Day 4: Today was 11 miles and 1,000′ of climbing. Totals are 53 miles walked and 4,600′ climbed.

Okay, this is our fourth day on the trail in Switzerland. It’s just another day on the road … except the road looks like:

And like,

And …

And …

And …

It’s just crazy beautiful and we haven’t hit the mountains, yet. That starts tomorrow!

So, today we walked past a beautiful waterfall right along the trail.

Our guidebook noted that it is called,  “Pissevache”. The guidebook also provides an English translation of that name. I’ll help the reader!  “Vache” means “cow” in French. Now,  “Pisse”, well, it means pretty much the same in French as it does in English.  The reader can do the translation from here!

Water: These days have been rather hot. Drinking enough water while hiking is vital. Normally, we’ll carry 2 or 3 quarts each. That’s not needed here!  Every small village, park, church, city hall, etc has one of these:

These are continuously flowing water displays. Sometimes, they look like lions or fish or statues, but they are everywhere. In Spain, and also in France and Italy,  we never felt comfortable drinking this water. In Switzerland? This country has a reputation for precision … and the locals drink from these sources. That’s good enough for us! We haven’t lacked water at all on this journey!

Tomorrow is a climbing day so we’ll rest up tonight!

Until then,

Today was 15 miles hiked and 3,000′ of climbing. Totals are 68 miles walked and 7,600′ climbed.

Another beautiful day, with this day being a transition from valley walking to climbing, with lots of ups and downs.

As we started the morning, it was clear that there was no where to go but up:

The guidebook had some interesting counsel about today … “many consider today’s stage the most difficult along the whole of the Via Francigena … “. Hmm.

So, what are the challenges? We’ll call them the 3 dangers of the fire swamp! While there are no rodents of unusual size,  these are the hazards:

1. Narrow ledge, steep drop-off:  The guidebook describes it as hiking on a narrow ledge with a 20 meter drop-off to the river, below. At one point the trail builders provide a handrail drilled into the hillside for support. Bill tried to snap several photos of this section, but they all came out blurry. Go figure. Nonetheless, here’s Diane entering the area and Bill crossing the suspension bridge, having made it through to the other side.

2. The slippery scramble section: For about a half of a mile, we traversed a moss-covered boulder field in the forest. There was literally no discernable trail, just YELLOW diamonds every 10′ or so directing you along. Absent those diamonds, it would have been daunting to attempt to end up at the correct point that the trail-proper resumed.

If you look carefully at the photo, above, you’ll see some of the directive diamonds. Again, it was difficult to capture the really tough sections because the “photographer” needed his hands to hold on.

3. The Rock Quarry Escape: After passing the first two hazards, you can be lulled into a sense that “you can handle anything!” Well, then you come to the major rockslide! The trail signs direct you into this “quarry”,

with no clear way out!  (Note that this slide are is much larger than appears in the photo). We scouted around and finally figured that if we got on the narrow ridge on the left, perhaps that might get us through. Clambering through boulders and scree, we made in onto the ridge and, sure enough, found trail signs just beyond the slide! Woohoo!

Now,  a 30 yr old would look at these challenges and say,  “what challenge?”. A 50 yr old might acknowledge the challenge but quickly say, “no big deal, I can do this!”. However, those of us on the far side of Social Security see the risks and also acknowledge our limits. Today, however, we were not at our limit (phew!).

By the way, the guidebook suggested taking a local train to skirt around these challenges. We considered it  … but not this time!

We’re less than 25 miles from the Grand St Bernard pass (8,200′), so we’ll have much more climbing ahead!

A bientot!

Today was 6 miles and 1,800′ of climbing. Totals are:  74 miles walked and 9,400′ climbed.

So, what’s an evening look like in the Alps? After dinner, we spent some time on our hotel balcony watching the moon set over the Alps

And the local train depart the village Station.

It was almost like a postcard hamlet!

This morning, as we were preparing to depart, our hotelier gifted Diane with her own St Bernard to keep her safe!

Then the hike began!  So many things to note! First, the beautiful trail signs

Next, the orderliness of the Swiss. Who stacks wood this neatly?

Then there’s the watch out for wolves sign.

The climbing

The river,

And our first view of the Grand St Bernard pass!

Wow! Not bad for 6 miles of hiking!

Today was a near-0.  Normally after about a week of trail hiking, we plan a day off, a “0”. This year, we noted that the towns around where we’d be resting were very, very small. Spending two nights in those towns would be a bit like watching paint dry! So, we opted for two Near-0’s! 6 miles today, and 4 miles tomorrow, instead of a 10 mile hike and then two nights of paint drying 🤔.

Now for the chores (laundry,etc).

Au Revoir

Day 7: Today was only 4 miles, but 1,200′ of climbing. Totals are now 78 miles hiked and 10,600′ climbed.

Today, the weather changed!  Where mid-day highs had been in the upper 90’s for over a week,

today started cool and will just be getting cooler!

The good news is that after Saturday, we’ll be dropping 4 – 6,000′ down into Italy, where it should be about 20 F warmer!

For the last couple days, we’ve had glimpses of the pass, so we’ve got to include yet another for yesterday’s stay in Liddes.

Signs: There’s no way of staying on trail without both good trail markings and a competent guidebook. Switzerland loves hiking, so there are a million trail options, each competing with each other for visibility.

What is most valuable about this is the GREEN “70”, the designation for the Via Francigena trail (ours), and the direction that the arrow points! Typically, there are multiple direction options at the signposts, so following that pointer is very valuable.

The next sign of interest is

This one has the advantage of telling you how long it will take to get to your destination. We’ve  learned to add 50% to their numbers!

Most often, the signs are less informative, but still valuable. They won’t tell you that you’re on the right trail, but at least they let you know  you are on a trail … which can be exceedingly valuable!

And so we get to our day’s destination. The photo, below, is a classic Swiss mountain hotel. Now, we’re not staying there … we’re in the nondescript hotel down the street!

Until tomorrow …

Today was 8 miles of hiking and 3,500′ of climbing! Totals are now 86 miles walked and 14,100′ climbed. Most importantly, we have reached the high point of our hike, at 8,175′ and are at the border with Italy!

Several things to note about the above photo. 1. The BLUE circle highlights the buildings at the top of the pass … our first view of the top!  2. Diane is thankful! 3. There are several other hikers in the view. Interestingly, after a week of no others, the hikers were everywhere! A single guy from Vermont, a couple from Ft Lauderdale, another couple from London … and an assortment of others!

The hike itself was wonderful.  Starting with the character-ladened barns of the area.

The lakes

The streams

The meadows

And the company!

And so we made it!

We knew there was a good chance of rain mid-day, so we started early. We arrived at the top just before noon and … just before it started to pour!  We are thankful for travel mercies!

So, speaking of weather;  the weather is changing!  From nearly 100 F for about a week, it’s now cold! (50’s). When we checked the next several days … it was disheartening!

If you look to the right of the temperatures, you’ll see SNOWFLAKES. Yep, it’s gonna snow here on Monday! Our plan is to hike out tomorrow, descending 4,000′ (in 45 F weather), to get down to the warmer lands! Yikes!

We checked the weather throughout Switzerland and this is a big cold front hitting the area. By going down in elevation, and south (to Italy) we’ll miss the worst of this.

It’s all an adventure!

Day 9: 9 miles walked and only 400′ climbed. Totals are now 93 miles walked and 14,500′ climbed.  But … today’s story is not climbing, it’s descent!

4,100′ descent in 9 miles! In fact, we descended 2,100′ in the first 3 miles!  That’s about a 13% average grade descent. Can you spell “blisters”?

Weather matters. As we left this morning, the latest reports were that they were expecting 8 – 10″ of snow tonight. This is August. It’s good that we descended 4,000+’ today! Even here, tomorrow’s temperature at 8:00am will be 40F. We’ll be descending another 2,200′ tomorrow, so it should get warmer.

The hike: This morning started cold and rainy

As we left the top

The descent into the barren above-tree-line valley was stunning

And once we dropped below the tree line, it just got more and more beautiful

We’ve met some fascinating people in the last couple days. The high Alps tour guide,  Lana, who knew these Alps well. The Swedish women walking a reverse Francigena. Our recent acquaintance, Ken, whom we’ve learned has done all of the great trails in the US (PCT, Appalachian, and the Continental Divide trail).  And others, all with remarkable hiking resumes. Then there’s us. We’re just glad to have the health and resources to enjoy this beautiful creation!

Enjoy your journey. It’s the one you’re best fitted for!

Today’s journey was 10 miles and 800′ of climbing. Totals are now, 103 miles hiked and 15,300′ climbed. Again, descent was the story today, with 2,900′ of descent. Two days ago, we were at 8,200′ and today we’re down at 1,970′. That’s a lot of downhill in 18 miles of walking.

When we woke up and looked out the window, we noticed two things.  First, our hotel was right on the trail (no getting lost for at least the first 100 yds)

And second, it snowed!

Which was much better viewed a couple miles down the trail

Our best guess is that the snow line was about 1,000′ higher than where we stayed last night. That would make it about 2,000′ BELOW the pass where we stayed 2 nights ago. Beautiful, but tough for hiking!

The trail was very nice, following a canal/stream through the mountains

Eventually, we made it to Aosta where we will spend 2 days before pushing on.  Aosta is a town of about 60,000 people … a bit of a shock for us after a week of villages of a couple hundred.

Enjoy!

Bill and Diane

Today was 20 miles walked and only 1,000′ climbed. Our journey totals are now 123 miles walked and 16,300′ climbed.

The Aosta Valley is a long, fairly narrow valley. With a river, a highway and a train in the middle,  there’s not always a lot of spare room for trails. So, the principal Via Francigena route climbs the canyon walls, going up and down as necessary, to provide the trail space.

There is another way … Italy has a phenomenal bike path that follows up against that river for nearly the whole distance of our walk. It is slightly longer (maybe 3 more miles), but far less climbing (our 1,000′ vs 3,500′). And, it is beautiful! Don’t take our word for it …

And

Also,

We were quite content with this route! Tomorrow, there isn’t a straightforward bike path alternate,  so we’ll go back to the mountain goat trail.

Directions: Bill grew up hiking with a compass and topo maps.   You get a sense of where the trail should be and search for the markers or landmarks. And you make mistakes, but that’s part of the adventure!

As we started hiking trails in Europe, we had GPS  that we could use to cross reference our guidebook directions. Much better than compass and topo, but not foolproof (witness Bill’s many “lost directions”). The challenge was that the camino trails were never on Google maps, so you had to guess at the overlay.

As we looked at today’s bike path vs official walking path, Bill was concerned that our guidebook wouldn’t help. Net, the chance of getting off track was potentially high.  So,

Bill found a Via Francigena App! That tool shows both the walking and the cycling routes, AND overlays your GPS position on the detailed map! (See RED dot on RED trail line)

It was great!  Mostly, no getting lost and no worrying about missing a trail marker  … just look at the map and if your RED dot is on the line, you’re good to go!

Okay, this is a good thing,  but Bill misses the aesthetics of physical maps and compasses. Also, he has NO excuse now if he gets lost!

Friends along the way: In the last several days, we’ve met several native English speakers walking the Via Francigena. And a feature of these walks is the ease with which you make friendships.  You’re walking for hours and conversation just flow.

Last night, six of us gathered for a great dinner.

There’s Mary and Stuart from London, and Victoria and Allen from Florida. Ken, from Vermont, another of the band, wasn’t able to make the meal.

On leaving the dinner, we noted this very informative sign on the road

We think it means,  “this space reserved for hockey players”. What are your thoughts?

TTFN,

Bill and Diane

Today was 13 miles walked and 2,500′ climbed. The totals are 136 miles walked and 18,800′ climbed!

The High Road:  We continue to follow the Aosta Valley South and East, with the Dora River coursing through its middle.

Where yesterday we chose to take the path down in the valley, today we followed the hillside trail with its more expansive views and more vigorous climbing. Actually, we net-descended 300′ today, but climbed 2,500′ while also descending 2,800′!

And to pile on the “woe is us’s”, the ascents and descents were not that easy 5 – 10% grades,  these were the 20 – 30% grades with loose footing. Whine, whine.

When the trail was level, it was beautiful

We met two hikers today, headed in the opposite direction. They are from Canada and started their journey in Rome.  They are headed to Santiago de Compostela. They are doing, in a single effort, what we are attempting to do over 5 separate Caminos. To each, their own path. We wished them well.

Enjoy your journey,

Bill and Diane

Day 13: 13 miles hiked and 900′ climbed. We’re now at 149 miles hiked and 19,800′ overall.

This morning we woke before sunrise to see a magnificent moonset into the mountain ridge:

Unlike yesterday, today’s journey was mostly in the valley floor; not the expansive views, but certain beautiful.

The path to us through Bard, a medieval village with an impressive fort

And to an old Roman Bridge, still in use

A brief history of Aosta valley. This valley, leading to the Grand St Bernard pass has been an active thoroughfare for millenia.  Abandoned Roman and medieval outposts litter the hillsides all up and down the valley, as they were used to keep control.

In the late 1790’s, Napoleon led an army of 40,000′ up the Switzerland side and down into the Aosta valley to attack the Piemonte people (We’re in Piemonte, tomorrow! ). It’s kind of amazing to try to envision 40,000′ troops marching through this tight canyon.  Apparently,  Napoleon was successful.

We’ve arrived at our night’s rest, and it has a WASHER! “Well” cleaned laundry is on the menu tonight!  And, this excellent apartment is only 50 meters from the trail. Easy peasy!

Last night’s stay was nice, but … it was remote and 0.30 miles up an exceedingly steep hill. After arriving, we had to think seriously about going back down that hill to get a dinner. We did, and it was well worth it! We ate in a “locals”pizzeria. Great food and really, really nice locals.  Worth it!

Preparation for tomorrow awaits! Take care!