ascent to Mont gelé is now long past, when we have dealt with the small rise to reckless mont gele It was June 26, 2010. But I have this half post saved in draft form for months, and now it seems to me just finish it and publish it. I believe that the mountain has two different aspects: the mountain view from below and the mountain view from above.
when you look out from under the mountain was fascinated: she is so massive and authoritative, unfathomable, unexplored and very far away.
instead when you look from above, well then that's another story: that mountain is not so far away, so it's close. is close and you're exploring, you have a mole under his feet, his rock in his hands; share his sky, breathe its air (low, high altitude), and she welcomes you and elevates you to the world to let you see, to broaden your vision, have a little bit to do with it.
(and so you know also how crumpled our land)
the transition between the bottom and the top is almost mystical experience, not only for the effort of the climb, not only for the charm of some visions, not only for the green fields, not only for the colors of flowers, not only for the vitality of the streams, not just for the smells of wild breaths, not only ...
is the fusion that makes the difference: you come in her and she welcomes you. and see the world differently, opening up a new dimension, you opens your heart and you realize what the world is beautiful.
initiation of this mystical experience for me was the ascent to Mont Gelé.
long pondered a
walk in the mountains as an escape upwards.
so I immediately accepted the invitation of the mark, which must have caught my enthusiasm and decided to offer me something more than the expected
passeggiata .
la perplessità sulle mie condizioni fisiche e sulla mia scarsa esperienza è stata sostituita presto da motivazione e determinazione: era giunto il momento di andare oltre.
il gruppo dei partecipanti (più o meno perplessi, più o meno esperti) si è costituito nella settimana precedente alla partenza: cristina ha rinunciato per motivi personali e si sono invece aggiunti stefano, simona e viola.
ci siamo trovati all'ingresso della valpelline sabato (24 luglio) verso ora di pranzo. abbiamo proseguito in macchina fino a bionaz (1696 mt) e lì l'abbiamo lasciata. la nostra meta per quel pomeriggio era il rifugio
Crete Seche (2410 mt).
già a bionaz the temperature was quite different from the low valley, none of us has hidden concern, and we covered well. wise decision. After a brief discussion with purple insisted on climbing in the evening near the refuge, and determined that none of us was going to take part in all the scrap needed, we loaded the bags with the minimum necessary to stay warm and left Semm.
we headed along the paved private road to the refuge, but in search of the most mountainous and pedestrian path that we found and lost several times.
in part, to the shelter, windy and cold and we were hungry and we also granted a snack with good meats and cheeses, before preparing equipment for the ascent of the day. how wonderful!
also joined us for dinner and marco leo in mountain bike and enjoy!
(get off at night? Manageable!)
we left the shelter the next morning early, but not too much, that it was not possible before the 5:30 breakfast. in the shelter lacked electricity because the cold night froze the unit, outside windy and we were in the clouds: we covered with everything we had and we started running. Our destination was the top, but our direction was not the normal we would come up to the railway of the clay SECHE!
The trail climbs towards the hill, along the slight slope of the plan de Sable. this morning everything was frozen!
the cold was felt, but the spectacle of the mountains at dawn, which are discovered the blanket of shadow and damp of the night, is priceless!
after about two hours of walking we reached the ridge, in the clouds, and we stopped for a small snack: this was enough to freeze your hands!
the attack on the railway was actually quite challenging: the fingers were locked and I was not able to open the ring of the clip! I still have to thank Mark for his valuable help in the first meters! the Swiss side of the ridge, which beat the wind, it was nicely decorated with arabesques of ice crystals (beautiful and nice, but quite slippery).
movement heats up, the path is not difficult: I recovered quickly, in time to enjoy wonder of the landscape that has opened up under me when the clouds began to dissipate. I was breathless for a moment I thought I would cry with emotion. I would have stayed to look beneath me, around me, for hours and days. the cold wind but I was soon convinced to resume the march. I knew that this was only the beginning of the adventure!
crossed the ridge, go down near the lake's glacial plan platt and from there go up to the glacier and the summit of Mont gelé of that!
tired and worried about the gap to be addressed, we put back into gear with little decision, and so the group has flaked until we reached the glacier.
had finally come forward to attack the crampons and rope up!
given the low average experience of the expedition members, all neatly tied the mark as if we were good little dogs prancing in front of the sled! ;
in D row: Mark, seas, purple mum, Stephen.
was my first experience on the rope on the glacier, I was excited and fascinated, but the climb was much more tiring than I thought! my feet have suffered from the inconvenience of the shoes, the wrong step required by the crampons was really uncomfortable, the slope was always steeper, the backpack that I did not want to leave (food contained and hot drinks) was heavier, I was increasingly tired and even purple was increasingly tired, and at each stop and its uncertainty, a rope stretched and I was pulling down.
to no avail efforts to mark the end to drag me over the ice and take shelter from the wind chill I was exhausted, every step requires extreme concentration and the cold takes my breath away. feel pulling in an attempt to keep pace with me so nervous that I thought for a moment to give up top and resting under a rock.
once disconnected, however, and so close to my goal, I could not resist! so, including a backpack, rope and cold wind, I joined the others on the top!
e ho fatto bene a non rinunciare: non solo per la conquista della vetta che di per sé è un'emozione incredibile nei confronti di se stessi (poi ciascuno si emoziona sulla vetta che gli pare, neh!?), ma per il panorama, per la piccolezza delle valli che si aprono sotto, per la grandezza delle montagne sui cui tremano le tue gambe.
per la montagna vista da sopra insomma!
dice marco che sono pronta per i 4.000, e per conoscere la montagna vera!
e così ci sarà ancora più montagna sotto di me!
aspetterò paziente la prossima estate! ;-)