Short summary: a great pass day.
Toe not a problem! We said goodbye to Russell and Thomas and headed off down the postman's trail into Vallouise. A lovely little village, albeit a little busy with visitors... perhaps we were fortunate to stay up in the peace and quiet of Puy Saint Vincent.
And the hike? Well, we walked north up a valley with increasingly impressive views westward to the Écrins. At first Erik strode out ahead... but later, as the slope got steeper and the air thinner, he started to flag and we knew that we had not yet found our Thomas Bily replacement. I think a combination of jetlag, his long hike yesterday, a heavy pack, and a few extra years since his last hike in the Alps took a toll. He'll be fine overall, but he won't be out front all the time as it looked might be the case.
Ioana reached the pass at 2425m a few minutes ahead of Erik -- revealing surprising stamina (all the more surprising since at the beginning of the hike she had announced that she didn't have any stamina!). Her problems started on the far side as the trail went downhill. It turns out that she has a slight knee problem... and it made her a little uncertain. So, she brought up the rear during the descent.
And Jorge? Well, I can perhaps best give you an idea of his general state of fitness by saying that after dinner he went out for a walk. He is in fact our next Thomas Bily (or would be if he were a less perfect gentleman... but he is not and so stayed with Ioana most of the time!). Perhaps we will not find a Thomas Bily replacement?
Valentin was as strong as ever, and Reinhard was first to the pass... so the Sattinger contingent did well today. At least until Reinhard's boots began to give him trouble again on the descent, and he decided that it would make more sense to take a cablecar down (there was one running). He missed out on a beautiful trail down through flower-bestrewn woods... but he also ensured that he'd be able to hike tomorrow -- their last day. So, a wise decision.
Beautiful weather, and most of the way absolutely beautiful surroundings (only marred by the ski lifts and trails at the top on either side of the pass). A great hike.
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