Le Tour du Mont Blanc, Day 13

Thursday, September 13^th

 

Congratulations to Sue and Nancy for completing Le Tour du Mont Blanc today! They debated which route to take and ended up hiking the low route to Les Houches to complete the Tour. This was still over a 12 mile/20 km day! They stayed in the Gite Michel Fagot again where Nancy had left a box for checking her hiking poles onto the plane. Note - Don't try to put them in your carry on or you may lose them to the airport security agents!

Nancy on the trail and then celebrating the completion of Le Tour!

Photos by Sue Priest

Nancy took a photo of a wild bee hotel that I've added here as many places we stayed had smaller versions of these. In fact both of the apartments we rented in Bern had small bee hotels.

Large hotel for the wild bees! Photo by Nancy Brian

Meanwhile, Colleen and I caught a morning bus to Chamonix and then the Ouibus to Geneva. We found our way to our Airbnb, took very needed showers, and then headed out to buy groceries. We couldn’t find a grocery store but managed to get some pasta and sauce in an Avec store attached to a gas station nearby. Then we couldn’t figure out how to use the induction stove! I eventually cooked the pasta by letting it soak in boiling water, from the hot pot, draining it and adding more boiling water four times until it was cooked. I warmed up the sauce in a pan over the boiling water as well. American ingenuity in Geneva!

The apartment came complete with a darling kitten and a view all the way to the Jet, a famous plume of water in Lac Lemac (Lake Geneva).

The Jet with the Mont Blanc Massif in the background

Derik, the owner of the Airbnb, had just gotten a darling kitten that gave us heart failure by walking on the railing of the 7th floor balcony!

Day 13 Summary  for Sue and Nancy: Auberge La Boerne to Les Houches (France); 12.44 mi/20 km; 811’/247 m up; 2109’/643 m down; 7 hrs on trail

Summary of Total TMB: 93.1 miles/150 km; 24893 feet / 7587 m UP; 26656 feet / 8124 m DOWN; 70.5 hours on the trail

Le Tour du Mont Blanc, Day 12

Wednesday, September 12^th

The next morning we hiked down the upper end of the long Chamonix to Le Tour and then to Montroc where we bumped into Colleen checking out the train schedule! It was only 10 am so we had the rest of the day together. She had done fine but hadn't been able to do much with her sore knee...

Sue and Nancy in front of the darling Auberge La Boerne

The owners of the Auberge had flowers everywhere at their hut and house!

We hiked the few minutes up to the Auberge and left our packs and then headed down again to catch the bus to Chamonix. We changed to another bus in Chamonix to take us to the gondola to Aiguille du Midi. It turned out the second part of this gondola ride was closed as well – so we were thwarted on both ends of the gondola route that takes you all the way up and over the Mont Blanc massif!

View from the gondola up the valley we walked down yesterday and this morning

We got our tickets to Aiguille du Plan and got off for a view and a lunch where we could watch some of the French army practicing medical maneuvers. I also took a 17 second movie of a paraglider launching off the Plan!

17 second movie of a paraglider launching off the Aiguille du Plan

We returned, walked back to the Place du Mont Blanc to catch our bus to Montroc, and saw the famous statue of the two mountaineers pointing up at Mont Blanc. It was commissioned from a number of different alpine clubs including the Boston Alpine Club! Note that the first successful summit was in 1786 by Jacques Balmat and Michel Gabriel Paccard, and financed by Swiss geologist, physicist, alpinist and aristocrat Horace Benedict de Saussure who climbed it the following year and conducted scientific experiments. You will hear more about Saussure in a later blog post!

Statue of Balmat and Saussure pointing up to Mt. Blanc - Photo by Nancy Brian

I also went into a pharmacy to get Colleen some more ibuprofen and found they had an Advil gel – that we don’t get in the US. I bought that as well since it wasn’t very expensive so she could see if that helped the pain at all. I got off the bus in Argentiere (the town below Montroc) so I could check the outdoor stores I had seen there for webbing to create a belt for the top of my pack to make a more comfortable daypack from it. I ended up spending 4 euros on a belt of black webbing that already had a buckle. Note - It is worth carrying a light daypack or string bag for non-backpacking adventures!

Beautiful Chamonix - Photo on left by Nancy Brian with Mont Blanc in the background; Photo on right shows the opposite view of this beautiful walkway along the Arve river

It only took less than 20 minutes to walk up the trail to our Auberge and then I moved into a tight room with a bed right between Nancy and Colleen on the floor. I took a shower in an area that was smaller than a phone booth and then went down to the patio to join the others for our sundowners. Dinner was a green salad and then homemade square pieces of pasta with very tender and tasty chicken. Dessert was homemade applesauce with a cookie on top.

Notice the old cow doors from the converted barn that now houses Auberge La Boerne! Photo by Sue Priest

We paid our bills (at the table in the above photo) and I bought a TMB neck gaiter (buff) and then we went to bed. I didn’t have the best night but I didn’t worry since Colleen and I had all our plans made and would be off the trail and in Geneva the next day, while Sue and Nancy completed the Tour.

Day 12 Summary: Gite d’Alpage Charamillon to Auberge La Boerne (France); 2.92 mi/4.7 km; 88’/29 m up; 1768’/539 m down; 2 hrs on trail

Le Tour du Mont Blanc, Day 11

Tuesday, September 11^th

 

Colleen’s knee was still hurting her – ice and ibuprofen did not improve it enough – so we worked with the front desk manager to book a place for Colleen at L’Auberge de Boerne, the hut we were going to be at tomorrow. She would spend an extra day there recovering as our hut for tonight is inaccessible except by foot. The manager was super grateful when I gave him a tip for all he did to help us. He said he wanted to give me a hug - pronounced with a long u that was very cute. Everyone needs a Hoog! Colleen managed to get to the Auberge less than an hour after we left her in the morning. She asked a woman for a ride down the valley and despite speaking no French and the woman speaking no English – they managed just fine.

Sue, Nancy and I opted for the higher alternative route and were very happy we did. We only saw three other groups the entire day. Our route took us slowly uphill along a “bessis” (canal) that had information signs as well as some games for youth to play as they hiked. One game was turning the valves so different areas received the irrigation water, just like I remember from where we lived in Utah!

Nancy managing the path of the irrigation water on an educational panel

After an hour we reached the steep point of the valley where there was a small store/café and where the route led up/down to the Fenetre d’Arpette (yesterday’s big hike we didn’t do). Our trail was on the other side of the river valley and went steeply up almost 2,000 ft to Dessus, Les Grands, where we discovered a beautiful view, though the hut was closed.

Nancy walking along the rock wall we end up scaling later. Photo by Sue Priest.

Nancy near top, Sue halfway up the path to Dessus, Les Grands

We had a nice long picnic here and I took a scenic photo from the outhouse!

View from the outhouse at Dessus, Les Grands

From this part of the hike we were able to see the route up/down from the Col de Forclaz to the Fenetre d’Arpette and I was super glad we had not attempted that hike! We could also see some melting glaciers in the next valley.

Sue admiring the view from Dessus, Les Grands

After lunch we started the “traverse” portion of the hike which was actually quite demanding. We crossed debris fields and a lot of rocky narrow areas where had to use hand and foot holds to get up and over. It was the most technical hiking we did on the tour.

Me looking back on Col de Forclaz - Photo by Sue Priest

The entire hike was spectacular, with outstanding mountain and glacier views in the beginning and then wonderful views of Trient in the valley and the Col de Forclaz on its bench, and the surrounding mountains on that side. As we approached the Col de Balme, and the border with France again, we met more hikers that had come up from Trient to the Col. We were just as happy the Col de Balme hut had closed and that Richard had booked us into a Gite not too much farther away. The Col de Balme hut looked austere with its gray façade, despite the bright red shutters. It was also cold and windy at the top of the col…

Col de Balme, shuttered for the season - Photo by Sue Priest

We started down towards Les Ecuries de Charamillon that Richard booked for us – it was in the middle of a ski slope and almost under a gondola. There were only seven of us staying at Les Ecuries which was a fantastic treat. We were so sorry Colleen couldn't be there with us to enjoy an uncrowded hut! Sue, Nancy and I each ordered 500 ml of beer to celebrate the completion of a long day on the trail and wrote in our journals while eating leftover potato chips and waiting hungrily for dinner. The showers were wonderful deluges of water – you just pushed the button when you were ready for a fresh deluge of warm water to wash away soap or shampoo. Lovely.

Mindy and Nancy relaxing at Les Ecuries - Photo by Sue Priest.

We got our own room with a privacy pony wall that was open at the top. It was fine as there were only the other two couples and everyone was respectfully quiet. And it was soooo nice to have a bed that wasn’t jammed right next to someone else.

Dinner was a yummy soup and bread, and then we had HUGE pieces of Shepherd’s Pie and chocolate cake for dessert.

Shepherd's Pie for dinner - Photo by Sue Priest.

 Meanwhile, Colleen was watching a fire at one of the ski huts just across the valley from her Auberge! One helicopter was supporting some folks on the ground and they did get it out.

Colleen witnesses a ski hut going down in flames

 Day 11 Summary: Forclaz to Gite d’Alpage de Charamillon Refuge (France); 7.20 mi, 2466’ up/1205’ down, 7 hrs on trail

Le Tour du Mont Blanc, Day 10

Monday, September 10^th

We woke up around 7 am, made coffee, and enjoyed breakfast in the apartment. We enjoyed a warm morning on a gentle trail to begin, and then, once we got higher, we were in blueberry heaven. We've been able to snack on blueberries almost every day! They are perfectly sweet and the leaves are reddening as autumn approaches.

Sitting in the blueberry patch for  my morning snack - Photo by Sue Priest

Looking up valley in blueberry heaven

We usually take the more mountainous route but opted for the easier hike today as the alternate one was extremely steep and went up and down 1,500 ft more than the already almost half-mile hike up on this route. The alpine route even had ladders in the steepest places – so, despite the tempting view, we opted for the main route (Alp Bovine) for once. It was still relentlessly uphill and we gratefully rested and took in the views at the top. Colleen left an inexpensive rosary at the cross at the top of the Col since she had found the much nicer one in Aosta. Almost every col and mountain top has a cross on it.

Colleen adds a rosary to the cross - Photo by Colleen Sinnott

View down the valley from the Col

The walk down was moderately steep, featuring an overview of Martigny as we walked along through the forest. Unfortunately, Colleen's knee was bothering her by the end of the hike, making us extra glad we hadn't chosen the higher route.

View of Martigny, a town we had traveled through enroute to Les Houches!

We made it to the "perched" town of Col de Forclaz and our hotel of the same name. We climbed up into an "attic" room on the 3rd floor with four bunk beds side-by-side. We all took the lower bunks, showered, and went outside to get ice for Colleen's knee and sundowners for all of us!

Sundowners at Hotel Col de la Forclaz - Photo by Sue Priest

We all admired the soap holder in the bathroom at the hotel!

Day 10 Summary: Au Vieux Champex to Hotel Col de la Forclaz (Switzerland); 8.72 mi/14 km; 2344’/714 m  up; 2181’/665 m down; 7 hrs on trail

Le Tour du Mont Blanc, Day 9

Sunday, September 9^th

 

We left this morning before 8 am and hiked gently down valley in the woods along the river. One section, the Crête (crest) de Saleina was on an ancient lateral moraine from the receding Saleina glacier. Our route continued down valley through the darling Swiss towns of Praz-de-Fort, Les Arlaches and Issert. We saw a solar roof in the first town that imitated the common slate roofs, as well as a solar-powered self-driving lawn mower! I had never seen one before but Husqvarna has had these available since at least 2008. Give it up for the Swedes.

Solar tiles that mimic the traditional slate

Solar-powered robot lawnmower

The towns had narrow meandering lanes between old buildings, and then more open neighborhoods that sported some whimsical yards. Maybe even too cutesy for me!

Nancy walking in charming Praz-de-Fort, Photo by Sue Priest

One of the yards filled with whimsical elves and mushrooms

Distance view and then close-up of house and patio built on and around a giant rock next to a glacier stream.

We had a solid climb after the last town, but it was all along an interesting trail, the “Sentier des Champignons” – the Mushroom Path - that the local mushroom society must have spent some serious money on. There were picnic tables, carvings, and interpretive signs on mushrooms.

Two of the many wood carvings along the Sentier des Champignons

After a good day of hiking, we arrived at the sweet town of Champex on beautiful alpine Lac Champex. Sue had booked a small apartment that was up on a rise and had a wonderful balcony overlooking the lake.

First view of Champex, Sue to the right

View of Lac Champex from our balcony

We dropped our backpacks and walked to the store – loading up on cheese, apples, bananas, yogurt and muesli. We were happy to get our own breakfast food after so many days of hut breakfasts. Nancy hung out at the apartment enjoying time to herself and watching clothes dry in the sun, while and the rest of us went to check out the lake. The wind kicked up almost as soon as we got there but I still managed a short dip. No one else was swimming though there were folks on paddle boats. It took less than 30 minutes to stroll around the lovely lake.

Glaciers in the background from the far end of the Lake

After a pizza and salad dinner at our land lady’s restaurant, Sue and I went for a night walk around the lake, enjoying the town lights from across the water.

Night walk around Lac Champex

Note: We met several groups of hikers that were on booked trips that skipped this hiking day. They were bused to Champex, and then they hiked from here, jumping a day ahead of us. I don’t know if the tour companies thought today was too "boring" as it didn't have close-up alpine views – but we really enjoyed it. The old Swiss towns we passed through were charming and the Mushroom Path was a bonus. Plus Champex is a nice town to hang out in!

Day 9 Summary: Maya Joie to Au Vieux Champex (Switzerland); 9.83 mi/15.8 km; 1528’/466 m up; 2004’/611 m down; 6 hrs on trai

Le Tour du Mont Blanc, Day 8

Saturday, September 8^th

We had our second earliest start at 7:38 am from Bonatti towards the Swiss town of La Fouly. Bonatti was really a pretty hut in a gorgeous setting, so I'm starting with a photo of the hut from sunset the evening before.

Rifugio Walter Bonatti

The route began with a gentle uphill and a not too bad downhill to the Val Ferrett in Italy and then a long, steep climb up 2,700 feet/823 m to Col Ferrett before crossing into Switzerland into the Swiss Val Ferrett to La Fouly. The downhill did involve sharing the trail with a large herd of cows being moved from the high pastures!

Nancy carefully making her way down through a large herd of cows - Photo by Sue Priest

Still looking fresh before we started climbing to the Col Ferrett

Not looking as fresh at the top! Photo by Colleen Sinnott

Gorgeous views on the route to the top with end of season fireweed

Part of the 360 degree view from the top of the Col

Looking back down to Italy from where we climbed up

I took a series of panorama shots at the top of the Col – but should have shot a short movie to get a better sense of the whole 360 view. From the top we crossed back into Switzerland and walked down the lovely Val Ferret.

Walking down the lovely Val Ferret - not sure what this sign means - but I think it means NO POST BUS instead of no blowing horns. This is the symbol for the ubiquitous yellow buses of Switzerland. Photo to left shows Colleen walking by a typical beautiful stone house.

We kept criss-crossing with hikers we had met all the way up and then down the route. The Israeli girls were very friendly, and we had to say goodbye to them when we arrived in Le Fouly.

Two young graduate students from Israel we met many times on the trail

Maya Joie was my favorite refuge – we had a large open room, with a big window looking at the glacier across the valley and we just shared the room with a nice, young Canadian couple. There were also hot showers that did not require a token. We had good weather so I managed to get laundry hung in the sun, and we had a lovely view for our “sundowners”.

Enjoying "sundowners" and the view at Maya Joie - Photo by Colleen Sinnott

Dinner was fantastic. We started with a mushroom soup, and a meat and cheese board with some small gerkin pickles and pearl onions and then were served an “eat as much as you want” raclette with baby potatoes –so I had three servings. Yum.

The chef making raclette, and Mindy (left) enjoying it plus her cool hairdo from Nancy - Photo by Sue Priest

This refuge had a wonderful game room where Sue and Nancy worked together on a puzzle while letting our big dinner digest!

Jigsaw puzzle  in the game room at the Maya Joie in La Fouly

Day 8 Summary: Rifugio Walter Bonatti (Italy) to Maya Joie (Switzerland); 12.43 mi/20 km; 2691’/820 m up; 4078’/1243 m down; 8:32 hrs on trail