In the morning, we tried to get on the road as early as possible, because we had planned 30 km for today as well. And if anyone thought that we actually succeeded this time, they were mistaken. The first 9 km or so went well, and we got them done without stopping. Everyone’s but Arys’s blisters are pretty much healed now, but we’re starting to get sore joints. Mainly the ankles, and one knee.
For the first half of the day, we walked through a beautifully green valley with a river flowing through, which apart from pretty views means super cold temperatures. We did stop for lunch, but only for a short moment, and we finished our meal while walking.
The second half of the day we climbed out of the valley. I personally welcomed the uphill passages with open arms, because my ankle mysteriously doesn’t hurt when I change the angle at which I step. But I’m the only one, the others are rather tired of the endless climb. Several times we successfully cross the river on stones, it flows completely wherever it wants. Road or no road. And that’s how we found ourselves in a situation where it was simply impossible to cross without taking our shoes off. We didn’t want to, but luckily for us, a car suddenly appeared behind us, so we didn’t have to. The lady willingly took all of us across the river. All but Alexis. He, as well as several times after, proved that he is simply better than the rest of us, and that he is no slouch.
We keep climbing. Today, a total of almost 1000 meters up. After about 23-24 km, we successfully got to the top, and agreed that we had no more strength left. We’re worried that if we move we won’t find water again, so we send Alexis out to scout the terrain. He comes back empty-handed, so we start building camp just a few meters away. Snow lies all around us, and we know that a cold night awaits us.
After dinner, which left us all still hungry, a group of brave (read foolish) boys headed out for a bath in the river again. In the snow… We, the wiser ones, crawled into our sleeping bags to enjoy some rest.
Being dead tired for a change, we fall asleep early.
