This was the day we exited the picture book areas of Switzerland and crossed over into Italy. The change in landscape was almost immediate after we crossed the pass at the Grand Col Ferret. Italy in this part is a very rugged terrain above the tree line, then, you get to the valley and those are what you would expect in mountain country. It is amazing to me how each country and really, each region has it’s own personality, not just people, but the landscape also. I will try to upload some pictures, if you are not already tired of them, for the views from the pass. Sometimes I wonder if my pictures even come close to showing what I see with my eyes. I do know that I could never take enough pictures to do the views on this journey justice.
Today, I was supposed to end up at Rifugio Bonatti, a hostel by it`s lonesome in the mountains above Courmayeur. I took a detour and after lunch and after a little over 8 miles, skipped ahead to Courmayeur for an extra day’s rest. The rest of the team made it safely there and are probably eating dinner about now. Why did I jump ahead, my body was saying it was time e to slow down and rest. This trek for me was a test to see what my condition was after last Thanksgiving’s mishap that slowed me down a bit. You might say, you could have gone to Colorado to test yourself, but then you don’t understand my psyche. I have something in me that says you can try big, no matter the outcome. This trip has been a blessing to me, I have given the knee and leg a test and they are passing that test, time to throw the old walking boot in the trash. The conditioning is good, but not great. I have been really just getting back into hiking shape from May after being released from the doctor. The real true question is why push oneself to hike 10 miles with half of that up the mountain? I don’t know the answer, but God gives us all an incentive to do things in life for ourselves, whether it is trekking in the alps or helping our favorite charity. Both take the energy that only God can give. We all have an inner drive for something and all are grand, some physical , some mental, some just sharing that extra large heart.
I am in a nice hotel for the next couple of days and will have time to wash, catch up on the nagging blister and relax a little. Now is time for dinner and Italian food, do I splurge on a pizza (American, but loved over here), wonderful pasta or a great salad. We will see.
Kinda fun to think I have walked in 3 countries in 6 days…..One step at a time.
2 Timothy 1:7
