In which the shy Matterhorn is finally seen without its veil of clouds.
The rest days in Turin were great. And for me at least, they were truly rest days, since I kept mostly to the hotel with my ankle elevated (which, I think, helped). The downside was that I hardly saw anything of the city... but what I did see looked lovely: I'll be coming back, next time not in the middle of a hike! The hotel was excellent, with a great breakfast buffet, beautiful internal courtyard, and helpful service. And, lastly, the restaurants we went to were top-notch... so it is just as well that I ate nothing between brunch and dinner each day, or else I would have reversed my (suspected) weight losses from the first week of the H3H/2.
There was quite a bit of coming and going while we were in Turin. Monday morning (early) Glen left... great to see him for some quality time. In the evening, Kristof, Corinna, & Benni arrived, fresh from a climb of the 4000+m Pollux peak that they started at something like 4:20AM... and as of 1AM the following morning they were still going strong... stunningly fit and energetic people, the Nast-Kolbs. They left Tues morning, and then Tues afternoon Thomas & Gabi Bily arrived... they will be hiking with Russ and me for the next few days. And finally on Wed morning Bea & Arnulf left, with Lidia and Madeleine, heading back to Munich, and at midday we four hikers headed back to Cervinia.
Had a nice dinner in Cervinia in a little hole in the wall restaurant that nevertheless cooks excellent steaks and makes their own pasta -- Jour et Nuit. Interesting thing about Cervinia... there are lots of Russian tourists, and you see Russian language signs all over, with Russian servers in some of the restautants. Hardly any Japanese though: seems as if they all go to Zermatt on the Swiss side of the Matterhorn, while the Russians all come to Cervinia.
Today dawned sunny and almost cloudless... so we had some great views of the Matterhorn as we were hiking up out of Cervinia... it is indeed a stunning mountain. We had a long climb to the (new) highest pass we have ever crossed in the Alps -- the Cime Blanche at 2982m. It was signposted as 3:30 from Cervinia, and we did it in about 2:20... showing two things: that the Bilys are as fit as ever, and that Russ and I have not lost any fitness as a result of laying around in Turin! Or, I suppose, the sign could have been for out of shape Russian tourists....
It was a little chilly and windy at the pass, so we walked down for a half an hour before stopping for lunch in the hot sun. But by the time we were finished the afternoon clouds had started to roll in, so we opted to finish the hike and hang out at the refuge rather than stay where we were.
Around 3:20 we got to the refuge, which is a little gem: for one thing, it has free WiFi with a good Internet connection. Then there are the unlimited hot showers, with free towels. And I've heard that the food is also excellent... looks like the gravy days are back again!
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