Day 8 - Rifugio Mario Bezzi to Planaval, 13.8 miles.

Total ascent, 579m.
Total descent, 1283m.
Monday, 27th July.

All along down along out along lee.

Don't let the distance fool you, this was a day off. Well, almost. There was still a bit of ascent and quite a lot of descent but it felt like one. There was also a strong breeze which kept me cool all morning and I was finished by 3.

I've for the most part got into the routine of up at 7, breakfast at 7:30 and away by 8 to 8:15. The odd thing about this is the variation around me. If I'm at a hotel I'll be the first in for breakfast at 7:30 and (I think) the first to leave. If I'm at a hut I'll be the last in for breakfast at 7:30 and the last to leave. This was the case yet again this morning, and as I sat reading the warden looked like she thought it was time I left. I was going to explain my decision from yesterday that there was no point me ever going anywhere else ever again, but didn't.

In a nutshell I descended from Rifugio Bezzi and walked above the Valgrisenche valley for most of its length to Planaval, past the first valley lake I'd seen, though it was a reservoir full of milky coloured glacial outflow. It was a pleasant, relaxing walk!

There were only 2 events. One was a bog standard 'getting lost', so I headed downhill through a meadow till I got to a landmark on the map, in this case a chapel. The other was a slightly more exciting 'getting the bullock back in the field with the rest of the herd'. It was looking a bit distressed, but as tends to be the way with cattle they see plastic posts with ribbon joining them together as impenetrable objects. I spent a few minutes getting to know him, then lifted a post out of the ground and tried to usher him in by making the noises we might make to attract a dog, cat or budgie. He liked the budgie noise but stopped short of going under the ribbon. After some time I decided to take the bull by the horns and, er, took the bull by the horns. He did not like this one bit, dug his heels in and reversed. There would be no moving him. It was at this point that the farmer got out of the car nearby he'd been sitting in for the last 15 minutes. I'd thought it was empty. He wandered over looking quite impressed with my efforts (I can't say I was with his) and gestured for me to hold the ribbon up high. He then expertly held one horn whilst pushing its rump with the other. The bullock knocked him over, then ran off. I decided it was best to put the pole back in the ground and leave too.

Now I'm sitting drinking beer outside the lovely Hotel Paramont in the hamlet of Planaval, contemplating the 3 days remaining. The next two could be quite long and both end at huts so it's back into the wild again. The third is a half day wander back to civilisation to finish.

As little happened today I think a mini nature review of things I haven't talked much about is in order:

1. Rivers - nearly all of the rivers here are waterfalls as the terrain is so steep. I remember being very impressed with the first one I saw, and completely ignoring the last one I saw.

2. Flowers - absolutely stunning and absolutely everywhere. They still have the ability to make me frolic from time to time, particularly when found in ridiculous places.

3. Insects - where there are flowers there are insects. The bees and butterflies (masses and masses of butterflies) seem to love the flowers, and the flies seem to love me. And as for the crickets; what a racket! From tiny browns to enormous greens they are even more everywhere than everything else put together. Tricky to photograph though!

4. Furry creatures - I followed a marmot along a track today for about 3 minutes and it didn't notice. This was a rarity. The furry creatures are usually always on the lookout and very entertaining to watch. This is the one who decided to freeze until I'd passed.

5. Bigger creatures - aside from my 'moment' with the chamois I passed very close to this herd of ibex. Quite beautiful animals but you wouldn't mess with those horns.

6. Cows - the real stars of the Alps. I can't imagine the place without them and their bells.

7. Strange things - this could just be me (eg. seeing faces in glaciers and mountains that look like animals), but the profile of this rock reminds me of a former Premier League footballer. I'd be interested to know if anyone agrees.

-- Posted from Kev's iPhone