What a night! I woke up around 2am with a weird feeling. The two other pilgrims were asleep. I went downstairs to go to the bathroom and somebody was snoring on the kitchen floor. Who got in the hostel in the middle of the night? I stayed quiet and finally fell back asleep. This morning, the guy was also on a mattress upstairs. The Italian pilgrim had found him completely naked walking around the kitchen and had send him upstairs. He was friendly and appologizing all the time. Are you a pilgrim? Yes. Are you going to walk today? Yes. With your two plastic bags from Lidl? Yes. He pretended to be Polish only speaking a bit English and German. But I caught him talking to himself in French. I confronted him and he left the refuge 5min later without paying off course. Probably a homeless guy, but how he got the code is a mystery to me. Time to hike again! Today, I would climb again almost a 1000m. I walked through the village of Orsières to continue on a steep track just afterwards. The views were amazing. Some clouds remained around high peaks which made them look like volcanos. Butterflies were everywhere. There was just one big danger. Bears? Wolfs? No, mountainbikers. They come down at a crazy speed. Sometimes it looks more a suicide mission than a sport. One girl came down in a summer dress but with a helmet. While walking, I could see the busy road. Cars overtaking cyclists who were then overtaken themselves by motorcyclists and all that on a narrow windy road. I was happy on my sunny path. After 3km, I reached the hamlet of Fornex. Some people were gardening, others were picking raspberries. Perfect spot for a break. With renewed force, I continued along the river Dranse d'Entremont. Where the river came out of a small canyon, I had to do a very steep climb. Moments later, I was high above the river looking into the canyon. Stunning! I passed some farms to then climb to the village of Liddes. This village is bigger because it is on the main road. They even have a vending machine for raclette. I took a break in the peaceful church which even houses a little museum. Amazing to find all these treasures open. Last part of the day was climbing through beautiful green alpine fields towards the town of Bourg Saint Pierre. This is the last village before the col to which I will climb tomorrow. Just before the first houses, I had to cross the road and it quickly came clear that something went seriously wrong. The traffic had been stopped and a rescue helicopter was trying to land. A terrible accident had happened just next to the Via Francigena. A car was overtaking on the way up and hit a cyclist who was coming down at high speed. The cyclist crashed the front window, went over the car and on the road. When I arrived, the first ambulance just came through. I couldn't tell if the victim was a man or a woman. The person didn't look alive anymore. I backed off, there was nothing I could do. More and more rescue workers rushed to the scene. A tent was put up. While thousands of people got stuck, one person was fighting for his/her life. After 45min of reanimation, he/she was airlifted. I have never seen so much blood, it was horrific. I continued walking to Bourg St Pierre where all traffic was still at a standstill. On top of that, there was the arrival of a big trail run going on. Too much chaos. I rushed to the pilgrim hostel where I found Tjampke, the Dutch girl. We had a cup of tea together. On old lady came to say hello. She had lived here her whole life. Snow in winter is not as it used to be anymore. Last winter, they didn't get more than 15cm. The village becomes even more popular with people from Geneva moving here. She has 4 children. One passed away just like her husband. Her three other children live lower in the valley. She would like to move to live closer to them, but she doesn't want to leave the graves of her husband and child behind. Time will tell, she said. Later, I went to the church for a stamp and walked around the village which was quiet again. Some old wooden and stone houses gathered around the church hidden below the busy road. An old man was smoking his pipe on the balcony. Back in the refuge, I took a shower and Marie-Aude from Paris came in. She did two stages in one day and started in Martigny. She really wants to be at the summit tomorrow, because good weather is predicted. I'm ready for an epic day. Around 22h, knock on the door. I shouldn't have opened. Another person saying he is a pilgrim which he clearly is not. He said he came from Orsieres, but lost time when he injured his foot. He was clearly not telling the truth, so annoying. But he was friendly. He wouldn't keep me awake because I was tired. I just hope the cyclist will make it.
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AuthorMy name is Dimitri and I'm turning 40 in 2023. Through the years, I have tried to live my dreams. Everything is possible, the sky is the limit as long as you believe in your dreams and work hard to make them happen. Do what you never did before. Go where you have never been before. It will be scary, but it will also be worth it! Archives
July 2024
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