Auberge U Vallone - Castel de Vergio

How could this day possibly start the same way that yesterday ended? I slept in to 06.30, stretching like a cat, sooo ready to embark on an easier day. Coming out of my tent, I noticed a guy who’d cowboy camped only a few metres away. Strange… He coincidentally got up when I got out and ambled over. How my scrunched-up morning face, hair nest and dirty glasses didn’t deter him is beyond my understanding. He turned out to be Austrian. And he wanted to talk. And talk more. In the end, he was talking to my butt sticking out of my tent as I tried to gather my belongings and leave. I was well aware of the newly acquired hole in my hiking shorts. Where was I from? Going to? Tonight? The heck away from all you nagging guys, I wanted to reply. Give me strength! When at last I had all my stuff packed up and heaved my backpack on, he looked surprised that I was actually leaving. “Yes, I’M GOING NOW. BYE!”. He heaved a sigh of remorse, “I could have stayed here talking to you all day”. Yeah mate, that sure seems to be the common denominator around here. Happy traaaaiiiils…!

Sometimes you’d think I was the only girl out here. My blue eyes and I just want to go hiking. Turns out my wild camp wasn’t so wild after all, though. 50 m round a bend in the trail lay Auberge u Vallone. Ops… Oh well, still saved me the 7€ camp fee!

I set off into the woods, impatiently waiting to pass a we-don’t-believe-in-contraception-sized German family. At long last, the track was rated fast. This was my turf. The sun scorched me through the trees, but I powered up the trail. Today was mine. I goddamn ran up that morning’s bocca. My eyelashes were crusted white with salt and sweat was pouring off me, but with music plugged in I could heave myself up the rockface to the great grassy valleytop above.

And there, up on the rims of the bowl surrounding a massive green valley, lay my territory. I whooped out loud. Finally I could give it my all, stretch my legs, run into the world. Past Refuge de Ciottulu di I Mori, I was flying.

“Tell me what you need, oh, you look so free

Don't let it get you down, you're the best thing I've seen…»

Round the rim, up to the sky, down into the valley. My pack and I felt like the same organism. Every leap perfectly balanced on my four legs. I recall realising that I must be in the shape of my life now. I stuck out my trekking poles to dance as I raced. This was the epitome of freedom! And as if the day wasn’t already perfect, I found the emerald pool, complete with waterfall and white slabs of rock. I threw off my clothes and dived right in. The icy water shocked me as I swam under, but this is the stuff of life! Of all the places I could possibly be right now, I was here to submerge in these wonders. Lying on the warm rocks, hair fanned out to dry. How I love closing my eyes towards the sun, seeing that fuzzy orange glow through my eyelids. Tears pooled underneath them as I lay there saturated with happiness.

“Oh, you and all your vibrant youth
How could anything bad ever happen to you?
You make a fool of death with your beauty, and for a moment
I forget to worry”

I kept running on a high all the way to Castel de Vergio. People looked at me weirdly as I BONJOUR’ed everyone with way more enthusiasm than called for. Shane’s (the 17 yr-old doing the trail in seven days) hiking partner caught up to me at the next swimming hole, panting “I try to catch you, but you are so fast!”. Haha my friend, this is what I do! “And if I’m flying solo, at least I’m flying free…” ever onwards through the pines and twice across the river.

I was completely drunk post-high by the time I rambled into the hotel at Castel de Vergio. Paid for a spot at the – possibly – ugliest campground I’ve ever seen. Paddy warned strangely to hang food, as the fence would “keep out large pigs, but not foxes and small pigs”. Ehm, okay..? I could indulge all I wanted at the camp store. Peaches, ice cream, drinks, Internet, and crunchy sandwiches.

On this trail I was a veteran hiker. People asked me for advice on gear, breaks, hydration, shoe-lacing techniques, you name it. But today I was happy to take my own advice and savour the experience for all it was worth.

A hobbled into camp on shredded feet, while I had an appropriately humongous dinner with Michael and Lizzie in the fancy hotel dining room. Michael told me wide-eyed “I saw the creepiest thing at Refuge de Tighjettu last night, one of the toilet drains was drenched in blood!” I wondered if he could see the scarlet letter on my face as I thought back to emptying my menstrual cup in that very drain. Hehe, my bad.