August 29

August 29:  Rifugio Bonatti to La Fouly

After climbing Grand Col Ferret wave goodbye to Italy and the dramatic eastern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif and descend into the green pastures and valleys of Switzerland, finishing in the idyllic Alpine village of La Fouly.  

Today's walk initially continues high along the slopes of Italy's Val Ferret with a gorgeous proximity to the giant mountains of the Mont Blanc massif.  You could be forgiven for feeling a sense of sadness that you must leave this dramatic valley, but just over the hill of Col Grand Ferret lies Switzerland and the surprises she has in store!  Before passing over Col Grand Ferret and dropping into Switzerland, take a moment to look behind; the valley appears like a deep moat protecting the mountains, and in the distance is Col de la Seigne which you passed several days ago, and beyond which lies France.

It is funny the way a border - an arbitrary line on a map - can change everything.  There is no "Welcome to Switzerland" signs but it's not necessary; as you descend into the valley you'll find wooden chalets overflowing with flowers, ATMs that dispense the colourful currency of Swiss Francs, hill which reverberate to the chorus of cowbells, Swiss flags that flap proudly in the wind, and a host of other subtle, exciting changes that remind you you are somewhere new.

19.8 km.  925m up.  1349m down.

Our prayers were answered and the day dawned pretty darned nice.  Here's the view from our room first thing this morning.  

And some shots outside.  The tall one straight across mostly still obscured by cloud is the Grand Jorasses.  We could see the other side of this one on our trip up to the Mer de Glace from Chamonix last week.  Looking to the far left is the Italian side of Mont Blanc.

The Rifugio was a happening place this morning with breakfast starting at 6 and everyone getting ready to hit the trail.  For the first time this trip I ordered a lunch from the Rifugio.  The sandwich was mostly bread and hard to get through.  The mini-Ritz crackers were a treat, though, and the square of chocolate with the Rifugio Bonatti logo on it was the best part!

Our room's window from the outside.

And we're off..........  about 7:45.  The backside of our abode.

The views were spectacular and lots of pictures were taken, although the clouds still hid some of the peaks.  We had good views across to the peaks, back to the hut, and down the valley (which we would soon descend down into, and where Pat and Gary would start their hike today). 

 

An aid station was set up in the valley for the UTMB.  What I didn't realize was that the 100km race started from Courmayeur at 9am this morning, and those runners would soon be coming through here.  The leaders caught us just on the other side of the col and we shared the trail with them pretty much all afternoon.  Amazing!  While we were having dinner (and still watching runners pass through La Fouly) we heard that the first 100km finisher was in Chamonix with a time of 10 hours and some minutes.  Yikes!  Tomorrow we will share the trail with the true UTMB runners; the 176km runners.  

Next up - our climb du jour.  About 800 or 900 metres up to the Col Grand Ferret.  

In time we came past Rifugio Elena.  What a beautiful setting!  It was partway up the climb.

Then on to the col............  The col is one of the highest points we will reach on our route, and is also on the border between Italy and Switzerland.  We're now in our third country of the trek.  The Grand Col Ferret (2537m) separates Italy and Switzerland and also forms the boundary between the Mont Blanc massif and the Pennine Alps. 

Once down out of the wind we stopped for a little lunch.

And then the runners started coming.  Apparently there are over 2000 runners registered in this race.  

The downhill into Switzerland was actually quite lovely; not too steep, for a change.

Another aid station at La Peule.  Apparently Gary and Pat stopped here for a very expensive coffee.  Refuge La Peule - as well as welcoming walkers with refreshments, this isolated refuge is still a working dairy farm.

Views along the next section.  We took a break from the runners and sat off the trail for a second lunch for a bit.  At the time we had no idea just how many runners there were in this race (or even what the race was).  

A bit later on, we took a little investigative wander down a side trail and when we returned to the main trail, there were the boys just sitting and enjoying watching the runners.  They started before us, but had a couple of long coffee breaks, so we were able to walk the last few km in La Fouly together.  

Our gite wasn't open yet so we stopped at their place for refreshments.  Then "home" to be reunited with our luggage.  We're in a fairly small place and the woman who showed us to our rooms is also the cook.  We had a lovely soup and a huge veggie lasagna with salad.  What a feast!  

Going to bed once more with a distended stomach!  An easier day tomorrow, but we'll have to contend with UTMB runners all day.  For me, it will be a treat to see them!