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)