A Little Bit of Up (actually a lot) and a Little Bit of Down

 Our journey today takes us from Les Chapieux to Courmayer. A distance of 18 kms with an elevation of 850 metres and a decent of 1000+ metres.

We started the day with a lovely breakfast of yoghurt, muesli, juice, coffee and freshly made croissants. They were delicious, you could smell them cooking in the quaint hotel. After breakfast we collected our boots that had been drying overnight on a purpose built rack. Wearing muddy boots is not allowed in the hotels (who’d of thought that!)  so this change station has become the norm. We get to wear our socks with very stylish crocs !!!

As a side note, I had made each person in our Brissie training group two pairs of gaters. One Aussie flavoured paired with bright rosella’s and a pair of sequinned gaters. If you look closely in the photos you will see that we are wearing our Aussie ones.

We then caught a transfer bus to a leave off point. This took only about 5 minutes, on a bright pink bus. A quick consult of the tourist map we were off.

We walked past a very traditional, old worldly French cheese factory. We had a chance to look inside this very rustic road side shop.




The cheese Factory







Then it was an uphill start. And uphill we went. As we continued on the clouds rolled in and our spectacular views disappeared. This in it’s own way was good as we could not see how much further there was to go…. Uphill!  With every corner we thought this is it, but no, up a little more. The weather changes so quickly and with our movement up we were to be rewarded with a monument that acknowledged the France and Italian border. We are now in Italy. 

The trekkers. Some in France (the left as you look at the photo), and some in Italy.


Our group is comprised of 10 Australians and two Americans (from New York State).



Due to our altitude we got to walk across more snow, keeping in mind we are only in shorts and T-shirts. We were well warmed up from our hiking. After the photo, at the border, was taken, we began our journey downwards. No more need for crampons this time.

The sun was out, clear skies and the MOST AMAZING scenery. Everywhere is a postcard. Our paths that we follow can range from stony, narrow, muddy, with/without water crossing.  As the ice continues to melt, the creeks and rivers surge. Certainly, walking requires focus and the assistance of walking poles. They are a definite requirement for balance and support.

Our decent into Italy was steep in parts.  We made our way to an information centre perched in a prime position over looking the valley. Inside was a fire place with wood burning and a large model of the Mont Blanc Massif.  Our guide Raffaele used the model to talk us through our intended route.


 This is our group making our way to the information centre. Raffaele, being Italian, is very proud of how Italy maintains and supports Tour Mont Blanc  (TMB).








After our visit we continued down and stopped for lunch. Most days are a picnic lunch that the hotel prepares for us. Today was a baguette with meat and pickles, a hard boiled egg, a small bag of dried fruit, a tomato and an apple. Delicious, especially after walking. 


The group lunching near some ruins.









We then went up to a refugio (refuge station) that sells food and drinks. As you can imagine the views are amazing. Some of the refugios offer very basic accommodation for the trekkers. The trekking season has just commenced and the track is not overly busy with fellow trekkers but certainly lots of Bonjour and now Buongiorno greetings are exchanged. Some trekkers carry everything on their backs and at times we have been impressed with the determination and strength. Apparently in peak season it is an imperative to book accommodation.

Eventually, we reach the end of our days trekking.  Our overnight is in Courmayeur, Italy.




Hotel Crampon.

Our room is the first floor, on the right with the large balcony.  Which is great because we are here for three nights. 

Wifi in the hotel is excellent! Best so far.




Dinner at a local restaurant, three courses- pasta (delicious), pork, potatoes, gravy and beans then a bowl of fresh fruit salad.

Back to the hotel. Sleep is required !!!

The most amazing day with some big puff moments and the rewards of the picturesque surrounds.

Tomorrow is a rest day.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dresden

Image
 A couple of hours on the autobahn, heading north-east.  The autobahn network remains fascinating: the protocols of who keeps right, the overtaking and the outright speed of some cars.  We peaked at a little over 140km/h and were still overtaken and left behind.  It was amazing how quickly a car could appear in the rear vision.  My estimate was that there were many cars doing 160km/h and handful even faster! Bottom line, we saw some more of Germany.  In fact we entered the former East Germany.  There was a sign on the autobahn marking where the border had been.  There were a couple of guard towers type structures but we’re not sure that they were part of border protection. We arrived in Dresden in the afternoon and checked into our hotel.  There was an immediate sense of a different character to the city.  There was much more ‘recent’ style buildings. OK, short history lesson.  On 13 February 1945, Dresden (a non-target: no war indu...
Read more

Driving

Image
 A new approach to our German visit: unleash Peter on the German road system. After another hearty breakfast we finalised packing and checked out of the Hotel.  We quickly found the Avis dealership and our booking was ready.  A grey Ford Fiesta!  I was hoping for a Volkswagen. Sadly, not to be. Das Auto! The first challenge… driving out of Munich during Monday morning peak hour traffic.  It required considerable concentration: driving on the right-side (not left-side), navigating medieval streets, watching out for cyclists (they’re everywhere), listening to the GPS.  Eventually, we were free of the clutches of Munich streets.  Then, we were on the Autobahn!  Woohoo! It’s not quite ‘no speed limits’.  There are quite a few rules/protocols for the autobahn: trucks to the right lane; no overtaking on the right; etc etc.  But there are opportunities to put the ‘pedal to the metal’ or ‘go mental, it’s a rental’.  Todays top speed ended a...
Read more
Image
 At last, off and walking!   The quick description: short vehicle ride to the cable car at Les Houches; then 15km through some beautiful and spectacular countryside; a coffee in a farm house with the barn next door-in the farmhouse; lunch was a three course meal (kind of coleslaw entree, steak for main and a fruit mousse for dessert); then to our quaint chalet hotel.  Some light rain and mild temperatures throughout the morning. All up a pretty good day!  Boots and pack are all good. A bit more info and pictures. After waking up and having a hot shower, it was down to the buffet breakfast.  The Mercure put on a very good breakfast. Bacon, eggs, those little sausages, fruit, yoghurt, crepes, breads, jams… juice, coffee and tea. Then we met with our No Roads coordinator, Irene, to get the final briefing and drop off luggage etc.  Our man Luca (Mr Big Hair- frizzy, Afro, Rumanian) turn up as one of the drivers.  Unfortunately, after a quick chat with him,...
Read more