A view of the Matterhorn on the hike up to the Hornlihutte (Day 7).   One of my favorite trips of all time was when I hiked the Haute Route in September of 2023 from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland. Planning these trips can be a little daunting, but there is nothing like spending back to back days in the alps, drinking coffees, having 3-course dinners, and sleeping in a real (although bunk-style) bed. It's all the best parts of backpacking with all the comforts and e

Hut to hut backpacking requires much less gear than a traditional backpacking trip spent sleeping in tents, but a bit more gear and thought than just day-packing. Some people choose to pack more than what I outline below, opting to carry a larger backpack and more weight in order to have a new change of clothes each day. I pack very minimally for these trips as the vertical gain and descent each day can be grueling and I would rather handwash my clothes in the sink at night (