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Haute Route - Day 2

We were eager to start hiking in the morning, although also a bit nervous about how Diane's ankle would hold up. Fortunately, that wasn't an issue, and we quickly walked the first stretch of the route. We passed through several beautiful villages, and despite the many crossings, we didn't have much difficulty navigating. We were also continuously climbing and the sun was relentless. After several hours, we met with my parents for a much-needed lunch break. It was nice to mix hiking with catching up with them. 

The following section again involved several hours of mostly uphill climbing through forested areas. In the late afternoon, we reached the base of a ski piste, which we also had to climb. Between the jet lag, climbing, and heat, Diane was getting tired, so we went slowly. Ideally, we wanted to find a place to camp and rest soon, but there were too many people, many free-roaming cows, and no flat sections anywhere. We had no choice but to keep climbing.

After a few hours, it was getting dark, and we were still in a steep, open landscape where camping was not allowed, and we would be easily spotted. Surprisingly, there were also still no flat areas large enough for a tent. Fortunately, a few hours after we had ideally wanted to stop, we arrived at a cabin that allowed tents nearby. I quickly pitched our gear while Diane helped cook dinner.

 

This first day had definitely been too tough on Diane. Fortunately, we were rewarded with great views of the Mont Blanc, and there would be less climbing tomorrow.

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