Tour Du Mont Blanc
We flew into Genva Switzerland and had a two hour drive to Chamonix, France. Tears were almost rolling down my face driving through the mountains, because I was so happy to see a place that looked like home. Driving into town felt like any other mountain town in Colorado. Everyone was in their hiking clothes and had farmers tans from being out in the sun.
Jesse's good friend Blake flew out to meet Natalie, Chris, Jesse and I to do the trek with us. It was so nice to see another familiar face. We decided to stay two nights in Chamonix to relax and enjoy the area. The first night we all sat along the river sharing pizza and drinking French wine, having laughs and catching up. The second day our plan was to get a bit more accustomed to the altitude and get our hiking legs ready. A quick hike turned into a light 10 mile walk about. It was wonderful to be out of a big city and smelling fresh air. After the hike I was feeling a bit nervous with how out of breath I was. Living at sea level for the last 10 months combined with the lack of opportunity to hike any real mountains or even significant hills made the upcoming 50 mile trek seem daunting.
Jesse's good friend Blake flew out to meet Natalie, Chris, Jesse and I to do the trek with us. It was so nice to see another familiar face. We decided to stay two nights in Chamonix to relax and enjoy the area. The first night we all sat along the river sharing pizza and drinking French wine, having laughs and catching up. The second day our plan was to get a bit more accustomed to the altitude and get our hiking legs ready. A quick hike turned into a light 10 mile walk about. It was wonderful to be out of a big city and smelling fresh air. After the hike I was feeling a bit nervous with how out of breath I was. Living at sea level for the last 10 months combined with the lack of opportunity to hike any real mountains or even significant hills made the upcoming 50 mile trek seem daunting.
Going into the hike, I honestly hadn't done much research about the route because Natalie had completed the entire Tour Du Blanc five years prior and was giving us the information we needed. What I didn't realize was that the entire Tour Du Blanc is about a 100 mile loop route over about 8 days. Most hikers start in Chamonix working through France, Italy and Switzerland then returning back to where you start. Our itinerary was though was only doing half of the hike starting in Les Houches France (just south of Chamonix)and ending in Courmayeur Italy. We all carried our personal belongings on our back, with the most important items being snacks! I made sure to bring a Snickers for each day. Without my chocolate you don't know what will come of me.
Each night we stayed in a refuge or chalet along with about 30 - 50 other hikers. Some better than others, but they provided a bed, showers, dinner, breakfast and you can purchase drinks and snacks if requested. It made the trip 100 times better than if we had to camp with our own tents, pads and food.
The first day there went two different routes. One was a bit tougher and one a bit easier although longer. Jesse and I decided to take the easier, but longer route where the rest of the group took the tougher route. Our hike took us through the small villages and ski area, which was nice to see. You could hear the cow bells in the distance. It all felt like we had just popped out of the Sound of Music. There were water ports throughout the towns for hikers and they couldn't have made it easier to find with all of the signs along the trails. It was much easier and shorter than anticipated so we were able to meet up with the group halfway through the day in the small town of Le Champel. We had a fantastic lunch where the boys had beer and rabbit. We were all feeling good about ourselves not realizing what was ahead. We all stuck together during the second half of the day where there was a lot of incline and sweat. We finally reached our refuge after a 9 hour day and yes, the first thing we did was take off our boots and order a beer. We all sat around the table playing cards and laughing. Dinner, although not the best, would do and we met a nice girl named Sarah from San Francisco. She was accomplishing the hike in honor of a friend that had passed away. We all raised a glass in respect of her friend Nancy at dinner.
Camp night one:
The second day we expected to be much lighter, however it was a bit more strenuous and longer than anticipated. We realized that maybe we should start looking at the map ourselves. Although Natalie is a great guide, Jesse started to take a second look at the maps to add up mileage and elevation himself. The second day we crossed over the highest ridge on the trip at 2780m (9120 feet). Since we were above treeline pretty much the entire day the sun was relentless, but at least we had some cool breezes at the the top along with amazing views. At the top we stopped for snacks and pictures, then made the very steep decent down toward the valley. Along the way we stopped at a small alpine lake for a refreshing swim and Jesse flew the drone. Our second night was situated in a beautiful valley full of towering peaks. A donkey hauling supplies sat in the grass behind us moaning with what we think would have translated to, "Carry your own shit up the mountain."
On the third day I realized I should probably get a bit of a head start to the day so I left the camp about 20 minutes before the rest of the group. It was so peaceful to be out there by myself. I met up with the rest of the group close to the top, but we were all excited to get to Refuge Elisabetta as we heard they had the best food and it was perched in a magnificent spot just below a glacier next to thundering waterfalls. We split wine, pasta, cheese, salads and steak. You name it we had it. After our long and leisurely lunch we wanted to stay put and take a nap, but we got moving again and went a few more miles downhill to our camp for the third night. It was Blake's birthday so we played some card games and went to another lake above camp for more swimming. We even indulged in a little plank competition in our room that evening just cause we were feeling so darn good!
It was sad, but it was our last day of hiking. The morning started off with a tough uphill grind to our final pass of the trip. It was worth the extra effort because the views at the top were the best of the entire journey. The south slopes of Mont Blanc were quite grand. The rest of the hike was easy and meandering down towards town through the ski resort slopes. We stopped for our last beer and snack at the top to soak it all in. Once we made it into the town of Courmayeur we checked into our hotel for the evening. Now that we were in Italy, gelato and pizza were all that were on the minds. The following day Jesse, Chris and I headed to a pool up the ski mountain to relax and Natalie and Blake decided to take another hike. (Of course)
Our quality time spent together was priceless. It was so nice to be able to spend quality time with each person individually on the trail chatting and catching up. There were no phones or distractions, but just enjoyment to share with each other. We all look forward to coming back and completing the full tour and maybe even Mont Blanc itself. These few days in the Alps were some of the best of the last 10 months and we are grateful to have such wonderful memories with lifelong friends.
We all returned to Chamonix for our final night then the next day went our separate ways. Chris flew back to Denver, Jesse and I went to Krakow Poland, Natalie and Blake stayed around Chamonix and succeeded in reaching the summit of Mont Blanc two days later!
Each night we stayed in a refuge or chalet along with about 30 - 50 other hikers. Some better than others, but they provided a bed, showers, dinner, breakfast and you can purchase drinks and snacks if requested. It made the trip 100 times better than if we had to camp with our own tents, pads and food.
The first day there went two different routes. One was a bit tougher and one a bit easier although longer. Jesse and I decided to take the easier, but longer route where the rest of the group took the tougher route. Our hike took us through the small villages and ski area, which was nice to see. You could hear the cow bells in the distance. It all felt like we had just popped out of the Sound of Music. There were water ports throughout the towns for hikers and they couldn't have made it easier to find with all of the signs along the trails. It was much easier and shorter than anticipated so we were able to meet up with the group halfway through the day in the small town of Le Champel. We had a fantastic lunch where the boys had beer and rabbit. We were all feeling good about ourselves not realizing what was ahead. We all stuck together during the second half of the day where there was a lot of incline and sweat. We finally reached our refuge after a 9 hour day and yes, the first thing we did was take off our boots and order a beer. We all sat around the table playing cards and laughing. Dinner, although not the best, would do and we met a nice girl named Sarah from San Francisco. She was accomplishing the hike in honor of a friend that had passed away. We all raised a glass in respect of her friend Nancy at dinner.
Camp night one:
It was sad, but it was our last day of hiking. The morning started off with a tough uphill grind to our final pass of the trip. It was worth the extra effort because the views at the top were the best of the entire journey. The south slopes of Mont Blanc were quite grand. The rest of the hike was easy and meandering down towards town through the ski resort slopes. We stopped for our last beer and snack at the top to soak it all in. Once we made it into the town of Courmayeur we checked into our hotel for the evening. Now that we were in Italy, gelato and pizza were all that were on the minds. The following day Jesse, Chris and I headed to a pool up the ski mountain to relax and Natalie and Blake decided to take another hike. (Of course)
We all returned to Chamonix for our final night then the next day went our separate ways. Chris flew back to Denver, Jesse and I went to Krakow Poland, Natalie and Blake stayed around Chamonix and succeeded in reaching the summit of Mont Blanc two days later!
Comments
Post a Comment