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We got up early for the breakfast, but it was a less than appetizing affair. There were flies buzzing around the room, and the food selection was poor. Melanie ate two of the croissants, and felt ill afterwards. I don't think she ate another croissant the rest of the trip. We had the option of riding a shuttle up the road to Ville des Glaciers, but I didn't even consider riding. Of course we would walk the whole way! Besides, today was only a 15 km hike, so I figured we would be arriving early at Refugio Elisabetta, why take the shuttle just to get there even earlier? So we walked the first several kilometers. While it is true we walked on a road instead of trail, it was mostly deserted. Plus, by walking, we got to see the memorials erected to the Frenchmen who lost their lives in World War II trying to stop the invading Italian army, who came over the Col de la Seigne, the pass that we would be climbing later. It is strange to think of European nations fighting and killing for territory, while today, the borders are open and peaceful. I like the modern Europe. The day's route took us through the Vallee des Glacier, one of the seven valleys we would hike through on our circuit. Initially, the valley walls are steep on both sides, but before long the valley opened up into a wonderful view of Aiguille des Glaciers and the Mont Blanc massif. This was a fine example of the legendary Alpine scenery that we had come to see. Of course it was another day of wonderful weather. Blue skies and warm. While we were hiking, there were news reports that Central Germany was suffering from 100 degree temperatures, but up in the mountains it was not too hot for us. We enjoyed clear skies and marvelous mountain views all day long. After Ville des Glaciers, the trail turned sharply uphill. Although the distance we had to hike was only 15 km, this was one of three days on the TMB with over 1000 meters of elevation gain. It was a long way up to the pass of Col de la Seigne, which is the border between France and Italy. But we had such an early start, that we reached the Col long before lunch time. The pass is at 2516 meters, it was cool enough that we put our jackets on at the summit. Above us towered the peak of Aiguille des Glaciers. Ahead of us, to the east, we could see the Val Veni valley (another of the seven valleys on the TMB), looking back into France, we saw the Vallee des Glaciers and the distance we had already hiked. It looked like an impressively long distance. We hiked down from Col de la Seigne, passing the ruins of some old customs houses along the way. No officials stand guard at this border any more - though we did see a lot of cows, with their cow bells clanging away. It wasn't too much later that we reached Refugio Elisabetta. It was early afternoon when we arrived, so early that we couldn't even check in yet. From Elisabetta, there are spectacular views to the north, with glaciers and peaks. To the east, the Val Veni stretches off into the distance. There are no other buildings around for miles, Elisabetta is isolated from all other structures. James and Stephen split an appetizer and some beers, while I had a beer of my own. I think Melanie still wasn't feeling that great from the breakfast. Because we had so much of the afternoon free, I decided I would go for a hike above Refugio Elisabetta, up toward the glaciers. I brought my camera and hiked up, though I didn't really go too high. The glacier views are different, and I also got to look down on the Refugio. As I hiked back down, I started taking photos off all the different alpine flowers that I could find. I met Stephen as he came running up the trail - he was out for an afternoon run - clearly the hike over Col de la Seigne hadn't tired him out! I was impressed that he could run while wearing hiking boots. Inside Refugio Elisabetta, we had a room with four bunk beds. It was tightly packed, the room must have been less than 50 square feet. But at least we had a room - we saw the couple from Philadelphia, and they said that Refugio Elisabetta had lost their reservation! (When we saw them again a few hours later, they had called the tour company that had made their arrangements, which then called Elisabetta, which then rediscovered the missing reservation.) To take a shower at Refugio Elisabetta, you get one token, with allows you four minutes of hot water. After the 4 minute mark, the hot water shuts off and all you get is icy cold water. Stephen returned from his run, and he was excited to show us pictures he had taken of an ibex up by the glacier. It was a mature animal, with huge horns. I wished that I had gone further on my hike, perhaps I would have seen the ibex too. The dinner at Refugio Elisabetta was good - it was a multicourse meal that filled me up. We sat a table with four hikers from Barcelona (Stephen got to use his Spanish) as well as a couple from England/Australia - we saw this couple for the rest of our hike. After dinner, we went outside to enjoy the evening light on the glaciers. While we were talking, Melanie spotted an animal up on the rocks in the fading light - I zoomed in with my camera - Melanie had found an ibex! Perhaps it was the same ibex Stephen had seen that afternoon. It was distant from where we stood, and with the light so poor, my pictures didn't turn out well. But it was great to see the wild animal! Another great day was complete. I don't think our trip could have gone better up to this point. Panorama Photos
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Click on any thumbnail to begin the slide show at that photograph TMB Stage 4
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