Col de la Croix du Bonhomme

A B-I-G day today.

From Les Contaminés up through la Balme to the first Col du Bonhomme at 2320m is a glorious but tough ascent. The woods were alive with fungi, fly agaric nearly a foot wide, puffballs everywhere - but we needed to push on and not explore. The high pasture still has cows but autumn crocus and campanula added flashes of colour. They were nearly enough to distract from the climb.
It's late in the season, and was a Sunday, but the trails and the refuges are all surprisingly full, perhaps the stunning late weather has encouraged folks.

Lunch and then the traverse round to the Croix du Bonhomme which is a pure joy, a rough rocky trail gradually ascending to a high point at 2479m, we rewarded ourselves with a large cold lemonade in the refuge and admired the view into the Beaufortain mountains. 
Then the hard fast descent to Chapieux. I'd been concerned just what the ankle would think of that, and it would be a lie to say there weren't any twinges, but it's undeniably now better than pre-op, woohoo. 

The trails are so full that we then had to taxi transfer to the Chalet du Roseland, an OK hotel with fantastic food in a magnificent setting (extra is the view from the terrace, where I spent a good while, read on...)

However the shower room was (very nearly) lethal. I stepped in and immediately somersaulted into the air, my shin bone landing on the sharp ridge of the triangular step with an awful thwack. I sat awhile and then gingerly moved, it could bear weight.
Dressed and down to the bar for a bag of ice and onto the terrace. The swelling went down fast leaving an impressive perfectly straight bruise the length of my shin bone. A horrible near miss or a very lucky escape..  
>
>
>
Writing this the next day I can say it was the latter. I have a technicolour lower leg but it's not caused any problems.

35,500 steps
1330m ascent