Wow!

At least that's what it looked like between sweat droplets falling into my eyes! We climbed 1620m while descending just 30m. Thankfully much of the grunt work was done in the shade and there was a bit of a breeze in the full sun. The total distance was only 9km (although the Brits' GPS read closer to 13km), so there was not much respite from the uphill. The views were marvelous throughout the day so it wasn't too much of a hardship. Our route today was a combination of narrow lanes, tracks and footpaths. I think large parts of our route would be ski runs in the winter. There was a bit of civilization along the way, mostly associated with the ski industry - gondola stations, (closed) restaurants, etc. We passed close to the ski resort town of Verbier which looks to be a summer destination as well, based on the number of mountain bikers and paragliders in our vicinity. Tonight is our first "mountain hut" accommodation. While it is remote from any town, there are cablecars close by which transport skiers in the winter. It has room for 66 people, but I think we are far from full tonight. It's quite comfy. Hot showers, a huge balcony with lots of picnic tables, and a restaurant that serves dinner and breakfast. No wifi, though, so this will be posted a few days late.