Rifugio Monzino - Part III

After arriving back at the refuge we had a late lunch and then relaxed on the deck in the sun for a bit.

Not far from the refuge we found a nice spot on the cliff overlooking the Brouillard glacier.










The hike down the mountain took all afternoon and was much longer than I expected based on our initial hike up. The most difficult sections in particular proved to be more of a challenge on the way down.

On the way up it was much easier to see the best path and the sturdiest places to grip / plant your feet. On the way down, however, you sometimes simply had to hope for the best. Plus, we were all connected by rope (each about 10m apart) – effectively employing the “if I fall, you’re coming with me” safety strategy – which was a bit restrictive at times.

About half-way down the mountain we came across some mountain goats that were clearly much more comfortable with the terrain than we were.










For the remainder of the descent, I was definitely running on fumes. Most of my muscles were dead tired and barely cooperating. And the large backpack that I was carrying felt like a ton of bricks. I couldn’t wait to get back to the car and by the time that we finally reached it I had officially hit my limit. Fortunately, the views on the way down were quite nice.