Broadly speaking, this was a ridge walk. I. Detail, the route regularly swapped sides and sometimes crested the apex of the ridge while the direction remained fairly straight.

I found myself walking with a very young solo Czech girl. She was very pleasant and seed contented to travel with somebody. My pack was heavier than usual, possibly 20kg. This slowed me down considerably, especially on climbs. Worse, water was difficult to find.

Then the refuge came into view after a sharp climb. This was a hot day too. The refuge guardiene was very friendly, I checked in and he pointed out the shop. That container was a cornucopia. I bought cheese.

Usciolo is a refuge nestling between rocks and the tent clearings were widely scattered between large boulders. I got myself a decent patch and set up. Buying a meal in the Bergerie would be a bad idea because I needed to eat some of the heavier food from my pack. Whole preparing it, I got chatting to a woman from a small party who were heading north. She too was Czech (as were her companions). Her husband had worked in the Lake District and his English was also very good. I sat with them to eat which was very pleasant.