It rained heavily last night, with quite a bit of thunder and lightning. This morning was a bit chilly and damp, but the forecast promised no rain and sunny skies.

I ordered an early breakfast and headed out around 6:50 a.m. I also ordered a lunch box—I prefer having lunch at one of the high points along the trail, enjoying the view, rather than sitting down to eat at the refuges. I captured a few photos early in the hike, and they all turned out great.

A couple of interesting stories from the trail:

1. I met a French hiker with his dog. He was camping because dogs aren’t allowed in most refuges. There was also a German girl who wanted to experience the outdoors and sleep under the stars. He warned her that a thunderstorm was expected that night, but she wasn’t prepared with proper camping gear. He kindly offered her a spot in his tent if she didn’t have shelter. Sure enough, late that night, she knocked on his tent. :-)
   
   

2. I also met a couple who planned to hike all the way to Courmayeur because they had forgotten their food supplies and hadn’t made any reservations—they were planning to camp. I recommended they stop for lunch at Refuge des Mottets, where I was staying for the night, and also order food to go for dinner so they’d be safe for the night. It was a good idea to find a proper campsite before crossing into Italy, where wild camping is only allowed above 2,500 meters.
   
   

The food at Mottets was just okay, but they played music at the end of dinner, which was a unique touch compared to other refuges and gîtes I had stayed in.