A round around the highest peaks of Switzerland

With the extraordinary summer this year, it would be fairly unnecessary to fly far away for summer holidays. Sun, sun, sun, some thunderstorms - otherwise, sun. Since March there wasn't a single weekend in Switzerland with not at least one beautiful sunny day. What a great opportunity for some extended alpine hiking! Although our original plan to "cross the alps" got a little reduced into "circling some alps", we can not claim that this was any easier. Probably quite the opposite.
So, to make a long story short: We did a 10-day round-trip around the Monte Rosa massive and the Matterhorn. Among hikers also known as the "Tour de Monte Rosa (TMR)", and the "Tour del Cervino (TDC)". We started at the divide of the Matter- and Saastal in Stalden (0a), hiked up the Saastal, crossed into Italy (2), came back to Switzerland via the Col Collon (7), and ended the trip back in Stalden:



Here are some numbers on the trip:
1 ibex
1 vipera aspis
1 hummingbird hawk-moth
1 bivacco
1 glacier
3 thunderstorms
4 roe deers
4 days in huts/hostels
4 nights under the sky
7 chamois
10 days
13 passes
19 marmots
37 4000’er circled
300 kilometer
16,000 meters altitude
33,000 calories burned
3,072 m highest elevation
874 m lowest elevation
innumerable cows
&
2 x two flat feet


And here are some pictures:

Saastal & Passo del Monte Moro:


Valle Anzasca, Quarazza, Sesia & Passo del Turlo:


Val de Gressoney, Valle de Ayas, Valtournenche & Passo Foric, Passo Fourcare, Col Nord:


Valpelline, Val d'Arolla & Fenêtre de Tsignanaz, Col de Valcorniere, Col Collon


Val d'Herons, Val de Zinal, Turtmanntal, Mattertal & Col du Tsaté, Col de la Forcletta, Augstbordpass


Concluding remarks:
Great experience, extremely beautiful landscape (except for Breuil & surrounding skiing areas), right level of difficulty, but the long days and almost constant danger of afternoon-thunderstorms made it extremely exhausting. Highly recommended, but likely not to be repeated by us ;)