Courmayeur to Rifugio Bonatti: Day Five of Scenic Trails, and Switchbacks
After the grueling mileage of yesterday, we allowed ourselves a 'late' start. We spent the morning wrestling with our mountain of laundry and enjoying a breakfast of bread with berry jam, fruit cocktail, individual yogurt jars, and much-needed coffee.
The journey began with a descent into the town of Courmayeur. While the three Brits we'd met earlier opted for the chairlift, we committed to the trail. It was a forest trek filled with endless switchbacks.
Courmayeur is absolutely stunning; all stone sidewalks and narrow, charming streets (though I've learned that Italians do not move out of the way for hikers!). We ran errands like pros: hit the pharmacy for sunscreen, the grocery store for protein bars, and a local panetteria for lunch. We grabbed mushroom focaccia and a classic cheese pizza; it was easily the best food of the trip so far.
The ascent out of town was a series of forest switchbacks where we played a high-stakes game of 'cat and mouse' with several other couples. Proud to say: we won.
We reached the Rifugio Bertone just as the clouds broke. We huddled under an awning for the heavy stuff and deployed our rainflies for the first time as we hiked out in the drizzle. We found a spot on a cliff just above the refuge to enjoy a simple lunch of bread and cheese.
What followed was the absolute best walk of the trip. A long, flat stretch of trail with views that made every uphill battle worth it.
We eventually rolled into Rifugio Bonatti. The rooms here are giant; there are 10 of us in ours, with five beds lined up in a row. We're crossing our fingers no one ends up in the gap between us and the couple next door! The showers were ice cold even though they promised two minutes of warmth that never materialized, and we set up another ingenious laundry stringing system across a wooden wardrobe.
Before dinner, we decompressed with some reading, beer, and spicy cheese balls. Dinner was a lively table of nine: us, three Swiss school friends, and a French family of four. We feasted on bread, salad, farfalle in red sauce, steamed veggies with a veggie burger, and chocolate pudding. The entertainment of the night was watching the adjacent table rinse their meat in their water glasses before eating. We couldn't tell if it was too salty or a cultural habit, but it certainly gave us something to talk about!
Now, it's time for podcasts in bed as we rest up for whatever tomorrow brings. Moving through Italy is proving to be a beautiful, blistered, and delicious adventure.