hiking alone in the Alps

I was just in the Berner Oberland with my daughter and 6 year old granddaughter. So with the 6 year old we didn't do serious long hikes alone. So I can't address that part of your question nor did we use a phone. But I did learn that it is wise to carry a whistle. 5 rapid blows of the whistle means you need help. Do this in intervals for someone to hear your distress!!

Gosh, I wouldn't have thought of that--thank you!

5 rapid blows of the whistle means you need help.

Out here in the west (of the US) we use three blast of the whistle (or three shot fired) as a distress signal. The three blasts can/should be periodically repeated. See below for response code:

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/survivalist/2013/06/survival-skills-signal-whistle-codes-

International Whistle Codes

Three blasts of the whistle is an international distress call, which
is loosely translated to “Help me!” Two blasts of the whistle is a
call-back signal which means “Come here.” One blast can mean “Where
are you?” or it can be a call-back signal if you hear anything that
sounds like a code.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distress_signal

The recognised mountain distress signals are based on groups of three,
or six in the UK and the European Alps. A distress signal can be three
fires or piles of rocks in a triangle, three blasts on a whistle,
three shots from a firearm, or three flashes of a light, in succession
followed by a one-minute pause and repeated until a response is
received. Three blasts or flashes is the appropriate response.

However, local practice may be different. Wikipedia also notes:

In the Alps, the recommended way to signal distress is the Alpine
distress signal: give six signals within a minute, then pause for a
minute, repeating this until rescue arrives. A signal may be anything
visual (waving clothes or lights, use of a signal mirror) or audible
(shouts, whistles, etc.). The rescuers acknowledge with three signals
per minute.

In practice either signal pattern is likely to be recognised in most
popular mountainous areas as nearby climbing teams are likely to
include Europeans or North Americans.

Now that said, going alone is not the best practice. See the Norwegian Mountain Code:
https://english.dnt.no/the-norwegian-mountain-code/

Don't go solo

If you trek alone, there's nobody to give first aid or notify a rescue
service in an emergency. Yet there isn't always safety in numbers. A
large party is inadvisable, particularly if its members are unequally
experienced. A party never is stronger than its weakest member.

Thinking out aloud, perhaps a combination signal of three quick blasts, slight pause followed by three additional quick blasts may be a good compromise of combing the two systems.

If you do go alone, at least follow the other Mountain Code suggestions such as checking weather, leaving word of your route and the other suggestions. If you can leave word of your route and expected arrival, searchers can try to recover you.

To begin with, there is cell service in that area. I've been travelling with a mobile phone for many years and have found the coverage is good on both sides of the valley. I also travel solo, and prefer to have a phone available in case it's needed. Many cellular networks have location finding capability, but I'm not sure whether networks in Switzerland currently have that.

I agree with previous suggestions to tell staff at your hotel where you'll be hiking each day, and that way if you don't return they'll know where to start looking. It's quite likely there will be other people on the trails as well, so you should encounter other hikers from time-to-time. Whistles are also good, but of course there has to be someone not only close enough to hear them, but also someone who knows what the various signals mean.

Emergency locator beacons are available for a few hundred bucks...priceless if needed.

1. Get a phone. They make finding your hotel/boat/train station/cablecar station/etc. much easier (read: easy takes less time than getting lost--and sometimes really lost, which is a REAL time waster). Take yours and get some sort of service for 10-30CHF at the airport (see Chad's thread). Makes finding OPEN grocery stores super easy to find (harder than you think sometimes).

2. There is cell service everywhere. EVERYwhere. Also nice to be able to post photos to twitter/email/etc. for family/friends back home.

3. Check out the SAC-CAS, you DO NOT have to be a member to use their excellent mountain hotels (huetten). http://www.sac-cas.ch/en/huts/search-a-hut.html VERY safe and a good place to meet like-minded hikers of all ages. But, to be honest, I see a LOT of 60+ hikers. They have the time and hiking is a cheap thing to do. The huetten are cheap, allow you to carry nothing but a change of undies and socks, and they serve meals and beer (and expensive water and sodas).

Also, you can stay in Wengen for a week or you can find a hut or two and hike to them wherever they are. I have seen some amazing things on my way to these huts. Sometimes I hear people swear by this place or that (there are a couple of places people really seem to love on the RSFs) and I think, "but that isn't anywhere NEAR as awesome as about 10-20 places I have have seen!" I mention this to my wife and she says, "but we go to places other (Americans) just don't go." "Really?", I reply. She just stares at me like I am a simpleton; much the same way that my 5 year-old stared at me as we headed up to the Hirli, under the Matterhorn, for a cold, snowy night in an aluminum tent. Moral: out of the way is amazing! Check out the huts and GO! :)

Good travels!