Hi, my wife and I are avid hikers and I've done a couple of guided winter tours on glaciers with a group (Spearhead Traverse and Wapta Traverse in Canada). But I really love dry glaciers in the summer, my favorite hikes have all been hikes that get me close to big dry glaciers. This year my wife and I are planning a trip to the alps (french/swiss) and I'd really like to go beyond regular hiking trails. I'm not so much interested in climbing peaks just yet, I'd just like to do some glacier travel. Are there any hikes or routes that given dry conditions in early September would be acceptable for us to cross with crampons or microspikes? We were thinking of hiking to the Refuge du Couvercle near Chamonix, you have to cross the mer de glace but it seems really straight foward, and then it's a Via Ferrata to the refuge. It looks like the refuge is well situated kind of at the intersection of three glaciers and would be a nice place to spend a night? Is there anywhere else we could venture unguided?
And regarding guiding, if we were to hire a guide, what would be a good route? I was looking at 2 day trip from the Jungfraujoch to the Konkordiahütte overnight, down to Märjelensee on day 2. It seems like it would be a nice trip down the Aletsch glacier? But again I have no idea if this is a good trip or if perhaps there are more interesting places to go with a guide for an overnight?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!