Dick Dietz once again journeyed from his home in Colorado, to climb in the Alps. Our main objective was the Mönch and Jungfrau, both of which had rebuked us the previous year.

Day one. Not so good for alpine climbing. With the forecast calling for intermittent rain, we opted for a walk. Riding the lift up to First, we carried along on the easy path to Bachsee, a pretty lake nestled in the meadows.

At the lake Bachsee.

On the hike back to Frist, the weather briefly cleared, offering us a nice view of the Eiger.

The next day, we carried on up to the Jungfraujoch, hoping to climb the Mönch. But high winds again thwarted us.

The next day, however, was much better. Here we are on the Jungfrau.

Crossing the snow slope above the Rottalsattel.

And on the summit!

Careful climbing on the steep descent.

Back at the Rottalsattel, on the way down.

Unfortunately, the snow became quite soft in the day's hot sun. And the post-hole-fest on the way back to the Jungfraujoch was as tiring as it was exasperating. Also, some nasty blister developed in the process.

Thinking that there were more short climbing options in Chamonix, we took our fourth day to travel to France.

The blisters precluded wearing of boots or rock shoes, so another activity was called for. We ended up on the Via Ferrata near the town of Thônes.

Dick grapples with one of the steeping sections.

A bit of pumpiness on "The Wall".