I’s now two weeks we don’t pack a backpack – which are to be washed actually, after the many canadian adventures – and we can’t wait for it.
It’s impossible for us to turn down Roberto’s proposal – Roberto aka Trekking-Alps – who has programmed to go for a nice tour in the Aosta Valley with two couples and a girl: they are two retired men from New Zealand who finally have their time to enjoy the worlds, a joung couple from London discovering for the first time the mountains and a girl from South Africa who will soon be a european girl. Our goal is to go to the Molline Hut, the place we have tried to conquer already – failing miserably – whe we have found it buried in the snow and unreachable After the morning meeting we still need to stop for some grocery: just some food and a waterproof jacket, but anyway we already are driving and thrilled! Unrecognisable panorama: no snow but a lot of fog
We already know the route, but the panorama without snow is really different. It is hard for us to recognize the path and soon we are aware of how longer we walked last time: we crossed the valley not once but three times, not knowing that on the left of the valley a wide and easy road goes up in switchbacks, str4aight to the big cow hut before the steep wall which bring to the ridge. What for a strenuous path we walked last time, it was also due to the snowshoes, but surely also for the many kilometers we walked. Today, instead, we already are on the narrow path climbing up the mountain and don’t even notice it. This path doesn’t really want to be found: at first the snow, then the fog, we are never really able to see it Here again, we notice we have taken the wrong path the last time: we stayied on the left since we didn’t found the path hidden under the snow, but now we can understand – among the few holes in the fog – that that is the steepest part. We are soon on the ridge, not even really fatigued and we hear the river flowing wild down in the right valley, but we can only see some meters in front of us and we can just follow the arrows and the path, always really clear. A path once nowhere to be found, not is impossible to lose Then, once we get over a little hollow, little by little we can spot a rocky cross standing out on the next highpoint and we know we are almost arrived. The hut is finally just meters from us, even if we still cannot see it. The cross signals the hut, otherwise nowhere to be found for many months a year The fog thin out a little bit and finally we can see the hut, right in front of us, on the side of the hill. It is way taller that we thought, we were lucky we have not decided to try and dig searching for the door, it would have been a suicidal mission! Here it is, the Molline Hut finally ready to host us It almost is unbelievable to walk through the threshold and once finally in, we discover it really is huge and cosy: stove, beds with fluffy mattresses. bathroom with running water, electricity…actually a tip hotel. We immediately begin to work: some water to boil for the really tasty ravioli – the special menu by Trekking-Alps – some logs in the stove and we open the bottle of wine. Shortly we are cheering to us and to the mountain, eating some good ravioli in various styles and enjoying, with the biggest amazement of our southafrican friend – who tells us she has never seen befor the snow coming down from the sky, something incredible for us – the first snow of the year finally comes and with a good blizzard quickly whites the landscape. We stay a lot to talk after dinner, as always the mountain and the crackling fire ignite philosophical deep talks, and then a long warm sleep is waiting for us – we just have our t-shirts on and outside is snowing, the stove is wonderful! A ray of sun enters from the window and wake us up and finally we can see this amazing view A pink sunrise and a ray of sun directly in our faces, wakes us up after a long resting sleep. We don’t even have to go out in the still cold morning, in the shade, and we already are seeing an amazing view: outside everything is covered in a fluffy white blanket, the first snow of the season and soon a warm sun will light this day. The Molline hut in the snow, a bit less this time 😉 A good filling breakfast all together, tea and cookies, and the quickly we prepare for the real hike: today we try and see if we can reach the peak of Mont de Menouve, or if the snow will block us before. We don’t have our snowshoes, rather, we hope not to use them for a while still, it’s not our favourite gear. So let’s go! The snow is still frozen after this night of blizzard, the dry flowers are covered in ice spikes, mesmerizing. Out of the shade a warm sun embraces us along with a clear blue sky The heightdrop is not too much, around 400 meters, but the snow make it a little bit harder, even if still up to everybody. Following Roberto’s tracks, we go up zigzaging on the steep wall and before noticing it, out of breath, we are on the little saddle down from the Mont de Menouve peak. Roberto and our friend from New Zealand arrive first and from their screams of joy we can forsee the view from up the is way better than we can imagine. Mount Velan is still way taller than us, from down in the valley it didn’t seem so huge The last steps lead us to this little flat part of the little saddle and we immediately understand that we will never reach the peak – the altimeter says we still miss some 50 meters to get to the 3.000, what a shame! – more on the right, sadly, after a big crevache. Let’s just say we can be happy about this, we are just meters from the 3.000, sourrounded by snowed peaks all around, in the magic silence which can be heard only up here, but the most amazing thing is the Mont Blanc and its Giant’s Tooth there in front of us, close as never before. Happyness and joy: it’s the Mont Blanc, and the snow, and the peak…and, finally, again our beloved Alps!!! It really is true, you don’t notice how much you are missing something as long as you don’t come back to it. For us, it’s our Alps, with its huts, refuges, peaks and mountains we know so well and we love so much. We are feeling really good up here, so good, but our bellies begin to complain and a chilling wind let us decide to begin our walk back. So we begin to walk towards the hut, sometimes deep in the silence, lost in contemplations of Mount Velan and its snowy neighboorhoods, we are just happy, really really happy. Once we leave the snow, a landscape which still have to finish to embrace the colours of the autumn is waiting for us A quick sandwich at the hut and we are on the trail again, this time a longer walk is in front of us, down to the car, a walk full of chats and stories lived around the wolrd, enjoying the amazing landscape step after step, enjoying the beautiful Aosta Valley in this amazing day of sun. Who knows where our next adventure will lead us, follow us and you will discover it! AP
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