We could not get up & out of the hut early enough this morning. Margaret's alarm went off at 5:00am and we all got our stuff put in our packs. We had a more adequate breakfast today then out the door to the trail by 6:45, just as the sun rose.
We knew we had a long distance day so we wanted to get an early start, plus we just wanted to say goodbye to the Refugio. We started up the next Col as soon as we hit the trail, we were all were breathing hard & trying to warm up. Then we strolled by Loc des Dix for 5 kilometers with the company of cows. They were fine with sharing the road with us while playing a beautiful melody with their bells. Our breakfast wore off fast and we were ready for snack just as we prepared to go up the next set of climbs. We had been anticipating this day since the beginning of the trek... The ladders!
Jon started sending YouTube videos of the ladder section to Michelle in June & it has caused her anxiety ever since. She actually went to Bogus with her loaded pack to practice so she knew what it would feel like. We climbed a really steep section for about an hour and then we took another break because we were hungry again. Thinking this would give us enough energy to tackle those fearful ladders. The ladders are a series of four ladders with platforms to move horizontally to the next ladder. They are the way to summit the Col by climbing to the top of a rock face (probably 50 feet high). But unbeknownst to us was the treacherous climb through a boulder field just to get to the ladders. A rock slide took out the trail & now we had to navigate our way up a loose field of boulders just to get to the ladders. It was the most challenging part we had done so far. Next, we held on to chains attached on the rock face to circumvent the area below the ladders. By the time we got there, it truly was easier & less scary than we ever imagined. So up the ladders we went!!
The descent was really long (my knees are not happy) and at the bottom was a nice outdoor pub with drinks & treats. We walked about ten more minutes to our wonderful hotel for much needed showers, laundry and an amazing dinner of rosti. Rain is in the forecast but Jon would say, "anyone can do it in the sunshine", so we will head out for a shorter day tomorrow.
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