Wednesday 27th August: Most magnificent day - Morning 8°C, Afternoon 3°C
Rifugio Ferraro to Rifugio Theodule: 21k: 8.00am to 4.45pm: 8hrs 45mins
Ferraro to Theodule: Height 3317 m
We awake to brilliant sunshine
Snow capped alps ahead
More snow capped mountains
Thunderous waterfalls
Looking back to blue skies
Time to shed the warn gear.
Glistening stream across the plan
Barren landscapes ahead
Coffe break under the sun
Christian from Romania
He talks to his cows
And kisses his goats
On and On
Gllacial lakes of Cime Bianche
Crossing the barren ski fields
Alps on horizon wherever you look
Couldn't resist another photo
Already at 2800 metres
Time for lunch before next climb
The Matterhorn looms ahead
Another couldn't resist photo
And again
And again
Blue skies, snow and glacial lakes
We're headed up that way
More of the same
The last 500 metres uphill in snow
I'll catch up soon
The Matterhorn in all it's glory
Alps looking across from Theodule
At last we arrive at Theodula at 3317metres and celebrate
Today was a most magnificent day - ALL day!! Ian took 63 photos today. It's so hard to just choose a few. We climbed our highest climb today to the Theodule Pass at 3317 metres - climb of 1500 metres from the low point at Fiery, the last 500 metres very steep and in the snow.
We awake to brilliant sunshine. Looking out the window we can't believe our eyes after yesterdays rain. It's picture perfect blue skies - very cold but sunny. We left Rifugio Ferraro at 8pm after a scanty breakfast of biscuits, dried bread, packaged croissants and strange smelling tea. Out through the forrest the downhill!! We're supposed to be going up, but for the first fe kilometres it's down into a deep gully, across the fast flowing stream after yesterday's rain. Then it's a slow climb up through the pine trees with snow capped Alps ahead and pretty soon we have to strip off the warm clothing - it's still 8°C but climbing has made us sweat.
There's thunderous waterfalls after yesterday's rain. It's a magical scenario with pine trees, snow capped mountains, fast flowing streams and soon it's time for coffee near one of the glistening streams. Soon after we meet a lonely goat herder straight out of Sound of Music. Christian is from Romania, speaks no English and is walking up to tend to his cattle and goats. But despite at lack of Romanian and his lack of English, we have a conversation for a half an hour. He insists we take photos of him talking to his cows and kissing his goats. Time to move on there's a long way to go.
Up to the glacial lakes and across the barren stony ski fields with cable cars and ski lifts running in every which direction. We've climbed to 3000 metres at Cime Bianche and time to have lunch before the last 300 metres steep climb. But soon we realise we have to go down 200 metres before we go up. The Matterhorn looms in front of us. There's so many photos to take. It's a really steep climb to Rifugio Theodule right at the Theodule Pass and the last 500 metres we're trudging through ice and snow.
We arrive at the Theodule Hut at 4.45pm. It's freezing cold though really sunny. We're met by Olga, who shows us to our 6 person room, and the toilets downstairs - squat style toilets. There's no showers so just a quick splash over with an icy cold wet rag is it for tonight. Sitting downstairs with a beer and Box of Pringles to Celebrate. Inside the dining room it's still freezing. Ian's feet are cold, mine ar like blocks of ice, but Olga doesn't seem to feel the cold, flitting around in scuffs and tee shirt.
We have a beer and celebrate our climb to 3317 metres, the highest point of our Tour de Monte Rosa. Dinner is at 7pm, and they've only just turned teh metho heater on. It's still freezing inside - 10°C inside the dining room and 5°C outside, and we sit as close as we can without getting burnt. Martin and Steven, two brothers from Munich Germany are mountain biking in the Alps, and they sit opposit us. We shake hands. Their hands are colder than ours.
The entre of minestrone soup is beautiful and hot. But the main course is 1kg of gluey mashed potatoes and 1 single chicken wing half cooked. Everyone leaves 3/4 of their meal. Dessert is caramel pannata - it's OK. Then it's time to sit and chat because no one wants to go upstairs to a freezing dorm, and no one wants to go downstairs to a freezing cold squat toilet. So we sit and chat and look at each other and wait for someone to make a move.
Finally at 9.30, everyone heads to bed. At least Olga has allocated a 6 person room per couple. There's really only room for 2 people anyway. I load 4 thick blankets on top of my sheet sleeping bag and go to bed clad in a jumper and neck scarf. But the room is so small that the two of us make soon make it warmer. Good night.