After a really great rest, I decided to get up early. The weather report did not look great, and I wanted to get a head start before the rain clouds started rolling
in. I was also really worried about the snow ahead and decided to get an early start to avoid slushy snow once it got warmer. Everyone else was still asleep or started walking towards the refuge
for a nice breakfast, before embracing the day themselves. We started heading up the trail and past all the spots we saw other hikers the day before. A week before we started our trip, there were
still big snow fields around. I knew that most of them had melted, according to my research, but we were coming up to the one pass that apparently did not.
I was terrified of steep snow traverses before and during my PCT hike in 2019. During my hike I got a lot better, gained more confidence and experience, thanks to my trail family. I was still nervous. I had never done a snow traverse with a dog before. What would I do if she pulls me off a mountain? Do I unclip her? Do I fall with her? If I unclip her, what if she falls, and I can't reach her? Sierra does get really excited in the snow, and I was worried she will get the snow zoomies, slip, fall and pull us both to our death. Dramatic, I know, but back then this was a legit concern for me.
When we reached the first snow patch on the side of the trail, Sierra was just as excited as I predicted. She ran towards it right away, rolling around and scratching herself a nice little slushy to lick off the ground. This only increased my worry more. We kept hiking and came around a corner when I saw the snow patch, and to my relief it wasn't as bad as I thought. It was big, but not steep. If we were to fall, we would not go far, could just get up and keep walking.
Sierra did great. I sat her aside and told her that she had to pull it together, flip on her focus and help us make it across safely. And boy oh boy did she deliver. I was over the moon and besides the occasional licking of the ice beneath our feet, we walked across the snow patch and up the pass. When we arrived at Croix du Bonhomme (2.479m), I did not only feel like we were the greatest mountaineers out there, but we were also rewarded with an incredible view around us. Mountain as far as the eye could see. I was not only out of breath from the physical activity from that morning but also from the surrounding beauty. The clouds, were a paid actor and turned the scene mystic. I felt small and yet on top of the world. Looking in front of us we saw the refuge which we used to take a quick break and a cup of hot tea. Drinking a hot tea, this high up, felt surreal. On this trail you do have the option of eating cake, drinking coffee and even ordering a sandwich or burger if you are lucky, as most refuges on trail give you an option of ordering food. In my world, hiking in the mountains, this does not feel natural. And the only thing I ever got, was this cup of tea. Not only because I found the idea strange, but also because I did not want to take Sierra into a tight space. This cup of tea, however, was important and the best cup of tea I ever had. It warmed me up to my core and gave me the motivation I needed at this point.
We watched the goats in the distance, the clouds forming over the mountains, and breathed the freshness that you only get when you are this high up. While I warmed
up with my tea, Sierra got some extra protection from the elements from her fleece jacket. I could have stayed up there forever, but after roughly half an hour I decided to keep going. I was cold
and really needed to warm up, now that the tea had gone. The clouds that were so beautiful when we arrived had turned more dramatic and darker. It felt like a warning. One that I was sure not
going to ignore. In the back of my mind, I remembered the weather report and packed up Sierras mini lunch and my things.
We started making our way down. Sierra does not understand how mountains works and as a result does not realize that her paws go faster on the downhill. I had to remind her a few times to not
start running and pay a bit more attention to the fact, that I was close to flying behind her... horizontally. She tried her best though and was great at checking in with me. My knees and I were
really thankful for her change of heart. Downhill is not kind on my knees, especially with such steep and rocky terrain. So slowing it down was important to me.
We found our groove, walking a few steps and then parking on the side of the trail to let others pass. The golden rule in hiking for me is, that hikers going up always have the right of way. Because going up is a lot harder, and I never want to disturb someone who just found their groove. Sierra reached rock star level that day.
Everyone wanted to cuddle the dog with the red backpack or wanted to take a picture. And to my absolute surprise, Sierra did not mind. She was happy for all the love, attention and belly rubs. No matter how reactive she was back home, she was now the perfect hiking partner. Not once was I worried.
Optimism and luck are two very different things. The more I started going down in elevation, the more optimistic I was that we were going to make it dry. Spoiler: It did not happen. Why would I be so lucky, with all the crazy weather we had up until this point. When I checked the map, there were only a few more minutes until les Chapieux. We were so close to the end of our day, when I felt the first raindrop on my face. I rolled my eyes, stopped and unpacked my pack cover and Sierras raincoat. I started cursing towards the sky: "Typical. Why now? Why so close? Doooon´t do this!!!! Bloody rain. Just wait. Freaking heck. Can't you wait just 10 minutes?" Nobody listened, and what I was sure was going to be just a small drizzle, quickly turned into a downpour. We sped up a bit and reached the tourist information, where we found cover and huddled up to stay warm. How drenched can a person get in a few minutes (Spoiler: It was about to get worse in the coming days). We watched farmers and their dogs relocated their goats past the camping location and up the street when the rain started to ease up. I decided to use the break in the clouds and quickly set up the tent. Just in time for the next rain cloud. I was starting to be really annoyed, knowing I would probably spend the night in a wet tent again. When I started up my cooker to make dinner, the rain stopped. I did not bother looking outside, as I had a feeling the rain would start again soon enough. I listened to my music and waited for my ramen to warm up. After a few minutes, I heard laughter and people talking. When the talking did not stop I opened my tent. The sun was out, the sky was blue and people were rolling into the campsite. I smiled, high-fived Sierra and unpacked everything. I even took down the rain cover again to give everything a chance to embrace the sunlight and dry. The sun felt beautiful on my face and even Sierra managed to fully dry before we headed into our tent for a good night of sleep.
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