Sump To Summit

After an excellent night’s sleep – we’d been the only ones staying at the hut – we woke for breakfast around 7.30am. The weather was grim, and the idea of heading out into it wasn’t exactly thrilling.

George, the hut guardian, had laid out breakfast and suddenly came to life, launching into an enthusiastic story about his favourite film. No idea what triggered it, but it was probably the highlight of the morning. We packed up and set off – and as it turned out, the weather was already lifting.

After crossing the snowfields, we swapped into fell trainers, which made a huge difference. Way faster than clumping downhill in stiff B2s. Once we were past the moraine, we picked up speed and jogged sections all the way back to the van.

We drove straight to a local crêperie, ordered sweet crepes and cold Cokes, and slumped in the chairs feeling pretty content. Then it was back on the road – off to Chamonix, chasing more sunshine.