Day 4 - Refugio Elisbetta - Courmayeur

We awoke at 6:00 am for a 6:15 breakfast. It was unusually warm out, especially given the higher altitude. A fog had rolled down the valley, giving our refugio a very secluded, mystical feeling.

We hit the road by 7:00 am along a dead flat valley guarded by a series of mountains whose reflections lit up the pools of water alongside the trail.

We had one harrowing stream crossing, a quick stop for water and then reached our high point for the day.

Too bad the fog had not lifted and the clouds obstructed the peaks. While it was an awesome site, the photographer in me yearned for better light. I saw firsthand why so many of the guidebook photos were less than ideal.

What was lacking in the mountainside view was more than made up for in wildflowers. While not the large fields we saw earlier, the sheer variation of flowers was captivating.

We made good time and hit the Rifugio Maison Vielle for a lunch break. Just to play with my already challenged language skills, they now spelled refugio, rifugio.

The story continues...