Trekking the Tour of Mont Blanc was filled with great hiking, good company, world-class views of mountains, rivers, lakes, glaciers, and adorable mountain towns, and amazing food.
I was scheduled to meet with my trekking group at 5 pm but was running a bit behind after the delayed paragliding start so after we touched down, I sent my guide a text to inform her that I would be late. I made my way back to my hotel and caught the tail end of our meeting that made sure we were prepared for the next 11 days of exploring! My group consisted of our guide, Alison, my roommate Joan, and a guy from Scotland, Brian for the first half of the trip. We were joined by one other guy, Eric (I think that was his name) who met up with us in Courmayeur. The rest of the trip was filled with great hiking, good company, world-class views of mountains, rivers, lakes, glaciers, and adorable mountain towns, and amazing food. I might have actually gained weight despite the 110 miles of hiking.
Day 1: Fly from Billings (BIL) to Geneva (GVA)
Day 2: Paragliding in Chamonix, France
Day 3: Hike Chamonix to Les Houches
Day 4: Hike Les Houches to Les Contamines
Day 5: Hike Les Contamines to Refuge Mottets
Day 6: Hike Refuge Mottets to Courmayeur, Italy
Day 7: Free day in Courmayeur
Day 8: Hike Courmayeur to Refugio Bonatti
Day 9: Hike Refugio Bonatti to La Fouly, Switzerland
Day 10: Hike La Fouly to Champex-Lac
Day 11: Hike Champex-Lac to Trient
Day 12: Hike Trient to Argentiere, France
Day 13: Hike Argentiere to Chamonix
Day 14: Fly from Geneva (GVA) to Billings (BIL)
Each day started about the same. Wake up and eat an amazing breakfast, typically buffet style with a choice of eggs, ham, yogurt, granola, fruit, and toast. Hike around ten miles typically up over a ridge with around 2400 feet of elevation gain and descend back down into the next town to our accommodations. Sometimes we would stop at a mountain hut for lunch or we would have packed lunches to enjoy picnic style.
The night in Refuge Mottets was spent at Ville des Glaciers, an old dairy farm bunkhouse. It had the best red wine, cheese, and bread. Laying in the bunkhouse at night, I could hear the cowbells ringing in the hills all around me like a distant wind chime.
Courmayeur, Italy had the best gelato and pizza. It was so sunny and because I went at the tail end of the season, it was not crowded at all as I wandered up and down the streets. I did have to buy a hairbrush after leaving mine at one of our previous hotels at some point on the first half of the trip. Six years later, I actually still use that hairbrush. These are the best types of souvenirs in my opinion; something actually useful.
Rifugio Bonatti. We hiked up and didn’t descend back down when we stayed in this mountain hut. This beautiful place spoke to my soul and my sweet tooth. I make hot cocoa back home that has been nicknamed chocolate soup. This place served hot cocoa with a spoon that rivaled mine! I sat out front, looking at the steep rugged mountains, watching the sunset after a long day’s hike eating my hot cocoa. It was hard to grasp how large the mountains were as I watched a helicopter disappear. It became so tiny as it did supply drops at other mountain huts and then would reappear as it moved out into the valley between me and the other mountainsides. It was one of those moments where life felt perfect and whole and nothing could ruin it.
La Fouly is where I fell in love with grass, cotton grass. This stuff is straight out of Dr. Suess! I am ashamed of how many photos I took of it. La Fouly was also my last day basking under gorgeous blue skies. The clouds moved in and it drizzled the last few days of my trip. The ground was damp and lush and reminded me of home in Washington. My final day on the mountain was under a canopy of clouds as fall set in.
It always feels a bit awkward for me at the end of a group trek. I had just spent 11 days in close quarters with people sharing stories, meals, and accommodations. We typically have a last meal or drink, exchange some contact information and say our goodbyes. I have learned to not make any promises to keep in contact but to remember our adventures together.
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