Tuesday August 16
Sunny day and a long walk.
Inge’s toe was not happy this morning. It seemed to have decided that a rest day was the new norm: just wandering around town in sandals. Back in a hiking boot with a pack to carry it was very angry, even on level ground. We almost abandoned the day, but the toe finally settled down and we did an ambitious walk, our biggest yet, with 1800m elevation gain and a col at 2257m.
The first part of the day was easy, along a river bank. But then the river went through a gorge creating a steep climb for us over the hill beside the gorge. More cables and ladders stuff, but not difficult. After that we left the river for some serious climbing but good scenery and a beautiful mountain lake.
It was a long day. The guide book rates it at an eight hour walk but that doesn’t include lunch or breaks or slow muddy spots. For us it was about 9.5 hours on the trail, a bit much. We will rearrange some of the suggested days to make them shorter and add a few days to the walk.
The photo above is at the last col today with Mt. Blanc in the distance. The refuge we are at tonight is 250m just below the col and we have great views of Mt Blanc from the dining room.
Roy