Val d'Hérens and Col de Torrent
My sister Anna is visiting me and Tanya in Switzerland! For her first weekend here we decided we would go to two favourite valleys in Valais: Val d'Hérens and Val d'Anniviers. So last Saturday we drove to Evolène and walked from there to Col de Torrent (2916 m).
Autumn colours.
Tanya in hiking mode.
It is getting exceptionally autumnal in the alps - the meadows are brown, the snow line is inching downwards by the day, and the mélèze trees are gradually turning to their brilliant yellow. At the col we stopped and looked into the Val de Moiry with its bluest-of-blue Lac de Moiry.
Anna at Col de Torrent (2916 m).
Val d'Hérens (Les Haudères way below).
Val de Moiry, with Bishorn and Weisshorn above.
Col de Torrent.
Sasseneire from Col de Torrent.
A highlight of the day was seeing an hermine (a stoat) in its transition phase between brown for summer and white for winter. Knowing that he stood out against the grass he raced quickly away.
The super-clear snow line.
The colours got more and more amazing as we descended back to Evolène and the sun turned everything golden. We all took a lot of photos. An incredible end to a fantastic day in the Alps!
Dents de Veisivi (3418 m).
