After a hearty Berg Steiger’s dinner night before, Astrid headed off to bed at 19:30 hrs for a major 10 hr sleep session. I was not long behind her, staying up only to photograph an amazing sunset.
I had set the alarm for 06:30 hrs, as did seemingly most other hikers, with therefore a terrible cacophony breaking the mountain serenity at the appointed time. Breakfast, ablutions and packing were completed with unseemly haste, with Astrid taking up Point by 07:55 hrs under perfect blue skies.
The first hour’s plodding was enjoyable enough, but we were unpleasantly surprised by a bloody awful ascent of a precipitous scree slope to the col at Forcella Della Roa. This was followed by another similar ascent on scree an hour later to the col at Forcella Forces Des Sieles. By this time Astrid was feeling very hot and bothered, and also badly weakened from the exertion involved. Fortunately, the remainder of the way to Rifugio Puez was much less challenging, with Astrid able to slowly gather her strength again.
Indeed, as had we reached the Refugio by 12:40hrs, our initial planned destination for the day, Astrid decided over lunch that we should push on. By then I was on my 3rd Weiß Bier, and had consumed vast quantities of food. However, being, as always, subservient to her wishes, we kitted up for an additional 7 km romp down to Passo Gardena, via 2 more nasty cols. Needless to say I felt somewhat ‘light-headed’ and my stomach was not enamored with the severe indigestion experienced along the way. However, the thought of finding accommodation in a decent Hotel for the night proved an irresistible lure. And so at 16:35 hrs we finally reached Passo Gardena and secured a room at Hotel Cir.
After soaking aches and pains and obligatory washing of smelly clothes, we at last could relax followed by a most sumptuous, although rather large 4 course meal.
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