(Actually written by Morgan)

Evan was right and we woke up at the Refuge des Mottets to sour weather.

Everyone was rowdy at breakfast to prolong our time before climbing the formidable Col du Seigne in the rain. Evan and I attempted to wait out the weather in the lodge. We made friends with some campers, including Nora from the Netherlands and Rebecca from Germany. Rebecca had realized that her tent poles fell out of her pack at her last camp and had luckily found a bed in the refuge's 20-person dormitories. Our plights definitely paled in comparison and I remembered that despite our dirtbaggery (I washed my bra in the sink that morning), we were living in relative luxury.

Once we decided that the rain would not abate, we bought trash bags from our friendly hostess, wrapped ourselves in water-resistant gear, and braved the storm. A rainbow (arc-en-ciel, as a fellow hiker reminded me) lifted our spirits before we got wetter and wetter and then it started to snow.

Luckily, we spotted Yanko hopping up the trail. We chatted about politics, AI, and the Faralon Islands as we climbed 2000 ft into the blizzard at the top of the col.

After a quick descent, we caught a lovely burst of sunshine that provided stunning views of the rugged peaks that surrounded us and the roman road into the valley ahead.

Then came the worst 20 minutes of our trek thus far. A fierce bitting wind swept down the glacial moraine with us, carrying freezing rain. Yanko, running ahead, told us that the Rifugio Elisabetta was overcrowded, so we took a moment to catch our breath in a nearby abandoned structure.

The atmosphere was downright eerie. We told ourselves that conditions would improve at lower elevations, so I put in my headphones and charged down the hill. But once we reached the plains, our temperatures dropped precipitously. If my father (a lifelong advocate of "hat and gloves, hat and gloves!") is reading this, forgive me. I sent Evan, who was freezing in his shorts, ahead as I donned my woolen socks for gloves with shaking, stiff hands and I welcomed the shooting pain (the "screaming barfies") when my fingers regained sensation. It was a low.

By the time I thawed and speed walked up to Evan, he had linked up with Nora from that morning. We became fast friends and chatted about our boyfriends as we walked the road toward civilization. We found a refuge in more ways than one in a restaurant that served us decadent hot chocolate with the largest mountain of fresh cream that I'd ever seen. Welcome to Switzerland! The sun came out, Ohto and Emma arrived, and it was a high.

After another hour of shenanigans, eating strawberries, and hiking with Nora, our paths finally split and we found our bed for the night at the Refuge Monte Bianco CAI Uget.

Wowie zowie! We had a two-person room to ourselves. The window faced a stunning massif. We had the hottest showers ever. The skies cleared for sunset and Evan had a real kick with his camera. Highs and lows.