from Instagram: http://bit.ly/1Vf2rZk

Tour du Mont Blanc – Conclusion

When I let Sam read these blog posts, he commented that they were “correct, but a bit clinical.” Admittedly, I did not describe this journey with much flourish or pomp. I have been sitting at my desk thinking about that, and searching for a response.

The Tour du Mont Blanc is a grand adventure. It is full of breathtaking views and it is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. Every day is filled with grand vistas, interesting people, and beautiful terrain. It would be hard to find something as immensely impressive.

It is a really difficult trip: both logistically and physically. I was not physically prepared for it, and because of that I did not enjoy it like countless others do. The first couple of days were damaging for my self-esteem and the recuperation time needed for was just not available.

It is not a casual walk between mountain towns, but difficult mountain hiking and one should be aware of that when they do it. Our 2-hour walks along the Delaware river in Philadelphia did not prepare me in the slightest.

This leads me to the 2 tips I have for anyone who wants to do this trip.

• Get yourself physically prepared for this trip. It is miserable if you do not.
• Do not go with the intention of treating it as a 110-mile obstacle that winners finish and losers don’t. I approached it like that, and missed more of the Alpine majesty than I care to admit.

The things I really liked were the wine and food. I enjoyed picnicking outside with friends and making people laugh at dinner. I enjoyed learning about the glacier in Chamonix and sweater shopping in Italy. In short, I reminded myself that I do not enjoy hiking. I enjoy learning and gluttony.

I am now asking myself this question. Did I not like my time on the Tour du Mont Blanc or did I not like myself on the Tour du Mont Blanc? Alas, it was probably the latter. It is an incredible adventure that I will remember forever.

Tourist Day in Chamonix

We spent one more night in Chamonix in order to not be hikers and reclaim our titles of tourists. My biggest regret was that when we took the cablecar to Aiguille du Midi we could see nothing. It was covered in clouds all day long.

However, one of the benefits of that day was taking the train to the Mer de Glace. This is a glacier and it is an important and sad trip. When you arrive you need to take steps down to the glacier. Not because it the destination was designed that way, but because the glacier has receded since the infrastructure was built. The glacier is dyeing before your eyes, and you are allowed to walk inside of it’s tortured mass. It’s a magical excursion, that makes you realize the enormity of climate change.

Next Day: Tour du Mont Blanc – Conclusion

Day 10 – Tre-le-champ – La Flegere

It was our final day on the TMB and it was supposed to be a short one. We started with a paltry breakfast, but decided to hit the trail early. It was only 8 km, but today was the day of ladders. There were lots of ladders going straight up a rock wall. We had experienced 2 ladders on day 1, but these were much more imposing.

Once we got through the ladders we could see La Flegere. We were an hour away from the cablecar into Chamonix. We saw a marmot on the way to the trail and when we arrived we found out the cablecar was closed for the season. The cablecar that we started on 10 days ago had been turned off.
Shocked, exhausted, and tired we sat at the La Flegere refuge to create a  game plan.

While we had walked to the refuge I saw a professional looking guy walking around and I thought “that’s weird” but didn’t say anything. While we are sitting there, the cablecar started moving, but it was too late. The professional looking guy was clearly some sort of staff or an inspector but he was taking the cablecar down. If only I would have mentioned it to him, it would have saved us an unnecessary 2 hour descent into Chamonix.

We discussed walking to Plan Praz and getting the cablecar, but we decided to go down the mountain. We started off on the surface road, but we found it too difficult. These roads are not paved and have really big rocks, so we eventually found our way onto a wooded trail. We made our way to Chamonix and stopped for lunch and refreshments at a charming spot called Chalet de la Floria.

After our rest we walked for another hour and found ourselves in Chamonix. The town was much quieter than when we had left on the final day of the TMB. We stayed in the nicest hotel in town. It is called Grand Hôtel des Alpes and it was amazing. Naps, showers, and sauna made for the end of long trip.

We treated ourselves big on this day as it was both the last day and it was Samer’s birthday. We started off with some good drinks at MOÖ barcuisine and then went to Restaurant Rèvolâ and had a delicious meal.

Tips

Breakfast at Le gîte refuge la Boerne is unsatisfying, so be prepared to fend for yourself. I would ask for the earliest seating available.

Eat at Restaurant Rèvolâ.

Dining

Chalet de la Floria
MOÖ barcuisine
Restaurant Rèvolâ

Accommodations

Grand Hôtel des Alpes

Next: Tourist Day in Chamonix

Day 9 – Trient – Tre-le-champ

It was time to get the hell out of Switzerland. We woke up early and started making our way out of town. We ran into the old Israeli guys we met out of Hotel Lavachey, and we walked together to the base of the first ascent. The one guy said he was too tired, and turned around. It was nice to see a 65 year old man who had been hiking for a week come to the same conclusion I did on day 2.

I was not very fond of my time in Switzerland, but I will say that I thought their trails were very nice. There were a few historical plaques along this trail and some carved benches and tables. It was very nice.

The refuge at the Swiss and French border was a dump. Instant coffee and boring little jam pies. The breakfast at the hotel was not memorable, so I wish we would have bought a snack at Col De La Forclaz. I rested for a few minutes and then descended into France. I think this day was one of the prettiest days we experienced. We were back to facing Mont Blanc, and the ridges we were walking gave us some superb 360 degree views. On our right was a very large dam.

We arrived at Le gîte refuge la Boerne late in the afternoon. I was ready to have some wine and read my book. Samer wanted to visit the nearby town of Argentière, but I was not going to do any more walking than I needed to do.

I stayed in the smallest room I have ever paid for while traveling. The desk I am writing on right now is bigger. Only one person could stand in the room at a time, and yet it had bed space for 3 people. After the dormitory the night before the privacy was well worth it. We had dinner with a few retired U.S. couples from the west coast, and called it an early night.

Tips

The wine at Le gîte refuge la Boerne is good and cheap. Enjoy. Also, dinner had a cheese option that I thought was really good.

Dining

Le gîte refuge la Boerne

Accommodations

Le gîte refuge la Boerne

Next: Day 10 – Tre-le-champ – La Flegere