Total ascent, 1254m.
Total descent, 1875m.
Tuesday, 21st July.
First of all please forgive my idiocy from yesterday, when I confused a heavily populated grassy pasture alp with a mountain alp in my picture caption. Also I'm a bit disappointed that Blogger wouldn't upload my zebra crossing photo. Never mind, to business...
Along up along up up down down down down down
Today's profile in terms of ups and downs was pretty much the reverse of yesterday, but if the idea of an 1800m descent sounds more appealing than an ascent, I can assure you it isn't. I much prefer walking uphill, which is simply exhausting rather than physically painful (I think I said yesterday that the ascent was painfully hard, but that's only in my head!). It was agonising. I am using walking poles for the first time on this trip, but I should have practised with them. Yesterday I fell flat on my back in the first ten minutes of using them, and today tripped over one of them. I'm only using them for descents and they will take the pressure off my knees once I've worked out how to use them properly (yes I know it should be easy but...).
The ascent though was fantastic, the scenery stunning and I came across another grassy pasture alp (the second 'along', good but not up to yesterday's standard). My target was Col de la Fricolla at 2540m (8333.33 recurring feet), and at about 2500m I came across the first snow field, at the same time as I came across my first little furry creature (species unknown) and two high altitude frogs.
My packed lunch from the hotel was a very dry ham roll and masses of fruit (they just knew). Usually I'd abandon the fruit but context is everything so I abandoned the roll. I had a banana (disgusting as ever but I need potassium for something or other), an apple (lovely), two pears (delicious), four plums (astonishing) and two peaches (insert superlative better than any of the others here).
Until recently the Alta Via 2 did not include the two days I've just done, they were added to link up with the Alta Via 1 so they made a complete loop. I'm expecting it to be quite different from now on as I enter the Gran Paradiso national park, with more people and fewer overgrown paths (due to better maintenance and more trampling). I've met one walker so far and one suspicious looking old man as I climbed through the woods yesterday. I was about 5 minutes away when he saw me and he kept glancing down at me, then at what he was suddenly very hurriedly doing. I'm pretty certain he was burying someone but when I got there he'd finished, so he's got away with it I suppose.
I suspect the main reason nobody bothers with these 2 days are because there is nowhere (ie. alpine huts) to break up each day, so they are long and tough whether you like it or not. Further on there is a hut every 3 or 4 hours so you can choose how long to make each day. Indeed my next 2 nights are in alpine huts at quite high altitudes, and I very much doubt they'll have wi-fi, so unless I find a village cafe that's connected my next upload will be on Friday evening.
Well I need to change the subject because it's unfortunately all happening here at the hotel. As I left my room to head for dinner a lady guest had just fallen down the stairs onto the first floor landing below. The steps are stone and there is blood everywhere. Her husband is in a terrible state and even suggested I step over her to get past. I didn't. I'm back in my room with the paramedics outside and an air ambulance about to land (goodness knows where, though I presume they've done this before). I'll wait for an appropriate time to go down, though I've lost my appetite to say the least.
I'd better draw a line under this blog entry as I'm in a very subdued dining room with an empty table laid for dinner next to me. I feel especially sorry for the owners who look quite distressed. The meal is weird and the main course is omelette, boiled spinach and tomatoes. Time for an early night I think.
But wait! The owners' son has arrived since the ambulance left, has no interest in injured guests and wants to practise his English and feed me Amaretto. It's quite medicinal, I'm starting to feel much better!
-- Posted from Kev's iPhone
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