We woke with great anticipation for Courmayeur, the halfway point of the TMB that our various companions had been hyping up for days. Our route brought us down ski hills dotted with grazing cattle and we were pleasantly surprised to run into our friends Tom and Sarah headed the other direction. Ski lifts gave way to beautiful winding streets with buildings stacked close together and eerily empty alleyways. After some wandering, we found the hustle and bustle and immediately went for some gelato. Evan surprised me by lighting a candle and singing happy birthday in the square, to which I may have shed a few tears. We were finally in Italy, so it was time for some pizza, where we caught Tom and Sarah again! They took our recommendation and stopped as well. After some top notch pies, we ran into Gary (the mountain guide) and followed him around to catch up for a bit. We shopped, grabbed focaccia, and then ran to catch our bus. It was hard leaving civilization and delicious food after such a short visit, but we had a big objective ahead of us and needed to press on.

The bus brought us to the bottom of the next col and we immediately started climbing. A few minutes in, I realized that we didn't have enough water, so I started chemically treating glacier water for Evan (I may have forgotten the O-ring for my Sawyer filter in Seattle). Evan took one look at the bronze liquid and resolved himself to desiccation until we made it up to the Refuge Elisabetta. Positioned at the very end of the Italian basin and surrounded by high peaks, this refuge felt like our last glimpse of humanity before we climbed a steep ridge out of the valley into the unknown (Switzerland?).

Clambering up the Grand Col Ferret, we had amazing views back into the valley and onto the Ferret glacier. It was incredibly windy on top and threatened to sweep us off the map, so we ran down the other side of the col cheered on by marmots and Eurasian blackbirds. After a long descent, some pig farms, and cute Swiss buildings, we made it to La Fouly in time for dinner! We honestly didn’t expect much because they hadn’t responded to any of Evan's emails about our late arrival and my birthday. Our hosts, two older women, were SO nice. Next to our reservation, they had drawn a red triangle with an exclamation mark. After shedding our stinky packs in the decked out basement (with boot dryer, laundry room, and pack hangers), they unexpectedly brought us up to the honeymoon suite. After days of thirty bunkmates, we had our own room, bathroom, and three beds. Our relief and gratitude was immense. Like the gremlins the trail had made us into, we stashed our various pizzas and cheeses on the windowsill overnight to keep them cool.

Evan was especially thrilled about the craftsmanship of the refuge. We couldn't stop admiring the double-action casement windows, sleek door latches, under sink drawers that nestled around the plumbing, exposed wooden beams, and spiral staircases. We went out on the deck to enjoy drinks while the hosts whipped up a homemade dinner. The meal was a huge riot! We sat next to two very tipsy French-Canadian gals, an American couple that we all teased about being rich (they met on The League), and an older serious couple who arrived late and grounded our boisterous laughter. After a delicious veggie lasagne, they dimmed the lights and everyone sang “Bon Anniversaire.” At the last moment, everyone shouted: “bon anniversaire a — what’s your name??” and Evan caught the humor and thrill of the moment on film. I wish for REDACTED and blew out the candle surrounded by ma famillia of the night.