We had our longest day of hiking yesterday lasting just over 10.5 hours. When we finally reached camp, set up our tents and ate from our meager food bags, as it was after 8:00 pm. When I pulled out my phone I only had 21% of my battery left and my reserve battery was dead. So, between exhaustion and minimal battery levels on my phone I opted not to attempt to send out my blog last night but to combine yesterday and today in this blog. 

Friday evening at the hostel we stayed at was another fun experience on this adventure. As we arrived mid-afternoon, just as the rain set in, the eating area in the hostel gradually filled up with guests for the evening. As Daniel and I were chatting, our friend from Norway, Svien, whom we first met on Thursday evening while camping, came in. As it was a few hours before dinner was served, we really got to know Svien better. Such a nice guy, and one of the few hikers near my age on the TMB (a pic of the three of us is below). 

We were served a hearty dinner at 7:00 pm consisting of a French baguette, cheese, fresh salad, rice with a vegetarian chili and a simple piece of cake at the end. Very tasty and just the right amount. 

Around 9:00 pm everyone began to turn in to their bunks. As would be expected with 8 people sleeping in one room there was one loud snorer who made sure the rest of us got little sleep. But as I said…to be expected in a hostel. 

The next morning most everyone was awake by 6:45 am. We had a quick breakfast of baguettes, jelly, fruit and coffee and set out to begin a long day. And, we were pleased that Svien would be joining us for the first half of the day. 

Friday’s hike was always the most in question in terms of the route we would take and where we would end the day. In the end, this made for an especially challenging day. The weather was nice and the day was sunny as we started out. 

This section of the TMB is famous for the steep wall climbs which require the use of handrails, metal stepping plates and eventually metal rungs, going mostly straight up the face of the mountain, concluding near Tete aux Vents at near 7,000 feet elevation. 

As we approached this section we all took off our backpacks, stowed our hiking poles, put back on our backpacks and got in queue to make the climb. It was maybe 15 minutes before our turn to start the climb and, I am glad to say, we all made it with no problems. 

It was at this point that we said goodbye to our new friend, Svien, and Daniel and I began making our way toward a chair lift in the distance that would take us to a high point in the mountains where we would then hike to a lake area and camp for the night. However, the chair lift we were counting on was closed which left us with few good options. 

Around 4:00 pm, we realized our best option was to hike on three more hours, with another 3,000 feet in elevation gain to get to  a campsite on a small lake near Col du Brevent. As we had already hiked for 7.5 hours, and covered in excess of 3,000 feet in elevation, I was pretty exhausted and a bit uncertain if I could push on for another 3 hours. But as I said, we had no other viable options. 

As we neared the top of Col du Brevent the mountain took on an other worldly look, totally different from anything we had seen to date with mountains and valleys made up of nothing but rocks – big ones, little ones and everything in between. It was here that we finally saw our first wildlife. There were many alpine chamois all around us and they seemed indifferent to our passing through. The young chamois were standing on impossibly steep rock walls on crevices only a few inches wide. They were quite beautiful animals and a bit of an emotional lift to us at that point in our journey. 

As we neared the final climb of the Col du Brevent we were both surprised to see two more sets of metal rungs going up a very steep section of the mountain. We were so tired there was no discussion between Daniel and me. It was just another challenge in a challenging day and we just started climbing trying to reach the end of our day. 

As we came over the Col we could see the small lake far below, and it took us another 1.5 hours to make our way down to where we would pitch our tents, with the sun rapidly setting behind the mountains. We quickly consumed the little food and water that we had with us and climbed into our tents around 8:30 pm. 

The camp site was in a stunningly beautiful area, but I was so exhausted it was difficult to fully appreciate. After bedding down in my tent I could feel how quickly the temperature was dropping and before the night was over I had put on socks, long johns, my fleece pullover and finally my puffy coat. In the middle of the night I awoke to my tent looking as though someone was shining a bright light in it. I unzipped the rain cover of my tent to look out and saw an almost full moon brilliantly shining down on the mountains and lake below. What a memory. 

This morning Daniel and I awoke around 6:45 am and began the usual packing process. Daniel had filtered some water from the lake and made us both a hot cup of coffee before we departed. 

The VERY GOOD NEWS for today was that we covered so much distance and elevation yesterday that we had only a four hour hike, mostly all down hill, for today. Our spirits were as bright and sunny as the sky above us, which was filled with paragliders jumping off a nearby peak. 

At 12:28 pm we crossed over the same spot where we began our journey twelve days ago. For me it was an experience I had waited a long time for. Over the last ten years I have tried several extreme adventures, all of which exceeded my ability to complete them. So, today, finally, I could enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that comes with so much work and effort. 

Soon after finishing our TMB journey we walked to a local grocery store and bought a few items for a picnic lunch which we enjoyed eating on a picnic table on the grounds of an old, small chapel in the center of Les Houches. From there we walked another mile to our hotel, where we are staying in the same room we departed from twelve days ago. In the hours that have now passed we have showered, done our laundry and are relaxing as we wait for our dinner reservation at 6:45 pm. 

Just as our photos have not done justice to the sites and magnificent surroundings we have seen on this journey, I know that my written descriptions in this blog have also fallen short. In summary, it was a fantastic journey, but it came with significant physical pain and discomfort. Every mountain top photo was only possible because of hours of hiking up steep mountains, every step burning in our legs, our lungs working hard to pull in the air we needed to carry on. But reaching the top, and seeing so much beauty….well, the heavy cost to get there seemed like a fair price to pay. 

As I close out this blog, I want to thank my wonderful wife and daughters for their support and daily messages of encouragement. Also, for those of you who sent a brief note of encouragement to me, it was so much appreciated. Thank you. To Daniel’s Mother, Elke, I really appreciated the kind words you passed along to me through Daniel. (He thinks the world of you!) And finally, to Daniel, I owe a great debt of gratitude for putting up with me for the past two weeks, having never met before this trip, yet somehow seeming as though we have always known each other. His countless hours of planning our hiking route, and the hundreds of small details were central to our successful journey.

In a few minutes Daniel and I will enjoy a nice, but final dinner together. Tomorrow I take a bus to Geneva, and then on Tuesday a train to Thun, Switzerland where my family will join me for our first true family vacation in many years. Daniel plans to stick around Les Houches/Chamonix until he departs for his home town in Germany on Wednesday. 

Thanks for tagging along on this adventure! I now happily sign off from a successful Tour du Mont Blanc journey!

Finally, a good night of sleep! I hit my sleeping pad at 8:30 pm yesterday evening and slept through most of the night. There was some light rain as we packed up our tents this morning but it did not last long. No special breakfast pastries this morning but, once again, a nice coffee service was provided by Daniel!

Twenty minutes after starting out we again were on a steep climb up our mountain for today. Our hope that the forecasted storms would not materialize quickly faded just as we got above the tree line. In only a minute or two there was a cold torrential downpour, with very strong winds and thunder/lightning that seemed only feet away. Fortunately, the storm passed after thirty minutes and we finished making our way to the top where there was the best mountain hut (Col du Balme) we have seen so far. Inside it was cozy, warm and dry. And to top it off there was a fantastic little kitchen putting out some wonderful food and drinks. Daniel and I got coffees and split a cookie and brownie. After 30 minutes we then began the downhill portion of our hike. 

Despite the heavy cloud cover there were still some nice views occasionally on the way down. The wind gusts were very strong, and at one point, blew my backpack rain cover off and it landed off the trail, on the side of the mountain, which made for a tricky recovery. 

Before reaching the bottom of the mountain we crossed over the border back into France. Our original plan was to camp in our tents tonight, but due to the forecasted storms this evening, Daniel was able to reserve the last two beds in a hostel-like facility (Auberge La Boerne) in the village of Tre-Le-Champs. The room we are in has eight bunk beds and, I am sure, will be a tight and busy place tonight. Overall the facility can accommodate around 30 people. There is a small restaurant and we will be provided dinner with our stay, as well as breakfast tomorrow morning. The weather forecast for tomorrow looks very good as we will begin day 11 of our journey. 

Wow! What a day, but more about that in a moment. I had a mostly sleepless night last night. I was wide awake until at least 3:15 am, falling asleep sometime thereafter, and waking up at 6:06 this morning. Anyone who has followed  my blogs over the years knows how difficult sleeping is for me in a tent. Last night was a bad reminder of that. 

After packing up this morning Daniel and I walked to a small bakery near the campsite, bought some sandwiches, coffee and drinks, and then started out on our hike. Daniel always gives me a morning brief on what we are doing for the day in terms of distance, difficulty of the terrain and elevation gain and loss. Normally, he is quite accurate. Today, not so much as he indicated our hike should be similar to yesterday, but with an additional elevation gain of about 700 feet. That turned out to be accurate, but what we did not know was that there was a race event on the TMB today from a starting point near our campsite to Charmonix.  And, there were 2,000 runners on the same trail as we TMB hikers. It was CRAZY!!!!! Initially, the path was wide enough to accommodate everyone, but as we began the steep climb up the mountain, the path became a narrow trail, filled with rocks, gravel and tree roots. 

For those of us hiking it quickly became a logistical challenge to figure out how to stay in the lineup of runners, having to maintain their pace with heavy backpacks on our backs, and then quickly finding a tiny spot to jump out of the line to catch our breath, then jump back in line without hitting or disrupting other runners. We did this while climbing over 7,000 feet in elevation in pretty hot conditions. Daniel reach the trail summit quite some time before me, but I was pleased to have done as well as I did. One runner told me that I should have entered the race as she thought I was making good progress. It was a nice compliment but I am sure she was just being kind. 

After eating some lunch at the summit, we had to jump back in the queue of runners to now do the same thing down the other side of the mountain, though by this point it was definitely the slower runners who were making their way past us. 

I think Daniel enjoyed the chaos more than I did today. There was just no relaxation and taking in the sites as we have done up to this point. It is our understanding that there will be another race tomorrow, though we are unclear as to whether the runners will mingle with us or not. And, on Saturday there is a race around the entire Mount Blanc Trail, of which the record is just over 19 hours. That is so insane I cannot wrap my head around it. To know how difficult and challenging the terrain has been for us over nine days, with three to go, and to realize that some people can run this trail in less than 24 hours…..I just can’t imagine how physically and mentally fit these runners have to be! 

After 8.5 hours we made it to our campsite which is at the end of a small village called Le Peuty. Looking up from our tents we can see a large glacier and we are surrounded by mountains on all four sides. The sun has now dropped behind a mountain and the air in cooling quickly. My next door neighbor tonight is Sven, from Norway, and we have had some good conversation while setting up my tent. Time now to figure out what to eat for dinner. Tomorrow we will be facing the threat of rain and potentially thunderstorms with heavy downpours. So, we are keeping our fingers crossed. 

And, in closing, Daniel’s very high tech and expensive Garmin watch said at the end of our hike today that he needs 66 hours of rest for his body to recover. We begin again in 14 hours. 

After my blog post yesterday, Daniel and I had our third straight night of pizza at the camp site in La Fouly. It was the only hot food option available and we were not disappointed. The pizza station was a small trailer that had a wood fired pizza option with three pizza choices. Delicious!

Upon waking up this morning, both of our tents were pretty wet from heavy condensation during the night. After packing up we stopped at the check-in trailer where there were some fresh pastries and hot coffee. We sat at a picnic table and enjoyed our breakfast before starting out for the day. 

Today’s hike, unlike most mornings, started out with a long downhill stretch that took us through some beautiful, quaint Swiss villages, with small, well-kept gardens and many flowers. Late morning we passed a small, but well known, crepe shack (La Kabana) that was no more than 50 feet off the TMB trail. We stopped, of course, as who could pass up a fresh, hot crepe on a beautiful mountain hike?

Back on the trail we continued downhill, passing through more beautiful villages until we finally reached a point where we began our mountain climb for the day. We lost about 2,900 feet on our way out of camp and then gained about the same amount as we climbed the mountain out of the valley. The mountain views today were not as frequent as what we have become accustomed to, but the hike up was still nice. We passed a small cave just off the trail which we stepped into briefly, before continuing on. There were also carvings of animals on tree stumps along the mountain trail. Our hike concluded at a beautiful tourist town called Champex-Lac, which, as the name implies, has a pretty lake nestled into the mountain top, with nice villas and chateaus all around. 

While passing through the village to our camp site we stopped and bought some baguettes, cheese, tomatoes and salami for our dinner tonight. We will be eating like kings!  Both Daniel and I remain in good spirits and our bodies continue to hold up as we begin day nine of our hike tomorrow. 

Soon after returning from the campsite restaurant last night it began to rain, with some distant thunder and lightning throughout the night. I woke up this morning to a little water on the tent floor and the outside of my  tent soaking wet and filthy from where the rain had splashed up off of the ground carrying all kinds of dirt and debris from the nearby trees. The only option was to pack up everything wet and begin the day. On the positive side, we awoke to sunny skies and nice, comfortable weather. Also, we were able to get a hot cappuccino and  a fresh chocolate croissant before we boarded a local bus that took us a short, but helpful distance to the trail head. 

Many other campers were on the same bus and for the first time we were in a crowd of people as we began to make our way up the mountain. It took about 30 minutes for the hikers to thin out but it was not a problem. 

Our climb today took us to an elevation of 8,334 feet. It was a moderate climb until the last hour of the hike where we faced grades of 15-20%. Our views on the way up though were, again, stunning. Just before the final push to the top there was a refuge where there was a really nice cafe. Daniel enjoyed a hot ham and cheese sandwich that he said was really good. I opted not to buy any food as I knew the remaining portion of the hike up was not going to be easy and I did not want to start out with a full stomach, which in the end was a good decision for me. Noteworthy today was that on the climb up we crossed over from Italy to Switzerland. 

At the top of our mountain hike, it was quite chilly and both Daniel and I put on our fleece tops and our puffy jackets. We ate out of our food bags and, after about 30 minutes, began the trek down the other side of the mountain, which was the home to many grazing sheep. 

I commented to Daniel today on just how many areas along the TMB there are where one wrong step and you would literally fall straight down the face of cliffs or mountain sides to your death. These mountains are so incredibly steep that no photos really do justice to what you see when you stand on the trail and stare straight down into the valleys below. Just stunning in every way imaginable. However, there have only been a few places where I have felt any real sense of danger while hiking the TMB. 

On the hike down we passed another refuge that had many hikers. I picked up some snacks and a drink while Daniel took a pass on this one. We also talked to a few other hikers that we have got to know over the past few days. From there we had what seemed like a long downhill hike to our campsite in the Swiss village of La Fouly. It is a beautiful campsite nestled under some stunning mountains. 

It took some extra time to set up my wet tent as I tried to dry the various pieces before assembling everything, but in the end all was fine. Afterwards I took a hot shower at the campsite and I was really surprised at how clean and nice the facilities are here. A nice way to end the day. 

Tomorrow we go again. 

Sleeping in a bed last night was amazing. Both Daniel and I awoke feeling refreshed and ready to hike this morning after we enjoyed a small breakfast at our hotel. The prior evening we found a nice pizzeria in Courmayeur. I had a prosciutto and mushroom pizza with a wonderful green salad filled with delicious Italian tomatoes and we capped off the meal with a chocolate gelato. A perfect ending to the day!

We had a fairly long uphill hike to get to the trailhead again this morning and then a fairly steep hike to the top of a 6,000 feet mountain where there was a mountain hut with stunning views, cold cola and hot cappuccinos! Daniel and I had one of each while talking to a young couple from Scotland and England. Much like the Appalachian Trail, we have now met several hikers who are on the same trail schedule that we are on and we bump into each other along the trail and at campsites. We have met people from Guatemala, Russia, China, Scotland, England, Singapore, Poland, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the States. Probably others that I have forgotten. It all makes the experience that much more enjoyable. The weather today was close to perfect. Mostly blue skies and sunshine with heavy clouds around the peaks of the highest mountains. 

For the first time on our journey, we met a lady today who had fallen and dislocated her shoulder or, perhaps, had broken her arm. It was within the first hour of the hike so, fortunately, it was not too far for her, and her two friends, to hike back down to Courmayeur to get medical assistance.  A tough way to start the day, for sure. 

Our hike ended today at the “Camping Grandes Jorasses” which is a fun and quirky campsite. it is part RV area, tents, and some rustic cabins along with some recreational areas. Upon check-in both Daniel and I received a plastic card. We were told the card would give us each three one-minute bursts of water for our showers. Daniel did not care to use his card and gave me his. I will have to say that, while it wasn’t the most enjoyable shower I have experienced, the three one-minute sessions were sufficient to get the job done. I cannot begin to imagine bringing my wife to such a place. It would be a laughable disaster!! But, the many people here seem relaxed and very much enjoying the campground experience! Very glad, and grateful, to have another day of the TMB experience in the books! Ciao!

Daniel and I woke up a bit earlier this morning than usual as we wanted to arrive at our first hotel room of the trip at a decent time this evening. The campground restaurant was open as we were preparing to leave and I quickly ordered a perfect Italian cappuccino and a fresh chocolate croissant.  The nice food amenities and the blue sky were a very nice way to start the day! 

We had a one hour uphill hike out of the campsite to the trail head and, as usual, the climb up was steep for the first two hours. My legs did feel better today after some rest following the hard day yesterday. It was really a gorgeous day to be in the mountains   We passed several other hikers and took time to talk to some. We had to take a brief break as a small cadre of donkeys/burros made their way on the same trail we were on. They didn’t even give us a second look. I suspect it may have been because they smelled better than we did as Wednesday morning was the last time we had showers (though the rainstorm on Friday cleaned us pretty good). After the donkeys made their way through, we passed probably 200 sheep grazing on the mountainside just a few feet from the trail. 

After we began our descent we had some nice sections that weren’t too steep and we could really enjoy the view and the nice weather. Just as we started our final descent we passed a refuge with outdoor  eating, near the top of a ski area, and we stopped for something to eat and drink. Daniel got a pasta plate with a side of Minestrone soup while I had a great salad and a bowl of the same soup. Afterwards we began the final descent to the small hotel we are staying at in Courmayeur, which was a steep decline and took about two hours to complete. We arrived around 3:30 pm. 

I have now showered and feel semi-human again, and I think we will try to go to a nearby restaurant before turning in early tonight, as we start out again tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, we did not build any rest days into our schedule as we just couldn’t seem to make it work. It would have been a great (and smart) thing to do and I regret it now. Some of the sites that we camp at require reservations in advance and there are many places along the way where camping is not possible either because of how steep the mountains are, or because the local laws do not permit it. So, sticking to the itinerary is fairly important. 

One last thing. I really regret that I have not included more photos in my blog messages but it takes so incredibly long to upload them. The 5 pics I sent last night took 40 minutes. At the end of a long, hard day of hiking it just isn’t possible to spend more time than that trying to upload them. Here at the hotel we are staying at tonight there is hardly any wifi reception and I had hoped to catch up by posting more photos, but it may have to wait until the hike is over. 

it is customary on the TMB to say hello to each person you pass in the local language. And today we switched from Bonjour to Ciao as we crossed from France into Italy.

We woke up to everything wet and very cold this morning. It rained during the night and the temperature dropped into the low 30s. The worst part was packing up everything wet from the day before and having to put back on my cold, wet clothes from yesterday. However, we managed to do so and began our hike for the with a one hour excursion off of our planned hike in order to climb to a peak that would give us a 360 degree view. It was a hard climb for me first thing in the morning but the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the view from the top was stunning.

From there we began our planned hike for the day which took us down and up several steep mountains. For me it was really an exhausting day as we hiked 9.5 hours, reached peaks over 9,000 feet tall, walked more than 34,000 steps and finally made our way to a camp site in a small Italian village Italy filled with people on summer holidays. We did get our first views today of Mont Blanc as well.

Daniel and I just had our first hot meal, pizza and salad, since Tuesday. Delicious. We met another guy hiking the TMB, Markus, from Guatemala, and had a nice discussion with him. We will leave tomorrow morning and make our way to Courmayeur.

Last night it rained hard with quite a few thunderstorms. We were fortunate to be able to pitch our tents under a picnic shelter and stay out of the rain and not have to pack up wet gear this morning. We had to pitch our tents on a gravel bed which was a little risky as the rocks could cut through our tent floors and even into our sleeping pads. But we thought it was a risk worth taking so that we could keep everything dry, and it appears to have paid off.

Daniel and I left the tent site around 10:00 this morning after the rain let up a bit. However, this was short lived as we were mostly soaked by the end of the first hour. At times we were literally walking up rocky trails with 4 inches or more of water coming down the mountain over our feet. And, as we gained altitude, we picked up a breeze and dropping temperatures. By the end of our hike neither of could feel our fingers or toes. Also as we were in the clouds and fog for the last hour, we had limited visibility and, at one point near the end of our hike, we made a wrong turn that took us the opposite direction from where we should have been going. Daniel realized this quickly when he glanced at his GPS watch and could see we missed a turn. Both he and I were very puzzled how there could be so few signs/markers on a trail as popular and traveled as the TMB is. On a day like today, or with even worse conditions, that could be a really dangerous situation. 

After arriving at our destination we both quickly pitched our tents, got out of our wet clothes, changed into something dry and climbed into our sleeping bags to get warm. I am typing this blog from inside my sleeping bag as the wind is very strong and I am still trying to get warm. Daniel has a small camping stove and boiled some hot water and made us both a coffee. That was a great treat. We are still at a pretty high elevation tonight (over 6,000 feet) so no access to any food sources except our food bags. 

Despite the conditions today I felt stronger and had a better pace as I suppose my jet lag is fading and I have mostly acclimated to the six hour time difference. 

I will not be able to post any photos from today as the cell signal I have is too weak and also because the weather conditions today did not favor taking but a couple of pics. The forecast for tomorrow is for sunshine which will surely be appreciated after today. 

(There was no cell service from our camp site last night so this post is for yesterday and today)

Daniel and I began our hike yesterday morning around 10:00 am from the starting point in Les Houches. The sun was shinning brightly (and beat down hard and hot on us the entire day). Immediately after starting we were hiking a very steep section of the trail which took about 3 hours in duration. After reaching an area called Col de Voza, where there was a public area and a train stop to take visitors up the mountain, we stopped to rest, refill our water and eat some lunch out of our food reserves. After our break there were maybe 2 hours of modest uphill terrain, which eventually took us down to a point where we crossed over a melting glacier, on a foot bridge. From there, the next 3.5 hours were brutal, with a steep uphill climb that ended at the top of Col de Tricot which was at an altitude of 2,120 meters (6,123 feet). In all honesty, my legs were toast by the time I reached the summit. (I told Daniel that the only way I got myself up the last 500 meters was to count 50 steps, rest, count 50 more steps, rest and so on until I finally reached the summit). From the summit it was a 1.5 hour hike down to the area (near the Refuge de Mirage) that we camped at last night. There were 15 tents at the site, which was like a picture post card, with snow capped mountains all around, green pastures , cows  and a fast moving water stream. After finally reaching the camp site I pretty much crashed and just layed on the ground for 15 minutes. Daniel finished stronger than me, and hiked faster than me, but he, too, was pretty exhausted. After pitching our tents we ate only a little bit of our food (as neither of us had a big appetite – I will say that Daniel has made fun of my big bag of Cheese-It’s…but he has certainly enjoyed eating them!!). Just after midnight it began to rain, with some lightning, and did so on and off throughout the night. By morning it had stopped raining, but the clouds had descended and rain was forecast throughout today. Before I explain our hike today I want to say that as physically challenging as yesterday was I have never seen such beauty at every turn. The mountains, villages below, blues skies, mountains, snow and glaciers were  beyond stunning. 

Today, we awoke to cloudy skies but no rain, which was great as we did not have to pack up our tents and belongings in the rain. After a hot cup of coffee that Daniel prepared, we filled up our water bottles and began a steep, but short, climb out of the valley we were in last night.  From the top it was mostly a downhill hike to our campsite for tonight, which is just beyond the village of Les Contamines-Montjoie. We had only a fine mist fall on us throughout the hike today and the weather was nicer than expected, though heavy rain is forecast for tonight and  tomorrow. While passing through the village we stopped by a local church, where two musicians were practicing. We then went to a local grocery store, picked up some fresh fruit, and then ate our lunch sitting on a bench near the church. The village is very quaint, caters to the skiing community, and I am sure is a bustling place during the winter months. As I end this post, Daniel and I are at our campsite for tonight, but we have to wait until 7:00 pm before we are allowed to pitch our tents. We have 3.5 hours to wait. The French have lots of rules!! 😊

Pics From Yesterday

Pics From Today