Leaving the next morning felt as if there was magic in the air. I started packing up the tent incredibly early. I knew what a long day we had ahead of us. It would turn out even longer than I expected, but that piece of information was still missing from the equation. The goal was to make it to Courmayeur, as this was the next spot where I had previously booked a camping spot. As we were ahead of schedule, I really wanted to split this day in two, but didn't know how. Refuge Elisabetta was not a dog friendly accommodation, and camping in Italy is also not allowed below 2,500 m. So the plan was, depending on how Sierra was feeling, either make it all the way to the campsite - which was very unlikely - or come up with a creative and possibly illegal plan B and find a place to camp in secret.
We started walking alongside the road, making our way through the valley, always looking at the mountain Aiguille des Glaciers (3.816m) and the distance pass. It was absolutely stunning. There were no clouds in the sky, which was a clear sign that this day would be a really hot one. We followed the river "Torrent des Glaciers" until we found the little dirt path that was leading us away from the road. You may know that I really don't appreciate road walking and feel much better on dirt roads. Sierra feels the same, and our spirits were lifted right away. I felt really lucky that the river crossings we encountered had little wooden or metal bridges for us to use. Getting your feet wet this early in the morning is never really a great start to the day. But our luck soon ended when we came across a bis snow patch that stopped us from moving forward. I looked around and saw some footsteps of other hikers, who have tried to climb up the big patch of snow trying to see if they could cross it and then - by the looks of it - decided to not attempt the traverse. I understood why. It was a really dodgy angle and if you slipped and fell there was an excellent chance you'd end up in the river one way or another. Doing this with Sierra was not an option. So I was quick to look for another solution. I found footprints that were leading towards the river instead of up the snow. When I followed them I saw that they had climbed down the riverbed and used some rocks and logs to cross little streams, while avoiding the big one, making it to the other side of the snow patch. In the distance I could see the fresh dirt. That was definitely proof that they had scrambled back up towards the path to reunite with the TMB at last.
And then it began. The climb of all climbs. Slowly, really slowly, we made our way up from France towards Italy. We hiked past some sheep paddocks and were able to have a quick break at the Refuge des Mottes before starting the final ascent up to the pass "Col de la Seigne" (2.515 m). I was procrastinating hard. But what were my options? Stay in this refuge forever, or suck it up and climb up the pass to get one step closer to my goal. There was no other option, so I started to walk. The beginning was not that bad. I quickly gained back my motivation, seeing all the other hikers in front and behind me. Despite me knowing how to hike our own hike, it is still incredibly nice, knowing there are others around you with the same goal. But my enthusiasm was soon destroyed as two mountain bikers OVERTOOK me on their bikes. And no, they were not riding E-Bikes. They were simply that strong. I stood there in disbelief, absolutely flabbergasted about how strong their legs must be to ride up the mountain and still having enough breath in their lungs to greet me and hold a decent conversation with each other. I continued huffing and puffing and soon saw the end of my climb.
All my fellow experienced hikers have probably seen this coming, and you were right. It was a false summit. My first clue should have been, not seeing a gathering of people. Why did I naively think that people would just keep hiking without a break? So I continued, cursed a bit while moving past the promising spot I thought was the end. Soon I found myself at the very top and only managed to throw my pack down, create some shade for Sierra and crash next to her for a quick summit nap. I felt horrible. I had no energy, had a headache, could not eat, and somehow on the verge of throwing up. I didn't know what was wrong, maybe I had pushed myself too far? Was it the extra weight and carrying all of Sierras stuff that pushed me over the edge? But I carried even heavier on the PCT? Not having an answer, all I could do at that moment was to look from left to right. France - Italy. Italy - France. I was in two places at once, with an incredible view of Mont Blanc.
After a long break and some really nice girls who took a couple of pictures, I made sure Sierra was good, packed up our things and started our descent. This time I carried Sierras pack, as I wanted her to fully recover, enjoy the few snow patches alongside the trail and just be at ease. The way down was incredibly long but nice. I still felt really weak and took a lot of little breaks along the way. When we reached Refuge Elisabetta I was astounded how many people I saw up there. I realized that not only did this spot host the TMB Hikers, but also all the tourists and day hikers from Courmayeur who wanted to get a taste of the magnificent mountain range.
While hiking down the valley of Val Veny I was plagued with the thought of where we would spend the night. It was definitely too far to make it to our booked campsite at Camping Hobo, down at Courmayeur. We were both tired and didn't want to hike into the night. So when we got to the refuge "Cabane du Combal", I parked Sierra outside the refuge and asked staff if there was a good place to spend the night or if we could even book a bed. But of course dogs are not allowed and as we were now in Italy, wild camping is illegal under 2,500 m of elevation. So the only option I had was either keep on hiking up or improvise and risk the chance of being caught and ticketed. So I took my chances, as I felt really sick and exhausted. With the tip of someone at the refuge, I created an emergency shelter at the Lake just behind Cabane du Combal at "Lago del Miage". A huge sign of relief left my body as I crawled into my sleeping bag at the end of the day. Relief that I managed this day, relief that tomorrow was a rest day, and relief that Sierra did so well despite a very long day. I was utterly exhausted.
Write a comment