Driving to Milan

 

Saturday, I went over the local crag, set up a rope, did a few climbs, packed the Peugeot, and decided to take the slow road back to Milan.  I stopped at every village, got out walked around for an hour, read my book, then drove for a little longer.  It took all afternoon and was very interesting.  But, when I got to the airport, since my flight was not until the next morning, I could not check in, so was forced to take my large bags to the adjoining Sheraton, ate a pizza, and prepared for the wonderful 9 hour and 5 hour flight back to Utah.  

 police car in St Vincent?!











olive tree, outside the church

 Ivrea rooftops

Ivrea graffiti

 ancient stone stairs

 Malpensa airport art installation










and the mostly vacant airport (left) and JFK (right), so happy, everyone spoke English

And down

 

I made it to my tent around 12:30, cooked a freeze dried lunch I had left there, and packed up the big pack.  It was huge.   I knew I had to carry it all the way down.  I was trying to fortify my mind. I went over to the “hut” ristorante, to look at the poster of the climb, when I ran into the man who drove me up the mountain!  He remembered me, I guess there are not that many solo climbers carrying 80lb packs from the USA. I asked him, if he would drive  the pack down, and for how much.  He said, through the waitress interpreter, "I brought you up, I will bring you and the pack down for nothing."  A miracle!  I sat down next to the young Czech climbers I met the first day in the village, they were on their way down, and spoke some pretty good English.  I left to put my pack in the jeep, and came back to find out they had paid for the hot chocolate!  I was so happy I decided to walk down to the village, and without a pack a could almost fly.    It was Friday. 

I went back to camp Glair walked around the village town eating pizza and gelato.

 Czech climbers.

mountain flowers

Carrel Hut

 

I made it down to the hut, doing some simu-down climbing with a group of nice Germans, and watched the beautiful sunset over the Alps.  I had already reserved a bunk next to the wall, prime space, bedding down next to a stranger. The bathroom was outside, around the corner.  They provided nice wool blankets, but unfortunately no food.  I had underestimated how much food to bring.  The hut provided gas to cook, but no food.  I was soaking wet, from the rappels through the snowy traverse that I was able to avoid on my way up.   My rope was also wet.  So I went to bed, cold, wet, and hungry, with only half a granola bar left.  I listened to the symphony of snorers through the night, and people getting up at 3:30 or 4:00 to start the ascent.  Even the guide who was stocking the hut said, wait until it is light before you climb.  But everyone was setting off before dawn.  And it was cold and very windy, the verglass had returned.  I could not see how I could climb the mountain again with no food, and I was not that keen on climbing in boots and crampons by myself, in the cold wind. So I made my way down to the Abruzzi.  I could tell I was tired from the day before, and from the long night with little sleep.  It was a good choice.  I had enjoyed a beautiful 14 hour day of climbing the Matterhorn. And I had really climbed it.

 Sunset from the Carrel Hut

Afternoon climbing the Matterhorn

 

So I decided to climb up as far as I could, nd check things out. I climbed up past another set of fixed lines, around narrow ledges, up steep rock that in some cases had long chains hanging down for aid or protection. It was a warm and beautiful day and I was moving fast.  At one point there was a long slightly upward traverse, protected by a cable, which was buried in snow.  I had to do a traverse on the rocks above the snow, since I did not want to get my approach climbing shoes wet.  There was a narrow path on the top of the snow, next to the rock, made by previous climbers, but the snow was very steep. One slip, and I would be on this steep snow.  No danger of injuring an ankle here, the incline was so steep that a fall meant you were gone, thousands of feet down, certain death. I passed a group of Hungarian climbers, who were belaying each other, as was customary on all parts of the mountain.  Even the parts that were not steep climbing were on narrow ledges or ridges where a slip would mean you would never be seen again.  I climbed on over slabs, up the ridge, skirting snow here and there.  It was a beautiful day, I was in the zone, and very happy to be  on the mountain.  

I had set a time to get back, because I did not want to descend the mountain, find the rappel anchors in the dark, by myself, on unfamiliar terrain.   I went pass that time, thinking, maybe I could make it to the summit, then I encountered a large ridge covered in snow,  just below the summit, on the Pic Tyndall, a large subpeak 4241 M (13, 914), about 300-400 meters below the summit.  I did not want to get on this icy snow ridge without boots, and I especially did not want to down climb it later when it might be even more icy. So I decided to head down, and try the whole thing tomorrow, starting earlier.

I made it down to the hut, doing some simu-down climbing with a group of nice

Germans, and watched the beautiful sunset over the Alps.  

 Massive bolts set into the rock, and long hanging chains. 

 The view looking back toward the west.

Last view of the summit before turning back down.

the first climb: Carrel hut

 

I woke up at 4:39, looked out the tent and could see the dance of the headlamps heading up the mountain from the Carrel Hut, at 3830 M.  (12, 565),  which would be my first destination.  I packed my smaller pack to bare essentials, leaving the tent and other items.  I was on the trail by 6:00, and walked slowly, to make sure I did not get lost.  At the saddle between the large massive Testa de Leone and the rest of Il Cervino, I caught some wind from the north, but otherwise it was a beautiful calm day. After the saddle, I put on my approach shoes and climbed slabs, steep rock with huge fixed lines, that people used to pull themselves up the hard parts.  My goal, of course, was to climb without using these lines.  They were much too wide diameter to attach an ascender or self belay device, although they did have interludes where a sling could be clipped to protect a fall.  I arrived at the Carrel Hut just before noon.    I decided to check out the route, so I packed the rope, left my boots, crampons, ice axe, since I thought I could make it up without stepping on snow, and the warm weather had melted all the verglass, a thin sheet of ice that often covers portions of the climb.  The warm weather also melts the snow, which makes the possibility of more verglass if the weather gets cold at night.

 Along the way there were little monuments to famous lost climbers, little shrines, and a small shelter made out of stone.

 This line is about 2.5 inches in diameter.  Very thick, and slippery, too, as I found on the descent.

 The bunks inside the hut where climbers can sleep.  I left my axe etc, on a prime spot next to the wall.  The climb to the hut was quite steep, and offered some more difficult options if you chose.