Stage 56 – Great Saint Bernard Pass to Etroubles – 15.2km

Posted byEdward and PaulaPosted inUncategorized

One of the most beautiful walks of the whole trip, down mostly gently sloping, pine covered trails through the Val D’Aosta.  We left the pass early in the morning after saying goodbye to Rolf and Regula who climbed up from Martigny for their vacation.   They are part of the global community of hikers we encountered on the Via, eager to share all sorts of helpful tips about hiking (use polls), eating (not before 10 am), GPS (MapOut-which is fantastic and we started using right away-AppStore $4.99).  We also engaged in a wide ranging political discussion about the hot issues in Swiss politics that sounded eerily familiar: pension deficits, Ukraine, climate change, wokeness.  A quarter of a km into Italy, on an almost vertical incline, we found a café/bar on the side of the trail where we enjoyed our first good cappuccino in 2 months. Fountains, benches, restaurants and cafes are widely available along the trail which is well marked and maintained.  Good to be in Italy!

8 thoughts on “Stage 56 – Great Saint Bernard Pass to Etroubles – 15.2km”

  5. Wonderful to see you relaxing ( a bit) As regards poles you are indeed truly hardy if you’ve got so far without them. Arguably the best on the market come from http://www.pacerpole.com, made by fell walkers in Cumbria, England. I use them. Maybe order some for when you land back in the US to then take them on the next 800km. Good luck, Michael

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  6. As we crawl through maddening Boston tunnel traffic today, I look longingly at the Queen Anne’s lace just managing to survive along the highway and peer into the woods hoping to see a pilgrim or two. You’ve done something very special. See you soon!

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