The Cabane du Grand Mountet lies at the base of a magnificent amphitheater with glaciers and snow capped peaks all around. The hike to the Cabane du Grand Mountet is long and strenuous: it's about 24 km round trip with an elevation gain of more than 1,200 meters. This was my third attempt and I'm glad I finally made it to the hut. I wish I had started just a little bit earlier so that I would have had more time to explore the area around the hut.

The hike to the Cabane du Grand Mountet starts in Zinal but the proper starting point is at the bridge which crosses the La Navisence river.
For much of the trail the views stay more or less the same as you climb higher and higher along the slope underneath the west face of the Besso.
There are some exposed sections secured with ropes or chains with very steep drops. This is NOT one of them. It was safe to stop and take out my camera here.
The first of two large boulder fields. At this point I thought I was almost there and that the hut was around the corner. Not so. It took me another hour or so to reach the hut.
But the views get better and better

Looking up (left) and looking down (right) from the same spot

And another boulder field to cross... But I really wanted to see what's around the corner.
This...
It doesn't get any better than this. Or does it? There's a trail that leads from the hut...
... to this view of the Wellenkuppe and the Ober Gabelhorn
It all looks so easy when I look back at these photos. Why didn't I walk further down? There's a trail that leads towards the glacier. Yes, but in this case what goes down must come up again...
One more photo before I turn the corner and make my way down to Zinal again where I enjoyed a delicious dinner at restaurant La Ferme.

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