The psychedelic magic of the moment

My tour was supposed to start right at the beginning of the Aosta Valley. The regional train from Milan dropped me off in the small village of Hone. Next to the ruins of a fortress that guards the entrance of the Aosta Valley between steep towering cliffs. At an altitude of only 400 meters. From there, it was more or less a straight climb up these walls to the first mountain pass at over 2800 meters. So before I could even think about the first moments of descent, I had a huge amount of work ahead of me.

To warm up and wake up, there was the paved road through the Valle di Champorcher, up to the village of Champorcher located at 1500 meters. With little traffic, I passed by some half-ruined, typical Italian mountain villages, always climbing higher. Until a small castle announced the arrival in Champorcher. To my surprise, I was greeted there with one of the best paninis I have ever had in Italy - crispy all the way through and richly topped with melted, flavorful mountain cheese from the region.

Refreshed, I then set out to tackle the second half of the day. I really wanted to make it to a mountain lake slightly below the pass. I was now in the Mont Avic Natural Park, and I pedaled further and further out of the valley on a still well-developed road. The peaks slowly got closer and closer, even if in slow motion. At Rifugio Dondena, the motorized traffic of the common Italian day tripper finally came to an end. For me, it marked the first pushing section of the tour - welcome to the usual bikepacking mode. Despite the nearly 2000 meters of climbing in my legs, I made good progress at a comfortable pace in bright sunshine. A true picture-perfect day.

When I finally reached the Rifugio at Lago del Miserin, I thought I was in the (wrong?) movie. A small plateau with an azure blue lake stretched out in the emptiness of the landscape before me. In front of it, a small brick chapel and the Rifugio, seemingly deserted. Except for a seemingly time-displaced hippie who let the sun burn on his tattooed fur to psychedelic jazz-funk. He was the hut host. A downright surreal scene. Although the loud music should actually be out of place here, it enhanced the magic of the moment and enchanted me.

It didn't take long before more hikers appeared and the first conversations started. The special moment was over. But I sat there daydreaming on the terrace for at least an hour, absorbing the still special atmosphere of this place. If I ever feel tempted to experience an LSD trip, then please right here and with the sounds of this wonderfully hypnotic music.

As is often the case in the Western Alps, camping for one night was allowed in this natural park. So I found myself a not-so-hidden but still lonely spot at the other end of the lake. With a view of the bustling activity at the Rifugio, I enjoyed the sunset and the pleasant coolness of the evening at such a high altitude in the mountains. A truly magical first day. This is how the adventure begins.