Pian del Rei-Rifugio Quintino Sella

Mist enveloped the car park as we arrived at Pian del Rei, so we enjoyed a very cool walk-in after a hot morning's cragging. Indeed, we felt quite at home up here - as the valleys above Crissalo have a distinctively Welsh feel: at least they did in these conditions. The walk-in to the Sella hut is lengthy but nowhere near as steep as Wednesday's slog to the Remondino hut. A few zigzags lead to a stream crossing then tranquil Lago Fiorenza. Vic and I kept to our own pace, and just above the lake I saw my first salamander, the endemic Salamandra Lanzei, which only lives in this corner of the Cottian Alps - an extraordinary sight, completely black and completely tame. I went on to see several more during the walk-in. A short climb up a narrow valley led to a long, looping traverse around the stunning, turquoise Lago Chiaretto. I was completely alone in the landscape now, the mist draping the walls of Viso to the right and the wedge-shaped Viso Mozzo directly in front: all quite dramatic. I waited for Vic and we continued upwards into the mist, weaving through some hostile moraines (dozens of alpine accentors, alpine chough and water pipits here) to finally gain views of the Lago Grande del Viso and the hut, which just materialised out of the mist. Rather chilly as we arrived, but a convivial evening followed, with superb roast beef and red wine as the rain hammered against the windows of the hut.