Well, today was epic. Good in some ways, terrible in others.

We got up early in Refuge de Truc. Breakfast was bread and jam with a choice of hot beverage. We also ordered a picnic lunch which gave us access to some fruits and vegetables that were sorely lacking in our diet. Of course, my watch band broke right as we’re heading out, but I’ve “repaired” it with some duct tape.

We got on road by about 8:30 and headed down to Les Contamines. There I was able to visit a bank; with our new plans, we were spending more time in Euro zone and less time in Swiss zone, so I would run out of Euros at these places that were cash only. You don’t want to argue with the guy that has shelter when you are on the side of a mountain.

Then we hiked up, up and more up. It was about time we started crossing paths with the UTMB and it was interesting to see the difference in daylight. Unfortunately it didn’t last. As we got above Le Balme, the clouds rolled in. At times you couldn’t see more than 50 meters. I could honestly say the view under the full moon of the UTMB was better than these views. But we continued on, because there wasn’t much of a choice. The rain that happened above Col de Bonhomme wasn’t welcome.

The entire time I was getting stressed. We didn’t have reservations for the hostel we were heading to, Croix de la Col de Bonhomme. So I wanted to get there as early as possible to maximize the chances of getting a bed. My friend was slowing down and stressing me. I eventually figured out part of the problem was a lack of energy on her part and force fed her some SportBeans. That helped a lot.

We crossed the summit, and the weather cleared a bit. We could actually see mountains and, dare I say, a view. And there was the hostel, perched lovingly on the side of the mountain. I descended and then met true terror. I entered the common room and it was completely filled with people. A quick check confirmed, the hostel was fully booked. And a phone check of the next hostel two hours away confirmed that it was booked solid too.

The proprietors weren’t happy about us being there, but they did offer a grudging solution that we sleep on the floor of the common room. It was the same offer a party of six got. It was better than nothing. And it gave us a chance to take a shower (without hot water) before dinner. Dinner was bread, beef stew, polenta, some cheese and a piece of light cake without frosting. It was very nice after the stressful day. There is no electricity in most places here. I think they get their power from solar energy and today was not a good day for sunlight. Dinner was by candlelight, making me very sleepy.

And at the end of dinner, we found out that they had discovered room for us. So tonight we will be sleeping in a yurt outside. I’m not sure this is an improvement, because it is warm here and cold outside. I’ll let you know tomorrow.

2015-9-3 21:25