Morroco - The Sahara Desert

We traded the mules for 2 dromadaries for 7 nights under the stars in the Sahara, something I never really imagined I would do! Just so you know, we walked, this photo was taken for the Morocan with us!

Morroco - The Atlas Mountains

For 5 days we traversed the Atlas range through a river gorge with 2 mules. Amazing & totally different from what we are used to!

Balloons

At the top of Col de Balme we found a bunch of balloons from a wedding in Swiss-Germany! I am off to Marocco for the rest of the month to meet mules & camels! Keep the cheese ready for when I return!

Col de Balme

Well the last outdoor fondue was such a hit that it had to be done again! Oh yeah, and the hike was magnificient, views of Mont Blanc & Chamonix at the col. As well as alpine blueberries fresh off the bushes!

Entymology

Amazing amount of crickets are hopping around! These two were doing more than hopping... Cannot beleive I got this photo!

Verbier hike

Fresh snow on the mountain tops and fresh snow on our pic-nic. Life is gooooood!

Ever wonder...

what telemarkers do out of season in Verbier???
Simon - my Chilean friend is making sure we are not bored!

Ovronnaz

I have always wanted to go to the top of the ridge on the East side of Ovronnaz, but never really thought it was possible. What a view - the whole bas & haut vallais at your feet!

Fondue at St.Christophe

First low-altitude snowfall required a hike with a fondue in the snow!
Yippeee!

Guiding for Breast Cancer in Zermatt

Europa Donna & Zonta Club Morges La Côte organised for over 80 breast cancer survivors to climb a 4000 meter peak this week-end! An amazing feat and a beautiful day for everyone involved. I guided a high-altitude walk after watching the brave ladies set off from the Klein Matterhorn. We had a fabulous walk and built this 'pink ribbon' cairn to show our support!

Chute du Bisse & Pierre Avoi

A beautiful time of year to check out the fall colors of the Valais. Female crickets laying eggs in their holes which can be mistaken for hiking pole marks in the ground! We picked the right day!

Internation School of Zug

A beautiful day with 34 5th graders up to the Planards and Chute du Bisse. An unbeleivable amount of grasshoppers & crickets around. Do you know how to tell the difference between the two?

Tessin - Italian part of Switzerland

Beautiful old villages in the val Maggia (magic valley) with tons of water cascading down the mountains into the forests of wild chestnut trees. Who could miss this? And the weather is always warmer here than the rest of Switzerland - so the vegetation is a mixture of alpine & mediterranean with palm trees!
Amazing!
Oh and the pasta & cappuchinos are worth it too!

Gondo Gorges

Crazzzzy water! What a gorjus gorges to visit! There is a 3 day walk to do here.

Mont Blanc

Tour du Mont Blanc

10 days of splendid hiking around the Mont Blanc!
From Champex Lac to Chamonix to Courmayeur and back to Switzerland. Breathtaking views and chamois and fighting ibex - really something to remember for a lifetime. I am not surprised it is the most sought after trek in the Alps.
Hope everyone can do part of it one day!

Chamonix valley

The forest was lush & green today, just perfect for hidding from the shopping crowds and the heat. At the end of the day the Mont Blanc was still there majestically overlooking us all.

Yurt at La Dôle

We saw wild chamois, eidelweisses, the lac léman (lake geneva) and clouds. When we got to the yurt it was half blown over by the wind-gods so we opted for a romp in the hay!
Am still finding hay at the bottom of my back-pack...

Zermatt Matterhorn

4 unbeleivable days hiking around impressive views of the Matterhorn.
It really made me want to eat a Toblerone bar!!!

Hiking around Verbier

Up near the cabane brunet is a hidden secret lac that is perfect for pic-nics!
If that sounds good to you get the pic nic ready and let's go!

Gstaad

The Lauenensee is a beautiful lake just waiting for you to take the time to come and discover it. Nestled away in the pasturelands above Gstaad it is a real Heidi postcard!

Rochers de Naye

Just above Montreux is a spot worth visiting. The train can take you up or back down to see the impressive views down onto the lac léman (lake geneva) if you don't feel up to hiking up. But the flowers are worth the hike, and the alpine salamanders we saw all over make the trip increadible!

La Fouly

La Fouly has so many hikes to do it is always difficult to choose which one to do! This was an unforgetable occasion with martagon lilies all over the place. Looking at the mountain views and the flowers and the bugs...ayyyie, what a hard life!

Bisse du Trient

This easy walk brings you to the mouth of the Trient Glacier. An amazing spot where you can really see how the ice formed the valley and get a feel for how far the glacier has receeded. Beatiful and sad. Let's hope it doesn't all disapear too fast...

Mauvoisin

At the end of the Bagnes valley is the spectacular Mauvoisin dam. The alpine water it holds looks as though someone emptied powdered milk into it!
What a day for Australians who have been living through a drought for the past few years. I just wish they could take some of it home with them.

Dent de Jaman

The views are breathtaking!
Enuff said!

Pointe de l'Arpille

It looks steep but it really isn't. The Rhone valley below us is so flat with its yummy ripe apricot trees (late this season with the cold spell we had in May). From the top the view spans from the Combins to the Mont Blanc region.

Pierre Avoi

A beautiful hike around the hills of Verbier. For those who aren't affraid of heights the top of the Pierre Avoi is not to be missed. The views will make you feel teeeeny-weeeny!

Mountain Biking

Well we followed the path of the Grand Raid, from Verbier to Grimmentz...
I just don't know how Myriam Saugy does it in under 8 hours.
It took us THREE DAYS!!!

La Fouly

A magic day with wild flowers all over and the glaciers tickling our eyeballs!

Gstaad

Orchids all over!!!!
Oh, and a few happy cheese milk cows eating the flowers!

Champex Lac

Hiking from Champex Lac is such a pleasure with the lake to start and end from. But it doesn't take much to get into alpine terrain!

Last skin of the season

The Arpille is beautiful on skis, snowshoes, & foot.
Haven't tested it on bike yet...

Adonis

The only place in Switzerland you can find this flower growing wildly and naturally.
It is a remain of the glacial stepp we had over 10'000 years ago when the glaciers retreated.

Vallée Blanche Chamonix Mont Blanc

Just taking the lift up to the Aiguilles du Midi is enough to make anyone gape!

Skin up Arpille

Huffing and puffing up to the view of Mont Blanc at the top, before racing back to work for the afternoon! Nothing but good friends, good snow and happy alps!

Sanetsch

Surprised by a view of the Matterhorn! What a fabulous area to discover!

Cabane Brunet

Up to the Cabane Brunet in sunny skies with tons of fresh snow and our Easter eggs!

Snowshoe Saint Christophe

Snowstorms are fabulous to snowshoe in! The air changes, the way you breath and look at things change, and sounds are distorted in the most wonderful ways! I am enraptured with my life!

Grand-St. Bernard

This is the place to come to be saved by dogs with booze tied to their necks! Brought a friend up for his first ski tour, lovely day and pic-nic. Perfect for beginers and snowshoers!

Snowshoeing Chutte du Bisse

Blue skies and white snow. The flowers are already peeking through. Lucky us we saw a chamois!

Above Martigny

Sometimes the most beautiful places are right next door! What a pro, look at those new skis!!!

Marlenaz Verbier

Quick a nice and eaaaasy ski tour before going to work at Patagonia! This rock proves we made it to 2100 meters!

Mt. Rogneux

There are those days when you dont quite make it to the top..huuufff & puffff! Thought my lungs were going to collapse! Yet it looks like such a nice mountain from my couch at home!

Snowshoe Les Mosses

What is up with the wind in this place? We almost flew away with the snow fairies! Thank goodness we had enough chocolat in our packs to hold us down!

Snowshoeing in Fionnay

After such a great day snowshoeing around Verbier we headed to the end of the valley. Just the place to recuperate from all the sliding we did the day before!

Above Verbier

Ha-Ha-Ha! We all ended up like this! Through looking for snow patches to walk on and slip all over the place. So nice to go places in Verbier where there are no skiiers.