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Our adventure began at the end of September 1997 we were a team of five persons.
Our Team Leader was 1) Ugo, Alpine Climbing Instuctor of the C.A.I. (Italian Alpine Club) Novara Section; 2) Alberto, a marathoner and excursionst ( Which I remember here with a bit of sadness since he died due years ago, on an far easier excursion than this one, on an easy mountain trail he simply slipped on a rock on the trail, bumped his head, and lost conscience and fell down a hill... Never under-estimate an mountain excursion however easy it seems! 3) Silvio a prepared excurionist / Trekker, 4) Giovanni one of the members of the Trecate 1 (Novara) Chief Scout Team leader, and in the end ...5) Me!...the least prepared...simple amature excursionist...it was the first time that I wore ice rampoons, used an ice axe,and it was my first (and up to now only) 4000m mountain hike that I have done. I had only done 4 hikes that year, at around 2000-3000m [6,485-9,728 ft ]max. involving a height differenc span of about 900m [2,918 ft] on each hike to prepare myself for this event.
We started our hiking adventure from Gresoney la Trinitè (1618m) [5,246 ft] which is a famose winter sci resort situated nearly at the end of the Gressoney Vally in the Italian Aosta Vally Region. We started the hike at 7:30 am following the C.A.I. (Italian Alpine Club) hike trails called 5, 5b-6,6-7,7a . We arrived at the Alpine Hut called Gnifetti (3611m) [11,709 ft] at arround 15:00 I was pooped out! I remember that Ugo, out of pure compasion, carried my rucksac for about a mile! I had made a mistake that is caused by inexperence... too much suff in my rucksac!
We had a simple dinner of ...guess what? ... Spaghetti! ( welI...I guess you know by now, that we are all Italians!)...We had to cook our meal ourself since at this time of the year the Alpine hut is un-attended, but I had brought the spaghetti sauce, already made by me at home, with me to make things easier...I had the time to shoot some fotographs of the mountains near by and of the Lys glacier on the sides and on the Garstelet glacier toward the back of the Gnifetti alpine hut. and of course I fotographed of the mountain sunset ...
We went to sleep early that night ... the only very dim lights we could see were coming from the hydroelectric power plant lights at the artifical Lake Gabiet down below us. The sky was a great sight ....we could see the milky way! We went to sleep in our sleeping bags on the bunk beds we found in the hut and the blankets on top of our sleeping bags were used too...
We woke up at 4:30am had a light breakfast of tea, biscuits and chocolate bars...Alberto had slept very little that night and was feeling groggy but he was determined to continue the adventure and reach our final goal:- The Queen Margherita's Alpine hut! Ugo had a headake and had slept badly too... I had slept like a log! I was so tired from the day before that I fell asleep very fast...luckly...this enabled me to regain my energy lost the day before! We decided to leave as much stuff as possible at the Gnifetti Hut in order to lighten our rucksacks:- we would return here on our way back.
At around 5:00am we wore our portable head flashlights and formed two distinct groups:- Ugo,me,and Alberto on the first group and Silvio and Giovanni on the second group. Each group was linked together with a rock climbing rope and harness for safety.We chouse to leave at 5:00am because the glacier ice is hardest at this time.
While the others were fixing up their equipment and testing their helmet mounted lamps, I made a few steps forward to test my rampoons. I was blinded by a flash of a lamp light that was set too high and I inadvetently put my left foot in a mound in the glacier, the ice suddenly broke under my left foot ! Luckly I had my ice axe (on loan to me from C.A.I. Novara), with me firmly in my right hand and as I fell ... my endrenaline suddenly rose... this is it , I thought , now or never... I instinctively smashed the axe into the glacier's border with all the force I had in order to stop my fall...and I did luckly...I yelled for help but I rose from the Ice by myself the ice axe and my right knee helped me regain my balance and regain control . All this happend so fast that Alberto who was tied to me did not notice what was happeing to me as I yelled he dropped this ice axe... out of fright in seeing me... into the glacier! His axe stopped on a ledge on the side of the Garselett glacier ( just ourside the Gnifetti alpine hut ).
Ugo scoulded us.... He instucted us not to let our climbing rope so loose told us to hold one hand on the rope and the other on the ice axe which had to be worn whith a safety loop wound arround our hand so as not to loose it. We wanted t o leave Alberto's Axe where it was but Ugo insisted that it was essential for the hike. He instructed us on how to lower him gradualy to the Ice ledge where he was able to salvage the axe.
We crossed the Garstelet glacier with caution passing in the middle ( a route that , was very tricky because of the many crevases in the Glacier ). We realised too late that the normal hiking route was towards the side of the glacier and not stright in the middle but we mis-interpreted our map that seemed showing the trail in the middle of the glacier.As I said it was too late to turn back as the sun was begining to rise.
It was here that Ugo proved once again his expertice and useing his ice axe prodded the glacier where the ice formed natural "ice bridges" crossing the glaciers crevaces. Without his help we would have never been able to cross the Garstelet glacier.
The sun began to rise at the end of the Garstelett, we di not stop to rest until we reached the Lys Glacier near the "Christo delle Vette" which translates to "the Christ of the mountain tops" that was to our right (4167m high) [13,511 ft] we continued our path in the middle of the Lys Glacier that, luckly, was more compact that is without the deep crevaces that we incontered on th Garselet. The worse part of the glacier had been completed .
We stopped on the Lys glacier for a brief rest just the time for a few photographs of the sunrise on the slopes...the weather was great...I was tied but ok!...but I noticed that Alberto was a bit tired...he said he was tired but if we slowed down a bit it would have been better for him...I Agreed as I was tired myself!
We crossed the Lys pass (4248m [13,774 ft]) we were now in Swizerland but I did not notice it...there are no Frontier Police or flags here! ....the glacier valley below is a glasier basin for the Grenzletscher (CH) glacier. It is a hollow "U" shaped basin where we were surprised to see some tracks, left on the fresh snow, by probably a small airplane who in order to land in such a tight basin had to land and lift off producing a " C" shaped curve! We were astonished to see in what a short distance and in such a small confined space the plane was able to land and take off ! what a pilot!
At this time each us us was very tired, on my part at after only 10 or 15m [32or 48ft] I had to stop for one minute to regain my strenght !...Ugo kept one inviting and insighting us not to stop! I would be worse if we did! Alberto and me were very tired and we were dragging ourself on Silvio and Giovanni were better than us.
Alberto said that maybe he had a fever (infuenza?). On hearing that we were on the piont of turning back but he insisted to go on and told us he could manage it ...we slowed down ...with a bit on indecision and keeping an eye open for Alberto we lingered on...A red helicopter passed overhead...I realised that it was Swiss from the small flag painted on its sides...were they Swiss turists?...They all waved at us... and we waved back!...The chopper make a round turn and was gone...By this time the hike was realy slow we found ourselves stopping ever so often the rarefied air at this height was making us lack breath.
I remember that the last few metres necessary to arrive at the Queen Marghetita's Alpine hut were the worst for me....I was the last one to arrive ... I was pooped out! I Could see the door to the hut in font of me...It was only about 3m from where i stood . My friends were insighting me ..."Come on ...you have made it!...Just a few more steps"...I answered no way!... wait ...let me rest here for 5 minutes!" and so I did...It was around 11:00am. We had reached the heighest Alpine hut in Europe! (4554m) [14,766ft] My first 4000!...It was a great sensation ... I felt realy satisfied.
The hut was closed...and locked! there was no one there. We knew that at this time of the year it's closed but I thought that you could enter anyway as we did with the Gnifetti Hut.
I Prepared some tea the help of my mini-camp stove and with the clean snow I found near by...it was realy good! I offered it tio my friends and we tosted to our seccess. The weather was great ! I thought I was flying on a Plane ! The sky above us was an intense deep blu! The very slight fog caused by the clouds was below us and added contrast to the sean!...The sean...was amasing!...One could see a 360 view of the Alps, Pre-Alps and the plain! ...we saw the river Sesia and could see the Sesia glacier, the Sesia's springs that originated from the melting Sesia glacier...up to the Sesia River itself in the "Val Grande" ! ( Great valley ). On the other side we could see the Cervino mountain, below us!...and again we could see the Glaciers of:- the Rosa , the Signal, the Vigne, the Sesia...Too much!....too beutiful to describe in words...for all we knew we where in top of Europe!...and for us...The world!...only for the five of us!...Moments that we will remenber forever...I on my part still recall this moment with immense pleasure!
After only Half an hour (11:30am), the time to shoot some photographs, Ugo made us go back ! We had to return down before darkness.I wanted to stay longer but I realised that ugo was right!...we had already risked too much...better turn back and redescend fast especialy for Alberto who was feeling...so and so.
Thw hike back down has uneventfull and everything went well ...Alberto's status was getting better:- the more we decended the better he felt ...This time having learned the lesson the hard way, we turn on the side of the Garselett glacier so as to avoid the crevases encountered in the morning...The decent was fast...but at the end of the tail we lost the trail and so had to walk 13 kms more than necessary !..."Ugo!!!... I can't go on..." I shouted! - Ugo just laughed! Finaly we found our automobiles ... I was exousted...but felt gratifed...I will never forget this Stupendous adventure on The Rosa Mountain!
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