Rifugio Sella to 10,800 feet to Bien, to Rifugio Città di Chivasso

7/19 - Rifugio Sella to Bien, from 2600 to 3300 to 1500 meters
11.49 miles walked (as measured by my GPS, ha)
7/20 - Bien to Rifugio Città di Chivasso, 1500 meters to 2500 meters
10.17 miles walked



7/19 was a hard, hard day. Without any music, I climbed higher than I had ever climbed before. Col di Loson, at 10,800 feet, is almost assuredly the highest I have ever climbed, and it certainly felt like it. Still, the views from up there were unreal, and I took it in with all the thankfulness of someone who has had to work hard to get there. If the climb up was difficult, the more than a mile of descent (measured in altitude, not distance) that I walked down was just as difficult, if not more so. Still, this giant undertaking was filled with the most pleasant views, along with the sense of accomplishment that only climbing a mountain can provide. I kept turning around to look at the peak I had just overcome, and mentally patting myself on the back.

































































I won't belabor this blog with the tiresome, windy walk down. I will just say that I passed my night in my tent, and was very thankful for the sleep.

The next day, my Zune having been charged with my solar powered charger, which was proving useful, I started my walk where I had left off, with Beethoven's 3rd Symphony. This wonderful piece of music was originally written as an homage to Napoleon, but later turned into to a more esoteric homage - "Heroic" - after Sig. Bonaparte had invaded Vienna (Beethoven's home) and set himself up as Emperor. It also happens to be one of my favorite pieces, and it felt particularly fitting for me at this time. As I walked in this valley between huge mountain ranges, I indeed felt mythically heroic. Maybe it started when, after my precious precious hot shower that morning, I noticed for the first time that the deodorant "flavor" I had thoughtlessly purchased in the US was called "Alpine Force." Alpine force, indeed.

Either way, as the playful third movement ended and the fourth movement started, my heart immediately began to beat with a faster tempo. The fourth movement, for those of you who are unfamiliar with it, is a theme and variations movement. So, a theme is stated, and what follows is Beethoven's ingenious reconfiguration of this theme in a variety of ways. This can be the most banal of musical structures, but never when handled by the Master. He builds the theme slowly, adding an instrument family with each variation. The theme soon becomes more of a melody, then gradually grows in stature until the whole orchestra blasts it in unison. At its greatest heights, just when you think the whole symphony is going to come crashing to end, Beethoven brings everything instead to a crawl, and it is here, at this moment, that I finally came to terms with what I was doing here. I finally realized that I had arrived. Just as Beethoven's hero contemplates his existence and surroundings in a moment of noble nostalgia, and sees that everything around him is pure and good, I cried tears of joy, indeed sobbed aloud, at my extreme fortune.

I guess you could say that I kind of set myself up for that moment, since I chose that particularly meaningful Symphony, on that particularly meaningful day. However, this moment transcended any forced artificiality for me, and as the piece ended and I let the wind dry my eyes, I had now come to fully embrace my unique situation.

And, with the hindsight that these few days without internet have afforded me, I can say that the stretch of days since then has been particularly propitious for me. Allow me to expand on this statement with some examples. I know it's getting a bit long, and you have work to do, so feel free to pause here. This blog isn't going anywhere, and who knows when I'll be able to reach another internet cafe.