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.