I arrived at Riffelalp station and then I went to Riffelberg station by train. It was not yet 1 p.m. and I still had plenty of time to solve my couch potato syndrome. I had a a lot of drive so I started to walk down from Riffelberg station.

I wanted to walk the path which led in the direction of the Matterhorn, which I'd not walked last year, but I saw there was still some snow left on the ground so I changed my plan....

From Riffelberg there were a couple of options to get down to Riffelalp. The hiking trails called Swiss Topwalk and Mark Twains Weg were very popular. Although having said that, there were a lot of snow left over this year and I didn't know the condition of the trails. In the end, I walked the same hiking trail as last year and I headed to Riffelalp station.
In one stretch without rest, I went down the 370m vertical descent and it was really hard on my knees!

When I reached Riffelalp station, it was not yet 3 p.m.
I was so full of energy today!
I took a train at Riffelalp station again and this time I got off at one station higher than Riffelberg station, Rotenboden station. One the way up I saw there was much snow on the ground so I was fully aware of the risk of bad footing. I was perfectly willing to walk on snow and I started to hike from Rotenboden to Riffelberg!

As you can see, compared to last year, there was still much snow left on the ground.

The hiking trail was covered with snow in places. I stepped in someone's footsteps but the snow was deeper than I thought and I sank into the snow up to my knees. Moreover, I fell on my backside once or twice and I was all covered with the muddy snow....
You may think that I walked around the snowy parts of the trail. But, in general, keeping to the hiking trail is considered to be good hiking manners, because it protects the natural environment.
Incidentally, the ground around the snow was also very muddy so there really wasn't much point.

I came back my hotel dead tired. According to my pedometer, today I walked 29,748 steps. I really overdid it today...I am not young anymore.
"Sure enough, nothing beats a wonderful cold beer and Japanese style curry after 29,748 steps hiking!!"
I felt that today's dinner surged through every fiber of my being....