A generous serving of rösti, still in the pan, lands on my table. The sizzling potato dish momentarily diverts my attention from the massive glaciers and snow-smeared peaks surrounding me. One is the magnificently isolated Matterhorn. Its summit is nearly two kilometres higher than the elevation at which I sit on the sun-saturated terrace of high-altitude alpine hut, Kinhütte.
Switzerland’s landmass is only around 41,300 sq km, yet it has 451 peaks over 300m with the majority above 2000m. For a few days, I’m visiting one of the country’s most elevated regions. Though not to mountaineer or to bag peaks but take the time to appreciate the geological drama, wild-flowering alps, fresh air, wild animals, Swiss mountain culture and alpine accommodation.
Another solo hiker is stretched out like a happy cat on an outdoor banana lounge. I can hear only spring water burbling into a trough hewn from a tree trunk and the occasional percussive rush of slipping scree. After rösti, the hut’s sole caretaker Andreas Arnold brings me coffee and his woodfire-baked cake.
‘’, I think to myself.
