Day 5: La Randonneur to Refuge Bertone

Distance Walked: 9.5 K
Height Gained: +790 m
Height Lost: -660 m
Height Change: 130 m
Total Distance: 78 k
Total Ascent: 4652 m
Total Descent: -5406 m
Not a lot on this one! Most of our time was spent in Courmayer, at least until the slog up to Bertone (upper right)

Our first full day in Italy, and a relatively easy one after yesterday's long trek and unexpected hard ascent. We took a lazy start, not getting away from La Randonneur until 8:20, and headed down into Courmayer via a path through the woods next to the ski slopes. It was shaded and cool but somewhat dusty, a prefiguring of what was to come in the afternoon.

Down the dusty steps towards...

Courmayer! (And Dolonne).
Courmayer itself was a pleasant little town with an interestingly tangled pedestrian zone in the historical heart of the town, where we wandered for a while in search of not very much. We went to a charming little hole in the wall bakery for lunch, as posted, and then basically got bored of waiting around and headed for Bertone.
The climb up from Courmayer to Bertone has, putting it bluntly, little to recommend it. It's wooded, so protected from the worst of the sun and heat, but it's steep and really dusty and mostly lacks anything to look at beyond the path in front of you. But, the views from up top are good, and the beer is cold.
Dad is of the opinion that he shouldn't have waited so long to do this. I'm of the opinion that I waited the right amount of time, given that I'm much fitter now, and that I'm definitely going to try and do this again.

Just to finish up: Refuge Bertone has a pet goat. It was adorable.
I have dozens of shots of this goat. This is the best one.


- Matt

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