Well A.M. didn't get in touch... I've decided to update this blog a little more often. Not that I've anything of particular interest to say, but it may help me to fix some dates in memory. Of course I could do this with a diary, but I haven't the time for that. Latest news? Knee is a little better. Managed to run 100 metres the other day without any serious pain. Went to the Alps this summer and walked part of the GR5 (Briancon northwards) and enjoyed it. The important thing was that the knee took a hammering and didn't seem any worse for it; in fact it felt stronger at the end of the walk than at the start! On the third day of the walk I passed below (and to the east of) the summit of Mont Thabor. The last time I'd been to the top was in 1976 when I'd stayed the night on the summit with Dick Pears and Dick Perry. There was a beautiful sunrise the next morning and we watched the sunlight drop onto the peaks of the Ecrins and watched as both Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn emerged from the darkness some 60 miles away to the north. I have no photos of that sunrise and I'm glad. The refuge I styed in below Thabor was the Refugio - I Re Magi. It was easily the most luxurious refuge I've ever stayed in. I had stayed at a refuge in Valle Stretta (Fr. Vallée Etroite) before when climbing Thabor with my father and brother. That must have been in 1973. The refuge was very basic then and the hamlet in Valle Stretta was two or three buildings at most. Now it was approaching village size.

Refuge - I Re Magi

The peak in the centre of the picture is a lower subsidiary of Thabor. Thabor itself is way off to the left (north-west) in the clag. Note that the weather was bad and, by the next morning, several inches of snow had fallen on Thabor. I arrived at the refuge feeling quite unwell. I'd eaten virtually nothing over the previous two days and, as I waited in the cold winds blowing down from Thabor for the refuge to open, I became quite chilled. First thing I did was shower and take a sleep. At 19.30 dinner was served. A good meal; Antipasti misti piemontesi, Polenta macinata a pietra con salsiccia e formaggi, Dolce della casa, Caffé, ¼ lt. di vino". I seem to remember Génépi being offered too and it was a very generous "¼ lt. di vino" left on my table. I struggled to eat any of it as I felt so unwell. I drunk only water and began to think that, given both the the weather and my condition, I'd have to trek back to Briancon the next morning. The next morning was bright and windy and most importantly the clouds over Thabor had disappeared and I felt somewhat better. Breakfast went down well, tho' I now bitterly regretted leaving most of the previous evening's meal. I set off at around 08.00 and reached the Col de la Vallée Etroite in a respectable time. I felt pleased with myself. The descent to Modane was mostly uninteresting. I passed a huge and apparently abandoned factory/cheesery situated at around 1900m(!) and failed to avoid the vile eyesore of Valfrejus (1570m). Piped music emerged from lamposts into a more or less completely deserted "town"; it was the low-point of that day. I arrived in Modane by mid-afternoon.