TMB 5: Leftover Italian Pizza with STELLAR Views :)

This was, hands down, Vern's favorite day. He made me put up all three of the mountain photos from our lunch spot - even after I said no one wants to look at THREE! Ah well. Pretty easy and much shorter trek today (7 miles) flanked by views of the Val Ferret range showcasing Mont Blanc and it's buddies in all their glory. Sat for a long time in the grass eating our leftover pizza and drinking berry flavored yogurt. Made time for a few selfie photos with our Palestinian friends and stopped to pick mountain blueberries/huckleberries. Ended the day with a final hike up to the coolest refuge yet, the Walter Bonatti Rifugio. They were serving lunches of polenta covered with big sausages in marinara sauce when we got there. I was in line behind a rather aloof and disgruntled (at times) Welsh couple we had met on the first day of the hike and exclaimed how fantastic that polenta dish looked and were they getting it? They looked at me rather snobbishly and said they were vegetarians. Ooops! They were not in good moods the whole afternoon and actually left separately. This hike can make or break ya! I can't believe that Vern, who loves his private room and seperate bathroom, actually liked this refuge best. We were in a large dorm room with 12 twin mattresses on one side of the room and 12 on the other side with lockers in between. He nabbed a bed next to the wall, but that meant we had to walk a LONG way to the bathroom in the middle of a very dark night. I was scared I would accidentally slide into the wrong bed!? Even the bathrooms were shared with both men and women - toilets, sinks, etc. It was rather disconcerting to hear someone hacking and brushing their teeth at your elbows. But all was good. Funny, though! :) Meal was the best yet with FOUR courses. Two really nice mountaineers next to us from Ireland and England. They have been friends for years and one had a brain tumor removed this year so they were "taking it easy" - lol! Very cold weather predicted tomorrow. Uh oh. But I am going to dream happy dreams and put in my earplugs. Bound to be snorers in a room packed with 24 tired hikers.