French Alps

Bonjour mon ami. Ca va! Tres bien. On Sept. 5 thru 15th, for 10 days and 120 miles, I hiked the ‘official’ Tour Du Mont Blanc (abbreviated: ‘TMB’) following an established route around the main block of mountains containing not only Mont Blanc but its principal allied summits such as Verte, Chardonnet, Gouter, Geant, Jorasses, d’Argentiere, Dolent and numerous others. Circling these ranges, I hiked through France, Switzerland and Italy, wandering through alpine meadows, over barren passes, into small hamlets, and beneath gigantic glaciers staying at small hotels, dortoirs (dormitory) and mountain huts, also called refuges, a gite d'etape (simple overnight accommodations for hikers) at night.

the Refuges

Le Lac Blanc

Prior day
Chamonix is home to a dazzling array of many of the highest peaks in the Alps, including the infamous Mont Blanc (15,860 feet), the highest point in the Alps and in Europe as a whole. At around lunch time, more than 100s of paragliders were taking off from the summit of Le Brevent and drifting down to the valley floor. I took a cable car from Paz to Index and hiked up to Lac Le Blanc as a warm up and to acclimate myself of the high altitude. Here I was offered spectacular views of the main peaks, in particulate the Grand Dru and the Petit Dru, the Grandes Jorasses and the Auguilles de Chamonix. Descent to La Flegere. Time 2-½ hrs

Day 1
I decided to take a train to Lac d’Annecy, south-west of Chamonix. Annecy, the lake bearing its name is an ancient town, its name deriving from the Roman Villa Aniciaca. A large part of the town’s old quarter grew up around the River Thiou, which is bridged several times in this short length. This town resembles Venice. Here resided the 18^th-century writer and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

That evening, I met our group for dinner and orientation. That evening, I found out I was the least prepared for this hike. I wondered myself if I will be able to survive even two days of continuous hike.

Day 2
Transferred by bus to Les Houches and cable car to Bellevue (5,610 feet). Here we began our hike, passing by the foot of the huge Glacier de Bionnassay then up through lush meadows (lunch here) that marks the start of the final climb up to the Col du Tricot (6,995 feet). (Cols are passes, the highest places that are encountered along the way.) Here we were offered spectacular views of the Aiguille du Bionnassay, and Dome du Gouter (14,121 feet). After 45 mins I reach the col. Far below I could see the collection of small buildings at Chalet de Miage. It will take me another 1 hr to descent from the col (steep!) to arrive at the Refuge du Miage, set in a valley dominated by the Dome du Miage. Today, together with Rachel of Iowa and Cheryl plus Rachel (our other guide) decided we would create our own team and named it Team B meaning the group that finished behind everybody. These women run marathons under 4 hrs. So you get the idea where I at the end of the day. From where we were drinking, we could see the route of our next day climb. It was not a sight I was looking forward to. Elevation gain: 2,380 feet; Elevation loss: 1,850 feet; Distance: 6 miles; Time: 6 hrs.

at col du Tricot

towards Les Contamines

Day 3
It was drizzling that morning but rain or shine, we were off to our next hike. From Miage, it was an uphill start through thickly-wooded pine trees and then a descent to the small village of Les Contamines where we had lunch and buy lunch items for the next day. Departing Les Contamines, we hiked up the Mont Joie Valley, past a 15th-century mountain church, Notre Dame de la Gorge, crossed a small ancient Roman bridge and continued up this broad alpine valley to the rustic refuge Chalet de la Balme. There awaits cold beer and a hot shower. Team B was starting to have a character on its own. We were becoming the fun group. We did pick up a new member (Art) that day. I survived another day. A very good day. From where we were drinking, we could see the route of our next day climb. It was not a sight I was looking forward to (did I say that earlier?). An impromptu birthday dinner celebration for Laurie. Elevation gain: 2,400 feet; Elevation loss: 1,840 feet; Distance: 8 miles; Time: 7 hrs.

col du Bonhomme

Team B

Day 4
This was the most strenuous hike of the tour. Departing La Balme, we began a steady climb to col du Bonhomme (very slippery). All it takes was to get my rhythm – very slow, to reach the top. The view from here gives you a different perspective on what is on the other side of the pass. The next climb was towards col de la Croix du Bonhomme. Sheep were everywhere, so were their "mess". Then another 1 hr to the Col des Fours (8,960 feet). From here, we stopped for lunch. After a long descent passing through the Ville des Glacier, and stopping at a cheese farm, we ended our day at the remote Refuge des Mottets. It was a very hard descent. My knees were beginning to buckle up. I can’t believe we met up a group where they had a donkey carrying their heavy load. Should have sign-up in their tour. As expected, Team B arrived 30 mins behind the peloton. Our accommodation was a converted barn, which takes 50 people. This refuge is notably known for their cheap wine (but good). From where we were drinking, we could see the route of our next day climb (déjà vu). This is now becoming to be the routine. Elevation gain: 4,000 feet; Elevation loss: 3,200 feet; Distance: 9 miles, 8 hrs.

col de la Croix du Bonhomme

Ville des Glacier

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