Hiking Switzerland's Haute Route

A hiker at sunset high above glacier covered mountains using a headlamp while walking to the Vignette Hut on the third day of the Chamonix to Zermatt Glacier Haute Route.

Three hikers climbing the final section of ridge to the summit of the Tete Blanche, a small, easy peak on the morning of the fifth day of the Chamonix to Zermatt Glacier Haute Route. In the distance is the Matterhorn.

Climbing a ladder to the Bertol Hut on the fourth day of the Chamonix to Zermatt Glacier Haute Route.

Three hikers on a grassy trail with the Matterhorn above on the sixth, and final day of the Chamonix to Zermatt Glacier Haute Route.

Two hikers sitting and taking a break on the edge of the Glacier du Tour on the first day of the Chamonix to Zermatt Glacier Haute Route.

Two hikers sitting on the deck of the Cabane d’Orny tying shoes and getting ready to leave for the second day of the Chamonix to Zermatt Glacier Haute Route.

A woman sits in the Swiss Alps watching the sunset on a summer day during a hiking tour of the Chamonix to Zermatt Glacier Haute Route.

A heavily crevassed and dangerous Stockjigletscher is the final descent on the fifth day of the Chamonix to Zermatt Glacier Haute Route. Great care must be taken to avoid the crevasses and follow the best route down the glacier to the endpoint on the Stockji, a rock island where the dirt trail starts that leads to the final overnight at the Schonbiel Hut.

Two hikers walking alongside the Glacier du Tour on the first day of the Chamonix to Zermatt Glacier Haute Route.

Two hikers walking alongside the Glacier d’Orny on the first day of the Chamonix to Zermatt Glacier Haute Route.

See more of Dan Patitucci’s professional adventure photography at PatitucciPhoto.com.