On the trek I will likely use maps.me, since it's free and works offline. Also you can import the kml/kmz markers as go off that. It doesn't (yet) show a topographical map, but should suffice since this trail is well marked.
See this: https://support.maps.me/hc/en-us/articles/207895029-How-can-I-import-bookmarks-
There is also a paid app (annual subscription) from https://map.schweizmobil.ch that looks very nice. There is a free version but requires connectivity, the paid one works offline and could be well worth it (plus offers some other features such as routes)
Online there is also: https://map.geo.admin.ch , no app available but these look fantastic and are printable.
Paper maps. Could also be well worth it and are explained in detail in Kev Reynolds book.
Not all operators accept credit cards in Switzerland nowadays so access to cash is important.
Meanwhile I'd advise taking a credit card and a debit card that will allow ATM withdrawals (travel cards don't allow loading up with CHF). The best option at the moment is looking like the Citibank plus account, how to apply is nicely outlined for us at Whirlpool
There are things not mentioned elsewhere that should be obvious to most travellers but anyway...
For September there is a full table online
Basically for the 1st 2 weeks of September you'll get sunrise before 7am and sunset after 7:45, it's a good 12+ hours of daylight a day! Perfect.
*** Much of the following I "borrowed" from myviaalpina.wordpress.com, I need to write my own version...
Although it is possible to hike the Via Alpina green trail without reserving accommodations ahead of time, I recommend making reservations. For one thing, if you have a reservation for your next lodging, you can relax and take your time on the trail. Thanks to the internet, each of the places where we stayed could be reserved online. Only two required a deposit or full payment ahead of time.
It crosses major Alpine passes, and involves long distances and very significant elevation gains and losses. I talk specifically on this here.
Expect 1-2 days for walking with gear with general higher altitude than you're used to.
In Switzerland, everyone speaks English? Up high in the Swiss Alps, this simply isn’t true, some younger folks do or can get by. In remote Swiss towns, owners often do not speak English (or, if they do, their English is very limited). And on the trail, you are not likely to encounter many native English speakers. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you spend some time learning at least some basic words and phrases in German and Schwyzerdütsch
Having at least some basic language skills will open doors, and make your Swiss hosts far more cordial.
I spent a year preparing for this trip: studying maps, reading up, planning the gear-list, training and documenting it all here over time.
Limited phone reception on the Via Alpina. WiFi does look available at many places to stay.
Be aware that in some of the accommodations along the Via, you have to sleep in a “sleep sack” on top of the bed or mattress provided by your host. Sometimes you can rent them there; we took our own. You can make one, or buy one for a fairly reasonable price.
Each day will be different. Sometimes farmers kindly provide a coffee or tea, othertimes there will be longer distances with a lot of climbing.
Most modern backpacks have the ability to insert a Camelbak water pouch. I'm planning on an at least 2L capacity one with a backup bottle of some kind.
Water purification tablets are a must since there are many cows and other animals living on the high meadows so you can't guarantee drinkable water without these.
One of the best things about hiking the Via Alpina green trail is the superb Swiss cuisine served at the huts, mountain hotels, lodges and farms where you’ll stay.
Typically, breakfast is included in the cost of your lodging and is served buffet-style. It includes cereal (usually muesli), breads and/or rolls, cheeses, meats, fruit, yogurt, coffee/tea/chocolate. At one place, our hostess also offered to make us soft-boiled eggs.
For lunch, we usually chose to picnic on the trail. We’d buy provisions in a town along the way (or, sometimes we’d buy cheese at a farm that we’d pass) and make sandwiches or put together a sampler of Swiss sausages, cheeses and breads. But when we wouldn’t pass a grocery for several days, we’d ask our host to pack a lunch for us. Those lunches typically involved some kind of cheese or meat sandwich, fruit, cookies and chocolate.
If you pay for “half pension,” then dinner is included in the cost of your lodging. We did that, and were very glad that we did. It was a great way to sample a wide variety of Swiss dishes. Dinners were sumptuous, even in the most remote lodgings. You get what the chef has decided to cook that night, and often it involves four or five courses. Sometimes dinner is served family-style, with plenty for extra helpings. Or, the host or hostess will urge seconds (or even thirds) on you. In addition to the entree (usually involving meat), dinners typically included soup, salad, bread and dessert.
An example: After crossing the Sefinenfurgge, I ate prodigious amounts of food at Spielbodenalp: three bowls of vegetable soup, two bowls of salad, and loads of bread, sausage, cheese, pickles, potatoes and chocolate pudding. And despite eating like this nearly every day, by the end of the trip I had lost nine pounds. That’s one of the great things about hiking the Via Alpina: you can burn off calories like crazy. (https://myviaalpina.wordpress.com/trail-cuisine/)
Rivella is a soft drink based on milk whey and certainly worth a try
I recieved a great thought from a friend of mine (Andy!):
"I'm sure over the weeks in the mountains you'll have real highs and real lows. Expected I guess.
Also I think things will go wrong, so when they do accept that it's one of the expected things and work on the solution. Can't wait to hear and follow your progress. Oh and do SEAL on you a bit too!", SEAL is in reference to the Living with a SEAL book