2025 Trail du Mont Blanc

Getting Out of My Own Way

I had big plans for this blog upon returning from Chamonix. I had poured my soul into this bucket-list trip for nearly 10 months and so desperately wanted to share my trip with the world!

But I found myself stuck. Avoiding it. Pouring over trip pictures looking for inspiration but I just couldn't do it. Something always got in the way.

Weeks have passed and then it dawned on me. It was me. I was in the way.

I truly didn't want the "trip" to end. Putting it down on paper and cementing the journey with pictures, stories and memories brings to a close one of the most amazing journeys I have experienced in my lifetime.

It's one of those instances that changes a person. It tugs at your emotional core. The only equivalent experience I can equate it to is doing Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim and being at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It's only in these places where you truly feel small and insignificant yet full of destiny, purpose and strength.

I realize this is all very sentimental but it's hard to imagine a more amazing experience with a better group of people. We joked that we don't even travel this well with our own family 😂 And yes, I'd do it again in a heartbeat...

The TMB Journey

So here's what you can expect - a single blog post simply cannot do our 6 days on the trail justice so I decided to write a post for each day. This central post will serve as the summary for the trip but each day will be connected so you can follow along with our journey.

As time allows, I also want to share the pre-and-post-trip shenanigans...because that shit was awesome. Group A went through Paris. Group B went through London and Group C <ahem> "Solo Shane" went through Canada, egh?

TMB Basics

For the uninitiated, the Trail du Mont Blanc is the primary trail that travels around the Mont Blanc massif (mountain range). It is generally accepted to be approximately 103-113 miles while ascending AND descending nearly 35,000 feet each way. It traverses through France, Switzerland and Italy. Numerous towns along the way are at 3,200 feet while the highest point is nearly 8,800 feet. It is not uncommon for hikers to complete the trail in 10-15 days...which is why our group decided to do it in 6 (more on this later) 🤯

For the benefit of the geographically ignorant (like myself), I'll use the names of our refuge (rustic lodges) as the basis for our itinerary. The end of our days were typically located outside any habitable town (a region) so referencing cities/towns is often meaningless.

Our 6-day journey looked like this:

Day 1: Chamonix, France -> Auberge du Mont-Blanc (Switzerland)

Day 2: Auberge du Mont-Blanc --> Gite Alpage de La Peule (Switzerland)

Day 3: Gite Alpage de La Peule --> Gite le Randonneur du Mont Blanc (Italy)

Day 4: Gite le Randonneur du Mont Blanc --> Refuge del la Croix du Bonhomme (France)

Day 5: Refuge del la Croix du Bonhomme --> Auberge de Bionnassay (France)

Day 6: Auberge de Bionnassay --> Chamonix, France

Hiking 101

Hiking the TMB over multiple days requires a commitment to not only the miles but to your pack, gear and the smell you'll give off at the end of your journey. A trip like this forces you to consider what pieces of equipment are necessary and which are nice-to-haves. For example, multiple changes of hiking clothes are unnecessary weight when you have the opportunity to wash them along the way. Extra shoes? Nope. Extra socks? Yep. It's all about managing the weight of your pack and being comfortable with being UNcomfortable.

Our lodges provided the basics - a bed, sometimes a (paid) shower, dinner, breakfast and beer. Anything else we had to bring...or recycle day over day. While we did not have an official weigh-in of our packs, the average weight (excluding Lance...lol) was around 18-20 pounds, minus water weight.

The Truth About TMB

It also needs to be said that unlike some of the multi-day trails in the US, the TMB is one of those trails/adventures where 'success' is loosely defined. There are 'variants' or offshoots of the main trail that allow you to see alpine lakes, glaciers or suspension bridges but still stay true to 'completing' the TMB.

We learned that there is no wrong way to make your way through the miles and everyone's journey is different. I started the hike with this grand vision of staying pure to the route but in the end, we made daily decisions regarding our route that would deviate from the original plan...I had some angst about this for about 30 seconds but soon realized that being flexible would be the only way we'd make it through the 6 days.

It turns out that every decision we made was the right one.

It afforded us the time to wash our clothes. Grab an espresso or a croissant. Take a cold €2 shower. Sample all the beers and/or locally made fresh cheese. It all worked out...and for that I'm eternally thankful to this group of guys who banded together to make it the best trip possible.

Enjoy and I hope you make it to the TMB one of these days for your own adventure!

 START READING --> Day 1: Chamonix, France -> Auberge du Mont-Blanc (Switzerland)

TMB Day 6 - Auberge de Bionnassay to Chamonix (France)

The Original Plan

Estimate Mileage	16.5 miles
Climbing	7,034 feet
Descending	-7,796 feet
Highest Elevation	8,197 feet

How It Actually Went

After a solid night of rest, we managed to pack in some breakfast at Bionnassay before hitting the trail. It was not the same Michelin quality as dinner the night before but it hit the spot no less - breads, jams, butter and muesli for the win!

Leaving Bionnassay

No sooner had we stepped out the door did the rain start to sprinkle down on us. It's always a tricky decision on WHEN to pull that rain layer out isn't it? Seems like whenever you get your rain gear out, it stops raining. Personally, I have a tendency to let the rain come down for a while until I know I'll likely get saturated before I pull out my rain gear. Eventually, I would relent.

Our path navigated a bit through town some more before joining the trail. What started as nicely graveled road would eventually turn into muddy, root-covered and rocky trail that climbed up and up. It was either get wet from the rain or get wet from the condensation inside your rain jacket...yeck!

Our route was taking us to a well known variant of the TMB trail - Col du Tricot. Technically, we weren't going all the way there, only as far as the suspension bridge that crosses over the river flowing from Lac glaciaire du Bionnassay. I wish I could tell you how long it is but it's impressive. Of course after raining all night was well, the water was flowing quite fast - it was difficult to hear anyone while you were standing in the middle of the bridge.

Suspension bridge near Col du Tricot

We had a bit more climbing after the bridge but there was a collective sense of relief that much of the remaining miles were downhill. The only issue is that the rain hadn't stopped. What was muddy, slick and challenging going up the mountain would likely be even more difficult (dangerous) going down. Visibility down the mountain was close to zero and the mist and clouds continued to hang in the air. It was again decision time.

1. Continue down 5 miles, 2500' of descent (bad trails, slick conditions, continuing rain)
2. Take the Bellevue tram down to Les Houche

En route - note fresh snow on the mountain

We loitered around the tram station a while not really knowing when or if the tram would show up. There were some others there but there was no visible way to buy tickets. After about 20 minutes, the tram showed up and we explained to the operator that we just needed a ride down. He let us on board and told us to pay when we got to the bottom. We paid for tickets and continued into Les Houches...not realizing yet that the lady in the booth had charged us for round-trip tickets (ugh! we would figure this out during dinner that night)

There was less rain in Les Houches as we walked around the town looking for (1) a place to eat and (2) the famous Tour du Mont Blanc arch where you HAVE to get your picture taken (or your hike doesn't count). lol Right next to the arch we found a small farmer's market that was just wrapping up for the day...cheese, meat and nougatine was purchased.

Looking down into Les Houches from Bellevue tram

We would sit down for lunch - some with a half-hearted intention of still continuing with the miles that would lead us back to Chamonix - but it ultimately came down to the weather. There was no sign that the forecast would change and with packs, clothing and shoes that were already soaked we decided that Les Houches would be our end.

And just like that, we completed our TMB journey.

No clapping. No medals. No witnesses.

Only the memories and personal satisfaction of knowing what we'd done.

Friends sharing an amazing adventure - going places most people only dream about.

Fromage at the market	TMB Completed!
The market	Lunch in Les Houches

After lunch we would catch the bus back to Chamonix, grab our suitcases from storage and check into our apartment. Of course, the rain had abated and blue skies returned...all we could do is say "oh well!"

We took advantage of the time in Chamonix and went to the grocery store for fresh fruit, meats, cheese and beer to snack on. Yes, naps happened pre-and-post hot showers. We toured the town a bit and went to the Office of Tourism to buy some TMB swag...others we on a mission to get presents for family members.

Mont Blanc Brewery

It took a little bit of time to decide but finally the crew made their way to the Mont Blanc Brewery for dinner. Burgers, poutine and beers totally hit the spot! I think we walked around Chamonix a bit more - enjoying the nightlife, the endless gelato (l'orange chocolate for me!) and a bit more shopping before heading back to the apartment.

We capped off the evening with some very nice (and very cold) Italian Limoncello to celebrate our travel and time on the trail together.

Day 6 Strava link

TMB Day 5 - Refuge del la Croix du Bonhomme to Auberge de Bionnassay (France)

The Original Plan

Estimate Mileage	16.1 miles
Climbing	3,146 feet
Descending	-6,827 feet
Highest Elevation	8,159 feet

How It Actually Went

Chilly departure

After a traditional refuge breakfast of breads, jams, cheese and croissants we would depart Croix de Bonhomme around 7:30 am. It was one of the coldest mornings we'd experienced thus far but as we'd found out on previous mornings, you might be chilly for 30 seconds and then you'll start climbing. And we did just that.

Our initial miles would take us up through the mist and to the eventual border of the the Les Contamines-Montjoie Nature Preserve on our way up to Col du Bonhomme (7600'). A sudden "sushing" made its way through the group as we had stumbled upon a herd of ibex who were grazing on the mist-covered grass. Quite lucky we got to see these guys!

Ibex herd

After that, we went down. And down. And down.

Descending 5,000' over almost 8 miles was CRUSHING. Hours of downhill through some of the most pristine mountains and fields I've ever experienced does help take your mind off things however, it's a long day of putting on the brakes. We would see sheep dogs chilling in the field. We'd stop at Refuge de la Balme for a short break. Deep flowing glacial water carving up the rocks. It was an amazing day working our way to Les Contamines where we came upon a lot of day-hiker traffic on the local trail system.

Descending in the mist

Leaving Les Contamines

Rolling into town, at least one person said, "Hey, there's a bus stop!"

We knew (like most days) that it would end with climbing up to our next lodging choice...today was no different. The best part of the bus (shuttle) is that it was free. We just wanted to get from one end of town to the other so that we were closer to our eventual climb.

At the end of our shuttle ride, we decided to take a small break and sit down to eat our picnic lunches from Bonhomme. I rather enjoyed it - a couscous, rice, chickpea and corn mixture. Both protein and carbs for the win!!

We navigated through a small village (La Villette) before connecting back to the trail that would lead us up to the Bionnassay lodge. We wound our way through homes, fields and eventually would hug the trail through a forested section, down to a suspension bridge and back up into a little town where our lodge was located.

It wasn't the toughest climbs we've experienced but the day had grown warm (by comparison) being between 3-4,000' elevation and it was just a gradual continuous grade. I think it just felt hard after doing such a long day of descending. We would eventually check into Bionnassay around 3 pm which left ample time for cleaning up, showering and having a few beers before dinner time.

Suspension bridge

Flowers at Bionnassay

Auberge de Bionnassay

This was one of the few places we stayed where we had private rooms. It was extra of course but not by a lot. Meaning 1 room with 4 people and another room with 3 people...we nearly had the place all to ourselves until a bit later in the evening. The showers, toilets and lodge was overall very clean and modern - we hand-washed some clothes, took showers and air-dried the gear we would need for the next couple days.

Dinner time came and we were expecting more of the traditional refuge food (in the form of breads, pasta or cheese) but what happened next floored everyone. It was like we had unknowingly checked into an undercover Michelin-star restaurant. We started with a tabbouleh salad with fresh vegetables and a light dressing...delicious. Our host then informed us that tonight's entree would be a leg of duck (confit?) with potato cake. The duck was covered in some sort of reduction sauce - salty and sweet (maybe cherries?). I don't remember. I DO remember lifting my jaw off the table long enough to take the first bit...what an amazing treat in the middle of France after huffing a backpack for 13 miles.

Vegetable tabbouleh	Duck leg, potato cake
Yogurt and berries	Digestifs

By now, the wine had started to flow as well. 2 (L) carraffs later, with full bellies and perma-grins, we leaned back in our chairs only to be brought dessert. A wild berry yogurt of some kind. It wasn't overly sweet. In fact the yogurt was bitter but complemented the fruit well. After making short work of dessert, our hostess would bring back a tray of digestifs...on the house! We were fat and definitely happy.

We headed to bed around 9 and were able to leave the window open in our room and listen to the rain fall all night. It was both soothing and helped dry all our clothes for the next day!

Fine dining at Bionnassay

This was by FAR my favorite place to stay 😍

Amenities - 9/10

Food - 10/10

Location - 8/10

Day 5 Strava link

Looking Ahead

Our final day on the trail was here. There was an air of relief mixed with more trepidation of the long miles we still needed to cover in order to get back to Chamonix. There was also a sense of "where the hell did the time go?" I had a difficult time comprehending that those 5 days had already passed us by...

--> Day 6: Auberge de Bionnassay to Les Houches (Chamonix)

TMB Day 4 - Gite le Randonneur du Mont Blanc to Refuge del la Croix du Bonhomme (France)

  The Original Plan

Estimate Mileage	16.7 miles
Climbing	6,640 feet
Descending	-4,833 feet
Highest Elevation	8,733 feet

How It Actually Went

Leaving Gite le Randonneur the next morning was like the previous mornings. Clear blue skis with sparse pockets of mist hanging around the peaks but generally cool and crisp. Like those other mornings however, our first steps on the trail demanded upward movement before we would enjoy a shorter downhill section.

Departing Randonneur

On paper, the mapped route for this day was difficult to reconcile with the statistics. After descending a bit from Gite le Randonneur the route appears to hug the side of the mountain and even dip into the valley. Easy-peasy right? Nah.

Glaciers and the 'easy' route for the day

Once you descend, the trail may give you some relief - meaning, it's largely smooth, some concrete and/or crushed gravel - but you're basically hiking uphill for 10 miles through what is essentially the remains of a long-receded glacial valley. Facing southwest in the valley, there are numerous modern glaciers still impacting the Mont Blanc massif...they're amazing to witness.

1. Ghiacciaio del Miage - it's the most obvious feature cutting down the side of the Alps and depositing rock and glacial water into the lower streams
2. Glacier de Tre-la-Tete - almost a horseshoe-shaped feature that looks perched up high in the mountains...until you realize that you're hiking up to the same elevation!

Despite the glaciers to distract us, our route continued to climb towards the high-point of the day at the Italian-France border (Col de la Seigne). If there's one thing we learned on our trip, it's that European's rarely use switchbacks when ascending a mountain...they like it steep. This would be the case as we marched slowly to Col de la Seigne. The beautiful thing about this section is that it was riddled with amazing geological features, glacial streams and wild flowers of every kind. I would stop every chance I got to fill my water bottles...you never know when the next water stop would be.

...and then about 200 feet from Col de la Seigne, I yelled, "Shit!"

Col de le Seigne	A big glacier
Looking back	Bus ride from Mottet's

I had left my GoPro sitting on a rock down by one of the streams when I filled up my water bottles. The anguish of realizing I had to go back down to get it was hugely demoralizing. Two very nice US ladies offered to grab it on their way down and mail it back to me but honestly, I still wanted to use it for the remainder of the trip. With no real choice, I shrugged off my pack, grabbed my poles and launched myself back down the mountain.

I got back to the stream and found a nice British couple eyeballing the camera (wondering who it belonged to). I grabbed it and they joked about taking it back to Courmayeur to sell it for beer lol. With my camera secure, I tucked it away and turned around to make my way back up the mountain to the rest of the group. It was amazing not having 20 pounds on your back! I motored up the mountain in what felt like record time. I even got back to the place I left the group and didn't see them so I assumed they continued up to Col de la Seigne. I sat down off the trail and scanned the mountain only to find them tucked behind some rocks eating the picnic lunches packed from Randonneur. They were surprised to see me back so soon!

Awesome hill repeat to fetch my GoPro!

We would descend nearly 2,000' from Col de la Seigne down to Refuge des Mottets - taking in the views, seeing goats and trying to shake off the mist and impending rain. There had also been talk of a potential bus stop at Mottets that could take you to Les Chapieux. Granted it was only about 4-net-down-miles from Mottets to Les Chapieux but we had a 5 pm check in time AND we knew what awaited us at Les Chapieux 😭

Insert Travel Nightmare: It was here at this fateful bus stop that Shane would reach into his pack for the 5 Euro bus fare and realize that his passport, credit cards and cash where forgotten at Gite le Randonneur. Note his facial expression in the picture above...

Putting it simply - the elevation of Les Chapieux is about 5,000' and the elevation of our lodge (Bonhomme) was at 8,000'. We knew exactly what was left. No trams. No shortcuts.

Our group naturally split into 3 climbing groups:

1. Mid-packers: Marshall, Adam, Christian and myself
2. Back-of-the-packers: Shane and Lance
3. The mountain goat: Tomio

We unleashed Tomio and told him to do his thing. Climb! (and get us checked in on time). The rest of us formed up and tried our best to keep some sort of momentum up these steep climbs (to make this real, I'd say the average grade over these 3 miles was 25-30%). The mid-packers would eventually form up to perform a "rotating engine" strategy in which the person in front would lead for 100-200 feet (depending on the terrain and grade) and then pull off an go to the back...making room for the next person to lead...and so on and so on. It maintained momentum and gave those in the middle and back a breather...

Refuge del la Croix du Bonhomme

As we approached the top, the weather began to turn. Visibility was near zero. The wind was gusting. Rain started to fall. Tomio would greet us (mid-packers) on the balcony (having been there for :30 now!) and help us get situated and unpacked. All gear, shoes and poles had to be left in a utility room below the lodge and baskets were used to help move only what you needed into the lodge.

After finding our room and getting situated, we made sure to go back out and wait for Shane and Lance who were directly caught in the changing weather. The rain had turned to hail at this point and hikers of all kinds passed in and out of Refuge Bonhomme as we approached dinner time. They even announced that they had run out of food and snacks to sell (unless you were staying there). That's how remote this lodge is.

Dinner started with lentil soup, bread and butter followed by a pasta and chicken casserole. There would be chocolate cake for dessert. Breakfast was a combination of bread, whipped honey, jams and musli (with warm milk!). We ordered picnic lunches to take away the following day but had no idea what it would be!

Our room fit the 7 of us (snugly!) and it was then - with the door closed - that we realized how horrible we all smelled. Sweaty clothes. Half-washed socks. General BO. We attempted to leave doors and windows open but it ended up being quite cold otherwise.

Amenities - 6/10

Food - 7/10

Location - 7/10

Day 4 Strava link

Looking Ahead

We could feel the journey getting closer to the end upon leaving Bonhomme. It's that stage in the trip when Day 1 in Trient seems so long ago and the trails, sights and food all start to blur together.

--> Day 5: Refuge del la Croix du Bonhomme to Auberge de Bionnassay (France)

TMB Day 3 - Gite Alpage de La Peule to Gite le Randonneur du Mont Blanc (Italy)

 The Original Plan

Estimate Mileage	18.8 miles
Climbing	5,965 feet
Descending	-6,549 feet
Highest Elevation	8,311 feet

How It Actually Went

We left La Peule the next morning undera veil of light clouds sprinkled across the valley and the cows casually hanging out in the field. The trail veered immediately up the mountain and stayed that way for a couple miles until we reached Grand Col Ferret (the border of Switzerland and Italy) at nearly 8,300 feet. The wind was whipping around something fierce and the temperature had dropped nearly 20 degrees (felt close to freezing).

We had lost Shane and Lance on the climb but we managed to huddle around the marker and take a selfie with our new Spanish friend. We left as quickly as we got there due to the cold and started jogging simply to escape the cold winds and raise our body temps. However, when we rounded one of the first switchback corners, the misty clouds broke open and showed us the magnificence of the Alps and valley leading into Courmayeur. I was 'the moment' that many of us will never forget...blue skies, huge mountains covered in glaciers and the valley stretching out as far as the eye could see. It was truly magical.

The Moment

The trail down the mountain continued to awe with new views around every corner. Waterfalls, lush green fields, hundreds of sheep and numerous refuge (lodges) where folks could stop for food or drinks. We stopped at Rifugio Bonatti and had our picnic lunches from La Peule and yes, I made sure to have a cup of Italian espresso (double!).

The day would be largely uneventful. We knew Shane and Lance (aka, now the "Shortcut Boyz") had dropped down into town to catch a bus to Courmayeur while we continued on route. The trail largely hugged the side of the mountain until the point we were just outside of Courmayeur...and that's when it got interesting.

We would find ourselves at Rifugio Bertonne - perched on the side of the mountain overlooking Courmayeur. Literally. From here, it's a 3,000 foot descent (over 4 miles) into town. It's quad-crushing and relentless. Beautifully covered with pines but covered with tons of rocks and boulders, it made the descent slow and painful.

Looking down at Courmayeur from Rifugio Bertonne

We would wind our way into town and connect back with Lance and Shane...just hanging out downtown Courmayeur and watching pretty girls (well, Lance anyway!). The bad news however is that our rifugio (Randonneur) was perched nearly 2,500 feet up the mountain just outside of Courmayeur. Yep, more climbing!

Gite le Randonneur du Mont Blanc

But wait - is that a tram I see?! Woot! The Dolonne tram took us up the mountain a majority of the way leaving us six hundred feet to hike up to the lodge. The clouds would roll in and sprinkle on us just as we pulled into the rifugio. Excellent timing!

The photos from the Randonneur website shows both beer and pizza so most of us had been salivating and dreaming of pizza once we got checked in and showered. Our Italian hosts were sad to inform us that pizza was only served during the winter ski months. I thought the group might mutiny or make me sleep out with the dogs.

We did end up enjoying more than a few beers, a bowl of homemade pasta and a hearty dinner of meat, potatoes and veggies. The beds here were very close together making mobility in the room an issue. There were nice modern bathrooms and shower stalls that cost 2 Euro for 4 minutes...talk about pressure!!

Amenities - 6/10

Food - 6/10

Location - 6/10

Passport Rescue - 10/10 (we'll explain this one later) 😊

Day 3 Strava Link

Looking Ahead

We were expecting another long and hard day as we made our way through Italy and back into France. We were expected to stay at the Refuge Bonhomme that evening - one of the most remote and elevated lodges on our trip.

--> Day 4: Gite le Randonneur du Mont Blanc to Refuge del la Croix du Bonhomme (France) 

TMB Day 2 - Auberge du Mont-Blanc to Gite Alpage de La Peule (Switzerland)

 The Original Plan

Estimate Mileage	22.8 miles
Climbing	7,336 feet
Descending	-4,724 feet
Highest Elevation	6,797 feet

How It Actually Went

This picture sums up the amount of tension and frustration I probably caused everyone the following day when the "loose" plan had trouble materializing. We were up and out the door by 5:30 am to try and catch a bus to <someplace close to La Fouly>. I again slept like shit and was still feeling the stress and fatigue from the day before. We were trying to pool our collective international travel experience to help interpret the bus schedule that would get us from Point A to Point B. Two or three different apps and a few bus stops later, we managed to piece things together.

The look on everyone's faces...

Our European public transportation cred leveled up this day. We would end up taking a bus and a train before ending up in Orsières. We still needed another bus to get to La Fouly but we had time to spare so we went wandering around town looking for a place that served breakfast.

We ended up at a little place called Café-Restaurant Quai de l'Ours. We literally smashed the breakfast buffet of breads, croissants, nuts, jams, Nutella, eggs, fresh cheese and fruit. 7 hungry dudes with American appetites destroyed the buffet for all the other customers! I'm pretty sure we ate our weight in croissants! Well, Shane did at least. #SorryNotSorry

Our final bus ride would deposit us in La Fouly (Switzerland). From there, it was a 5-mile hike to the lodge...but not without some climbing of course! For the most part, the trails were in good shape and the grade wasn't too bad until we got closer to the lodge.

Gite Alpage de La Peule

Coming into this lodge you could tell that this was a popular place. Tables lined the front of the property packed with hikers...food, snacks, soup and beers! Amazing! Let's not forget the cattle roaming around the entire property either. It wasn't until later in the day (or maybe even the next) that we realized that this was also an active dairy farm. Pretty sure the cheese, ham, bread, butter, milk and cream were ALL locally sourced from the good folks eating the grass out front. Love that!

We arrived around 1-2 pm and decided to sit outside for a while before checking in. Shane noshed on a huge baked ham sandwich (which was neither baked nor a regular-sized sandwich). It was at least 4" tall - 2" of that being just the bread slices! The rest of us drank our calories (in the form of beer) and then checked in to get showered, unpacked and ready for dinner.

Gite Alpage de La Peule was a bit rustic but still had some modern touches. They're making sandwiches, serving beer, wine and soup to weary travelers so how rustic can they be! The beds inside were in good shape and often stacked 3-high...which can make folks nervous but there were no incidents in this lodge.

There were ample wash closets and a few showers for guests along with solid Wifi for guests.

Dinner (much to Shane's dismay), turned out to be that same baked ham sandwich...just open-faced and smothered in...guess? More cheese. There was a delicious fresh fruit sorbet for dessert. Breakfast the next morning was a combination of bread, cheese, jams, mueslix, coffee and some fruit. It was all amazing...

Amenities - 6/10

Food - 6/10

Location - 7/10

Day 2 Strava link

Looking Ahead

Tomorrow would be a bigger mileage day as we headed from La Peule into Courmayeur, Italy. We felt like we were finally getting our trail legs under us and figuring out both the lodging and public transportation.

--> Day 3: Gite Alpage de La Peule to Gite le Randonneur du Mont Blanc

TMB Day 1 - Chamonix to Auberge du Mont-Blanc (Switzerland)

The Original Plan

Estimate Mileage	16.7 miles
Climbing	5,676 feet
Descending	-8,087 feet
Highest Elevation	7,722 feet

How It Actually Went

If I'm being honest, I slept like crap. The anticipation and weight of months of planning finally coming to bear on our group of 7...going over all the details and possible issues in my mind kept me up a good portion of the night. Not to mention the tight apartment with 7 middle-age snoring dudes lol

We would walk from our apartment in Chamonix to the Plan Praz lift about 1 km away (uphill of course) to catch the gondola up the mountain and begin our journey. The excitement was palpable as we stuffed ourselves into a single car and watched the 3,000' of climbing pass underneath us. After a dozen group photos and 15 minutes just oogling at the Alps, we started heading towards our first lodge in Triet (clockwise) along the Trail du Mont Blanc (TMB).

Plan Praz tram in front of Mont Blanc

We would cruise by the La Flerge refuge/tram station in good time and spirits - the trail vibes and fresh air permeating our senses. The group had decided to hit one of the recommended sites along the way - Lac Blanc - an amazing alpine lake, despite the additional mileage and climbing.

Going up was hard. Going down was even harder.

Steep climbs, chunky trails and lots of people made navigating to Refuge du Lac Blanc quite a challenge. Suffice it to say, we all felt the 2300 feet of climbing. But like most climbs, the payoff is always worth it at the top. The crystal clear lakes, towering mountain spires and gurgling glacial streams make all the hard work just melt away.

Lac Cheserys @ 7200' (descending from Lac Blanc)

We sat at the refuge for about 30 minutes collecting our wits, stamina and grabbing a quick bite of food and/or bathroom break (bring your Euros!). We toyed with the idea of having a beer but the uncertainty of the remainder of the day spoke louder than the need for a hoppy beverage. The other glorious thing about going up is that you also get to enjoy the down. Unfortunately, our giddy anticipation of heading downhill was rudely destroyed by all the boulders, ladders and near-vertical descents as we headed towards Argentiere and Montroc.

The downhill section really slowed us down. Running wasn't possible. Hiking was tentative.

Shane and Lance descending the ladders

Trip Note: We reserved a refuge/lodge each night so we had a clear destination AND time that we needed to check in. We paid for what's called a half-board. On average this was 60 Euros per person and it got you a bed, dinner and breakfast.

Shane and Lance would decide to catch a bus to Auberge du Mont-Blanc in Trient.

The remainder of us continued trekking on in anticipation of a second large climb up to Aiguillette des Posettes. Fate would have different plans however. First, we met a couple from Gilbert, AZ on their 7th TMB day (the AZT hat gave them away). Second, we bumped into "Ted" - our trail angel of the day. He advised, that if we wanted to enjoy the remainder of the day, we steer clear of the climb. Suffice it to say, we were not in the mood for more rocks or steep climbs so we opted to take a 'variant' trail to avoid the climb and make better time to our lodge.

This stretch would take us through a peaceful nature preserve and through some rolling hills where we got our first cow sightings near Alpage de Balme and Refuge de Col du Balme (on the border of Switzerland). We broke out the rain gear as we crossed into Switzerland - the clouds had moved in and a light mist stayed with us until we descended (nearly 3,000 feet) into Trient. We arrived just ahead of our check-in time of 6 pm with Shane and Lance comfortably waiting for us.

Misty trails through the nature preserve into Trient

Refuge Life: Rooms are dormitory-style and everyone has stinky shoes, poles and a pack. In most places, you're required to leave your pack, shoes and poles outside and only bring in what you need. Cuts down on dirt, the smells and bed bugs apparently. Dinner is served at a specific time to everyone all at once. Breakfast is typically buffet (serve yourself) style. Meal options really depended on what country we were in and how remote the lodge was.

Auberge du Mont-Blanc

This lodge resembles more of a modern hotel/motel set in the middle of the tiny Swiss town of Trient. It's well lit, clean and has numerous modern amenities like electricity, showers and flush toilets. The rooms consistent of bunk beds with separate wash closets (bathrooms) for men and women. There were individual shower stalls but located in a communal area for everyone to use.

The dining hall was well lit and we all sat together at a long picnic table. Dinner started with a green soup of some kind. There was a bottle of liquid on the table that we put in the soup (which turned out to be the salad dressing)...wasn't too bad though! Next came the salad course followed by fondue with potatoes. Yep, just potatoes and cheese. We finally threw back a couple beers as well and washed all that down with some ice cream (with the Swiss flag!!)

We left before breakfast was served unfortunately but we speculated that they were just going to heat up the leftover fondue from the night before 😜

Amenities - 7/10

Food - 5/10

Location - 6/10

Day 1 Strava link

Looking Ahead

Day 2 was scheduled to be the most challenging day (at least on paper), so the group had justifiable concerns about getting from Point A to Point B...as did I. If we assumed that it was equally as hard as Day 1, it would be difficult to make it to our lodge on time.

As the creator, planner and instigator of this whole thing I felt a certain responsibility to ensure everything was laid out soundly and agreed on by the group. We would be forced to improvise for Day 2 - which I'm capable of doing (but don't really like). But when you're tired, not satiated by fondue and stressed out, you're bound to have a Snicker's moment. I got short with a couple of folks and I felt bad that night (and into the morning) but ultimately we formed a "loose" plan and got ready for bed.

(P.S. I don't really like "loose" plans)

There was a bunk bed 'incident' as well, but I feel like only those involved are allowed to tell it. It's a #FunnyNotFunny kinda story <insert awkward grin emoji>

--> Day 2: Auberge du Mont-Blanc to Gite Alpage de la Peule (Switzerland)