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).
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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
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
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)
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