Total ascent, 1021m.
Total descent, 1652m.
Tuesday, 8th August.
This has to be the most sociable of all the long distance walks I've done (on my own, obviously I did talk to Jen last year!). Considering there's been nobody else so far who speaks first language English that is quite remarkable. Part of it appears to be the apparent surprise that anyone from the UK is here at all, which has made pretty much everybody incredibly friendly. At dinner last night on our table were 3 Italians, 3 French, a German and me, and again it was great fun.
It's also nice to be amongst people who all have at least one thing in common, and who therefore don't think that my idea of a holiday is total idiocy! A girl came to our table to ask what time we would like breakfast. I was first and said 7. The next two people said 6, the next 7, the next two 5:30 and the final two (a couple) said 4. They are planning an ascent of the Argentera, which they insist will be quite easy. Idiocy!
I must also mention the food as it was quite excellent, and even more so bearing in mind how inaccessible the place is. Organic barley soup (as introduced by the cook), pork in sauce with courgette and creamy mash and chocolate mousse, washed down with half a litre of rifugio red. Oh and an expresso of course! I have absolutely no idea how they do it, but it must surely involve a helicopter (I've since asked, it does). By 10pm there were about 20 people left in the sitting / dining room. 3 were playing cards and the rest of us were reading; it was incredibly peaceful. I can most definitely say I've been here, done it and, oh yes, bought the t-shirt! What a fine place.
So now I'm at breakfast and, ho hum, it's awful! Never mind. It's 7:15 and most people have already left because my 2 weather Apps and everybody else finally agree, thunder storms are coming! This should make today very interesting as it's a tough one. I've got two cols to cross the first of which, Colle di Brocan, is at 2892m (9488ft) the highest point of the entire walk. What a way to go, struck by lightning at nearly 10,000 feet! Let's see how it goes...
It's 4pm and I'm showered and ready for beer at my final rifugio (this time surrounded by cows and marmots). Other good news is that unless people turn up who haven't booked I'll have my own 4 person dorm to spread out in. It was chaos when I arrived and I feared another sardine night, but most turned out to be day-trippers and it's quiet now. In fact the only other people here at the moment are the Frenchman I ate with in the mad sanctuary and the 4 Spaniards I ate with in the first refuge. No wifi again though.
The walk was a two up, two down affair. The first half was pretty tough, with both a very steep, scramble ascent to the highest point and a steep, long, on yer bum descent which thankfully ended at another rifugio serving great coffee. Setting out at 7:30 had helped as it was cool, but by the 10:30 coffee stop black clouds had gathered on the peaks and I feared the worse. To be honest the valley was probably the least attractive in the park that I've seen, all a bit menacing and with a half empty reservoir in the middle.
Me at the highest point of the walk, 2892m (taken by one of the Spaniards as I'd just caught up with them).
By 11 I was off again and the cloud-swirling started in earnest, with peaks, lakes, my boots, you name it disappearing into cloud then reappearing seconds later. The high clouds then disappeared completely to leave a fine second half of the walk, similar in length and height to the first but much easier. I reached the rifugio at 2 and in no time the wind was howling and still is, but no rain so far.
Swirling mist 1.
Swirling mist 2.
No mist!
Although I did it in 6 hours it was a challenging day's walking and my last entirely in Italy. Most of the final two days will be in France.
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