulder.  On the way down, I passed a young woman marching up, with a swimsuit pegged to the back of her pack. She was walking the Five Lakes Trail in reverse (uphill), and bathing in the lakes to boot.

I was soon among flowers; there was Arnica here, and Aster alpinus, as well as the white daisies of Aster bellidiastrum, and Achillea erba-rotta subsp moschata in the rocky banks beside the track.

Dactylorhiza incarnata subsp cruenta

One damp depression was full of orchids; as far as I can tell, these were Dactylorhiza incarnata subsp cruenta.

Two men and a digger were busy at work here, clearing up places where the bank had slipped, and moving soil up and down the hill to repair the track.  I felt a little endangered whilst nose-down, taking pictures.

The outflow from the Stellisee tumbled down and crossed beneath a culvert; beside it more Primula farinosa.

On the bank beside the track I started to see clumps of Thlaspi sylvium, and then mounds of chickweed (Cerastium arvense).

Pulsatilla halleri

A little further down the hill there was a large colony of Pulsatilla halleri.

On the other side of the track, there were great views of the Matterhorn, when I could stop safely out of the way of the digger.

Dryas octopetala

Eventually, I reached the moraine.  I was surprised to find that it was almost a mono-culture, covered in large mats of Dryas octopetala.

I carried on a little further, down the path beside the moraine, now walking westwards, until I could get good views of the Grindjisee.

It was clear that a path continued from the far end of the lake towards Sunnegga, but I had left Helen far above, and had to retrace my steps.  The climb was surprisingly gruelling.  It was hot in the valley (mid-20s ?), and the air was still.  My return to find Helen meant climbing 250m in 1.5km (over 800ft in about a mile).

Gentiana verna alba

I stopped frequently to admire the view and recover my breath; on the far side of the valley the stream from the Stellisee cascaded down across slopes full of rockroses.  A single pure white spring gentian by the path provided a welcome distraction.

Once I crossed the stream running down the valley, I started to ascend the far side, with views once again of the Matterhorn.

The banks on the other side of the track were a mass of flowers.

Here I saw more Aster alpinus, Saxifraga aspera, clinging to the rocks, and a Veronica I think is V. fruticans.  Anything to take a break from climbing.

Erysimum rhaeticum

Below the track, the hillside fell away in a steep scree, decked with wallflowers (Erysimum rhaeticum) and occasional thistles (Carduus defloratus).

Eventually I staggered back to the boulders Helen was sitting on.  To return to Blauherd meant a further gentle ascent of 50m in another kilometer (another 200ft in just over half a mile).  Before that, I needed a good rest.

Pedicularis tuberosa

After a while, I found myself photographing a large colony of Pedicularis tuberosa behind where we were sitting.

A little further away was a large puffball, along with Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa) and Bird’s Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus).  Now I was moving around, and ready to start slowly uphill.

Marmots

The hillside we were climbing is crossed by another path descending to Sunnegga, which is known as the Marmot trail, because the creatures love this sunny hillside liberally scattered with boulders to sunbathe on, and burrow beneath.  We could hear them whistling as we walked slowly uphill, and soon started to spot them.

We had great views across the boulder field and the descending Marmot Trail towards the Matterhorn.

Linaria alpina

On the rockrose covered bank beside the track, we saw Linaria alpina in both orange- and pale-blue-throated forms.

At the top of the slope we finally spotted two marmots who were happy to sit atop a boulder, whilst we took photos.

Across the valley, we could see the Grunsee we had nearly reached on our walk at Riffelalp on day 3; above was the mountain.

Pulsatilla alpina subsp apiifolia

As we approached Blauherd cable station, there were Pulsatilla alpina subsp apiifolia among the gentians on the bank, and the goats were sheltering from the warm sun behind one of the buildings.

Here a signpost showed trails in all directions, and people were sweating up the hill on mountain bikes, but we were content to hop into a gondola and descend.

Back in Zermatt, the sunny weather meant we had great views of the valley sides, and of the Matterhorn looming above the town.

Syringa tomentella

Walking back from the funicular station towards our hotel, I finally managed to photograph the lilac we had admired every day.

Goats

Helen stopped in a supermarket to buy some milk, while I wandered out into the main street, just in time to meet the goat parade.  Every day in summer, the villagers drive a herd of Valais Blackneck goats in procession along the main street to pasture, and then back to the barn in late afternoon.  Another tourist attraction.

Soon, we were back on the hotel terrace, admiring the clouds rising from the peak of the Matterhorn above.  We hadn’t really walked that far, maybe 6km, but I was feeling the climb back up from Grintjisee, and needed a rest, a long shower, and a beer.  Probably not in that order.