My husband and I will be hiking from Chamonix to Zermatt in August/September. We are experienced backpackers and climbers in excellent health and can handle medical emergencies.
That said, we both have prior knee injuries from way back. We plan to be completely prepared for this trek, but in the event of a recurrent injury, Plan B is to bail out before it gets worse.
So:
1) What are some good "bail-out" points on the Walkers Haute route?
2) Can we stay anywhere without reservations?
3) Is there a mountain climbing forum that would be a better place to ask this question?