Oh my goodness, the guy in the opposite bunk snored so loudly all night. Thank God for earplugs! The lodge came alive from about 5.00am by my reckoning, with people getting up and going to the bathroom, and because it was a wooden structure, every little movement seemed to resonate throughout the whole building.
I didn't sleep particularly well. There was always that concern about bedbugs (thankfully, no need to worry!) and then just being in an unfamiliar bed and strange place. I think my brain was probably more awake than I realised.
Got up around 6.15am, sorted the bedding and tidied everything away, then went down for breakfast. It was simple but good enough – coffee, croissant and cereal – and then we sorted our bags and were ready to leave around 7.30am.
We knew what was ahead of us today: walking uphill all morning until around 1.00pm. Can't say I was particularly looking forward to that, but it's hardly a surprise and it's exactly what we're here for!
We had a fairly steep rise for about 10 minutes and then settled into a steady walk through the meadows on a gravel path. We were accompanied by the sound of cow bells, which was actually really nice. Manu explained that the bells allow the farmers to locate the cows when it's time to bring them in for milking twice a day.
Because of the mountains to our east, we were walking in the shade for much of the morning, although it was a bright, clear and sunny day, and the mountains catching the sun on the other side looked spectacular.
We settled into a slow and steady pace. Tash had forgotten her poles after one of our breaks and had to run back for them, but thankfully, we'd not got too far when she realised, and then the gradient became steeper as we started crossing sections of snow - that was really cool (literally) as we had to traverse glacial snow. There were plenty of stops along the way, partly because of the flowers and fauna that Manu kept pointing out, but also because there was no reason to rush.
Eventually, we reached the top overlooking another valley. I honestly don't think you can get bored with these views. They're just amazing.
We even spotted some ibex, which was a real bonus, and then carried on towards the summit. We were still going upwards, but it wasn't painful, and I felt like I'd managed my pace really well. Slow and steady seemed to be working.
Actually, I really enjoyed today. It was hard work, but the reward at the top and the scenery all around us made it completely worthwhile. You can walk through these landscapes for hours and still find yourself stopping to look around because there's something new to see.
We then dropped about 100 metres down to the lodge for lunch, where we had pizza and sat outside taking it all in. The only downside was the flies, which were becoming increasingly annoying!
After lunch, we headed downhill for about an hour, eventually reaching an abandoned farmer's hut where we stopped and listened to Manu explain more about the meadows, farming and how the cheese is produced. It was really interesting and gave us a much better understanding of how important the whole landscape is to the local farmers.
Another hour or so of walking and we eventually reached the bottom of the valley. There was a restaurant there which is run by some of Manu's former students – he was a teacher before becoming a guide – so we stopped for some well-earned beers.
Manu also bought some cheese for us, a really nice Beaufort from the summer co-operative. There was plenty of chat about where the cheese is made, how it differs depending on which part of the valley or town it comes from, and all the various traditions around it.
The group is getting on better and better as well. There are loads of chats now, and everyone seems much more comfortable with each other, which is making the whole experience even better.
At around 5.00pm, the buses arrived, and we had a short transfer to the local hostel. We were high up on the road and could see the building below us, joking that surely that must be where we were staying.
It was.
We walked down a short way and discovered our accommodation for the night. We knew we'd all be together, but it was still a bit of a surprise when we realised it was basically a converted cow barn!
There were slatted beds and mattresses running down either side of the room. The boys took one side and the girls the other, with at least a mattress-width between each person. It was certainly going to be another interesting night!
Got ourselves sorted and had a much-needed shower before heading outside for another drink in the sunshine. We then got into a game of pétanque (boules), which turned surprisingly competitive.
The boys won 3–2. Obviously. 😂
Dinner was at 7.00pm, and there were loads of people staying here. The food came out and, once again, it was really tasty, and there was plenty of it.
There was loads of chatting around the table, and then, during dessert, the host brought out a wind-up organ and played a number of tunes for us. It was brilliant and added to the whole experience.
Once dinner finished, most people headed off to bed, although a few of us stayed up to charge our phones. Steve and I played Scrabble while Tash and Mary-Lou played some sort of shapes game.
By about 9.40pm we'd had enough and decided it was time to call it a night.
There's absolutely no phone coverage down here, which feels very strange but, at the same time, it's actually quite nice to be completely cut off from everything. No notifications, no messages, no work – just us, the mountains and a converted cow barn!
I'm definitely aching more tonight than I was yesterday, although today wasn't anywhere near as strenuous. Hopefully, I'll wake up tomorrow feeling okay. We've been told tomorrow is even less strenuous, but I'm taking that with a fairly large pinch of salt!
End of day summary
Another brilliant day in the Alps. Today was hard work but much more enjoyable for me than yesterday. I found my pace, didn't push too hard and was able to properly enjoy the scenery rather than constantly thinking about how much further we had to go.
The mountains, valleys, snow, meadows, cows, ibex and endless views are just spectacular. It's difficult to explain quite how impressive it is when you're actually standing amongst it all.
The group is also really starting to gel now, which is making a big difference. There's plenty of laughing and chatting and we're becoming a proper little team.
The accommodation tonight is certainly going to be an experience, though! Let's see whether the snoring situation improves tonight... I'm not holding out much hope.
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