TMB Day 4

Today we went from Courmayeur to Refugio Bonatti. Double what you got for Mr Bonatti, double…double… Today was only 8.5 miles, 3,700 ascent, a 1,027 descent and a five and half hour hike, it was almost like having a day off:). The main climb of the hike started straight out of the gate. It was a little steeper than the previous day/s.

For the second straight day we were able to stop at a Refugio, Bertone, along the way for coffee and blueberry/lemon pie. A man can get used to this:). Refugios are always high up on the mountain affording the best views.

I sip my cappuccino looking out at the vast expanse of the Alps thinking of how lucky I am. I try to be conscious of such things. Life could’ve easily gone an infinite number of different directions. People are prone to give themselves credit for the way their lives turned out, and to a degree of course they should, but to an almost equal degree they shouldn’t.

Cow bells. European cows all have bells and for reasons unknown, every time I hear them I think of Swiss Miss chocolate pudding:). It helps the ranchers keep track of the herd, but in days gone by, it was also believed to ward off sickness and evil 🤷‍♂️. Pun intended, but Lordy.

I quite enjoy the sound of the bells and it can almost be meditative at times. On occasion I flashback to when I was staying in a Tibetan Monastery in northern India (foothills of the Himalayas) and the monks would chant: Om Mani Padme Hum, while drumming to help access areas of the mind not normally accessible. Who knew cows could help to induce a form of meditative walking, but mostly what I think is Swiss Miss chocolate pudding 😆.

This section of the hike has been glacier alley. Seemingly every mountain peak has a glacier between it and the next peak over. In addition to this amazingness, these glaciers create an entire mountain range of waterfalls. Out of this world. I keep trying to capture it in a photo but based on what I’m seeing, the photo never meets the experience.

Tomorrow, we hike to Switzerland. Whoop whoop.En savoir plus