Day 20 - Maljasset to Larche - Cash Worries

Heading to the Pont de Chatelet - 97 m above the river. 

Today will be a long day (around 8.5 hours according to the guide) crossing a couple of cols to Larche. Murray had tried to persuade me to take a more adventurous route that went over some higher cols in Italy and it was tempting, but I was worried about accumulated fatigue. 

I'm on the road (literally, because the first part of the hike follows the road) before 8.00. It's chilly because the sun hasn't reached down into the valley yet but dramatic views offer recompense - the rising sun is lighting up big rock walls. I cross an 'interesting' bridge have second breakfast at Fouillousse. From there, I have a long stretch of hiking over a couple of cols to arrive at Larche. We're really into wilder country here - I don't see any other hikers all day (in fact, I hardly see anyone). 

Starting the climb from Fouillousse to the Col du Vallonet

At Larche I get installed in the gite and I have a little problem to resolve. I should have got some cash in Briancon, but it just slipped my mind. Once I pay for the gite in Larch, I'll be out of cash (Larch has no cash machines, and no-one is credit card enabled). I phone my wife and she finds out that the nearest cash machine is 4 cols and about 12 hours hiking away - ouch! But I phone a chambre d'hote and agree I'll pay via a bank transfer, so that shortens my hiking tomorrow to 10 hours, with 'only' 3 cols. The weather is obviously changing for the worst so that's a relief!