Carpe Diem

 

Cows and Sheep with Bells

We did come across some gorgeous cows- especially in Switzerland. The sound of their bells can't help but make one smile.

Water Water Everywhere

Better than the food, which was overrated for the most part, was the water, which was free, delicious and plentiful. The spring runoff was exhilarating to see and hear in all three countries and one of my favorite aspects of the trip along with the fresh air.

 

A Feast For The Eyes

One of the most enchanting aspects of our trip were the plentiful wildflowers, which made up for the surprising lack of wildlife. In eight days on the trail we saw all of three marmots and one chamoix at a distance from our taxi. The flowers were everywhere, though, and varied significantly from valley to valley. It was rewarding to experience early summer in the valleys and retreat seasonally as we gained altitude until we reached late winter in the course of a few hours...

Here are a few of my favorite flower moments:

Our Favorite Refuges

The auberges and refuges are a mixed bag- they are all more or less equally exorbitant for a group of four sleeping in bunk beds, but not equal in food, friendliness or quality. We only stayed in six, because we used hotels in Les Houches and Courmayeur.

Here are the ones that stood out for us:

Auberge de Bionnassay:

This auberge, a converted 18th century traditional post and beam farm building, was in the perfect place for our jet lagged group- roughly three hours from Les Houches. We stayed in the lofty dorm room, which we had to share with only two other hikers. It would be snug, I suspect, at the height of the season in the bunks.

The proprietor Walter was cheerful and friendly, and our dinner of roasted spare ribs was quite delicious.  We arrived early, which gave us time to wander around the little hamlet of Bionnassay and take in the local architecture. The first floor of the auberge is where their resident donkey and llama live, along with a bunch of chickens and spotted bunnies. If you can't spend the night, at least stop for lunch.

 Chalet Refuge de Nant Borrant:

If I could only visit one of the inns we stayed at again, it would be Nant Borrant- in business since 1870 as a stopping point for people crossing over from Les Chapieux. I loved everything about it, from the location just before heading up to and over the Col du Bonhomme at the top of the Roman Road, the view, the cozy rooms, the food and the owners. When we decided we would not attempt the Col due to the snow, they very kindly arranged for a van to pick us up at Notre Dame de la Gorge at the bottom of the hill, and called ahead to Auberge de la Nova in Les Chapieux. Dinner was delicious local fare, and their bag lunch the following day was the best of all the places we stayed.

Note on lunches: There is a great, big Carrefour grocery store in Chamonix not too far from the bus station and smaller ones in Les Houches and in Courmayeur. Stock up on lunch stuff here and you will save a bundle.

How Long Does It Take?

We were surprised and impressed to learn about the TMB ultra marathon with athletes finishing the trail in under 24 hours. We on the other hand, gave ourselves 12 days. This was challenging enough for us and allowed for some down time here and there as needed. In retrospect, 8 or 9 days would have been plenty, especially had there not been all the snow we had to work around. We, for the most part, were the most leisurely paced group we met- and we were fine with that. We briefly met a pair of brothers who were wrapping up a four day circuit- they had ice picks and crampons and were practically jogging. They were from the area, though, and knew their way through the snowy passes where the trail is nowhere to be seen.

A Good Map is Essential- Especially in Switzerland

Overall, there is pretty good signage throughout the trail, but it does vary from excellent (below) to non-existent in places. In Switzerland we came across several poles stripped bare of signs. Our map did not cover the Swiss section of the trail, so we thought we could get by with the trail descriptions in our guidebook. We could not. So, do yourself a favor, and pick up some really detailed maps so you don't end up missing a trail head and going miles off course because a grumpy farmer removed the signs.