I quickly realized that no amount of training in the rolling hills near Huntsville, Ontario (my home town) would prepare me physically for what awaited me on the trails around Mont Blanc. This is strenuous Alpine hiking in altitude, the kind I have never attempted before. I soon learned that it is not so much the distance (as in most other hikes I have done) - but the ascents & decents each day that would present the greatest challenge.
The Mont Blanc mountain range is spectacular. When you take the cable car from Chamonix to the top and look out over the all the mountains you are awe struck. Then I became a little worried... am I really going to hike around all those majestic mountains?
Our hike was about to begin. The original route takes you 170kms around the mountains surrounding Mont Blanc. Our actual hike would take us 185kms (115miles). A few zigs when we should have zagged or maybe a missed trail sign or two occasionally lead us off course. The passes we crossed would be tough for me. Sometimes climbing over boulders to get to the top, sometimes encountering a howling wind in rain, sometimes trudging in snow and slush - the passes were the biggest challenge for all of us. Oh, I forgot to mention, these passes went up to 2,665 metres (8,770ft). If you think descending the passes was easy, forget that. My legs hurt more from the descents than the accents.
This trip is about enjoying the magnificent views of the Mount Blanc massif - and a fair bit of survival. I'll let my photos tell my story. We hiked for ten days and had one rest day in Courmayeur, Italy.
Hiking - Day One
Les Houches to Les Contamines
Distance - 13km
Height Gain - 1,487m
Height Loss 1,318m
High Point - Col de Tricut (2,210m - 7,250ft)
Notes - First real test of what was ahead, soon realized this will be a serious hike. The decent into Les Contamines had my thighs burning.
We stopped at a refuge for a classic Alpine lunch- which included Bread, peanut butter a little cheese and a beer. Tasted great. A herd of cows, each with a large bell attached to their necks, seemed to follow us to the refuge. We sat and listened to a chorus of cow bells.
Hiking - Day Two
Les Contamines to Les Chapieux
Distance - 23km
Height Gain - 1,316m
Height Loss 929m
High Point - Col de la Croix du Bonhomme (2,483m - 8,150ft)
Notes - Legs feeling pretty beat up to start the day. The hike up the valley to the Col de la Croix du Bonhomme pass seemed to go on forever - very steep at the top.
It was a relief to make it to the top and regroup for our descent. A well deserved cooling off for our feet awaited us down the path.
Next post from this trip.
We were about to enter Italy for the next three nights. Our route itinerary had us scheduled for five nights in France, three nights in Italy and three nights in Switzerland. It was cold and foggy when we started out on Day 3. Our welcome to Italy at the top of Col de al Seigne was not very inviting. This was hardly the welcome (Benvenuto) we were expecting. The wind up top was so strong you had to lean into it to keep from falling over.