Friday, July 1, 2016
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:
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.
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.
What to Bring
What to Bring:
We had a variety of packs amongst us, but the winners were the Bergans of Norway Helium 55 liter ultralights seen below on the left. Ours are a discontinued version that we got for a steal on Sierra Trading Post. They have one big cargo area, a zippered "brain" on top, and two side pockets for water bottles. They were light, easy, and had plenty of space for what we needed. We lined them with garbage bags as an added precaution agains the rain we frequently encountered.
Since we stayed at refuges and hotels along the way, we did not have to carry a tent or sleeping bags, but we paid dearly for the luxury of sleeping indoors. We met plenty of hikers along the way who tent camped, and I regretted that we had limited ourselves to having a roof over our heads every night. It turned out that there were plenty of opportunities to camp.
Here is a list of the gear we brought, minus the things we did not need:
Sturdy hiking boots (while much of the trail could be managed with a pair of trail runners, they would not pass muster when you are knee deep in snow). I recommend they be like old friends when you start so you don't get sore feet or blisters. I had very nice, new boots I thought I had broken in well enough. I was wrong!
1 pair convertible quick drying hiking pants
2 pairs wool hiking socks
1 set wool long underwear (we never needed it during the day, but it was nice for sleeping in)
2 wool t-shirts
1 long sleeve wool base layer (could be your long underwear top- mine was)
Lightweight puffer coat
Windbreaker
Rain gear (We brought pants but never needed them. Our gaiters kept us dry enough.)
Wool hat
Sun/rain hat
Goretex gaiters
Lightweight mittens if you will be encountering snow
Sunscreen
Crampons (for early summer hikers)
2 water bottles
First aid kit
Survival blanket, headlamp and whistle (likely will never need these, but good to have just in case)
1 pair of sturdy shoes to change into to give your feet a break and for walking around towns. ( I had Scarpa Mojitos, which worked out great)
Sleeping bag liner. One with a zipper will be most comfortable.
Walking poles
We had a variety of packs amongst us, but the winners were the Bergans of Norway Helium 55 liter ultralights seen below on the left. Ours are a discontinued version that we got for a steal on Sierra Trading Post. They have one big cargo area, a zippered "brain" on top, and two side pockets for water bottles. They were light, easy, and had plenty of space for what we needed. We lined them with garbage bags as an added precaution agains the rain we frequently encountered.
Here is a list of the gear we brought, minus the things we did not need:
Sturdy hiking boots (while much of the trail could be managed with a pair of trail runners, they would not pass muster when you are knee deep in snow). I recommend they be like old friends when you start so you don't get sore feet or blisters. I had very nice, new boots I thought I had broken in well enough. I was wrong!
1 pair convertible quick drying hiking pants
2 pairs wool hiking socks
1 set wool long underwear (we never needed it during the day, but it was nice for sleeping in)
2 wool t-shirts
1 long sleeve wool base layer (could be your long underwear top- mine was)
Lightweight puffer coat
Windbreaker
Rain gear (We brought pants but never needed them. Our gaiters kept us dry enough.)
Wool hat
Sun/rain hat
Goretex gaiters
Lightweight mittens if you will be encountering snow
Sunscreen
Crampons (for early summer hikers)
2 water bottles
First aid kit
Survival blanket, headlamp and whistle (likely will never need these, but good to have just in case)
1 pair of sturdy shoes to change into to give your feet a break and for walking around towns. ( I had Scarpa Mojitos, which worked out great)
Sleeping bag liner. One with a zipper will be most comfortable.
Walking poles
Transportation Between Geneva and Chamonix
One word of advice: Do plan your transportation from Geneva Airport to Chamonix ahead, especially if you are arriving late!
Do not expect to find a shuttle waiting to take you to Chamonix. And, do not expect the people at the information desk at Geneva Airport to help you. Most of the transport companies seem to require advance reservations, so this is definitely one thing you do want to schedule in advance.
We did not plan ahead, but lucked out and were able to get a ride with the very friendly Mountain Drop Offs, a first rate transport service that dropped us right at our hotel after midnight. By all accounts EasyBus is the cheapest, and they will drop you off at the Chamonix Sud Bus Stop. This may not be ideal if you are staying down the valley in Les Houches and you are arriving late.
By the way, if you are coming from Lyon, ISI bus line will get you from Lyon to Chamonix for a very reasonable fare.
If you plan to buy your return tickets to the airport at the Chamonix Sud Bus Stop- beware of the fact that the office is closed from 1:00-3:00 and closes down early for the night.
Do not expect to find a shuttle waiting to take you to Chamonix. And, do not expect the people at the information desk at Geneva Airport to help you. Most of the transport companies seem to require advance reservations, so this is definitely one thing you do want to schedule in advance.
We did not plan ahead, but lucked out and were able to get a ride with the very friendly Mountain Drop Offs, a first rate transport service that dropped us right at our hotel after midnight. By all accounts EasyBus is the cheapest, and they will drop you off at the Chamonix Sud Bus Stop. This may not be ideal if you are staying down the valley in Les Houches and you are arriving late.
By the way, if you are coming from Lyon, ISI bus line will get you from Lyon to Chamonix for a very reasonable fare.
If you plan to buy your return tickets to the airport at the Chamonix Sud Bus Stop- beware of the fact that the office is closed from 1:00-3:00 and closes down early for the night.
Getting Ready
As a way to mark a few important milestones in our family, we decided a long walk somewhere really beautiful was in order. A New York Times article on the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) sparked our interest last December, and thus began our first family trek.
The purpose of this post is to give armchair and potential self-guided TMB trekkers a taste of the trail, and also give people in the planning stages some suggestions on how to avoid some of the missteps we made. For starters, in spite of the warnings we read about bringing too much stuff, we could not resist the temptation to overload, which we regretted before we even stepped foot on the trail. I have, for my own future reference, put together a list of essentials based on our experience. If you stick to those your pack should not weigh more than 12-15 pounds, unless you are camping.
We started our walk the first week in June, just as many places along the trail were opening for the season. The advantages were that we weren't sharing the trail or refuges with scores of other hikers, and there were loads of spring wildflowers everywhere giving me ample opportunities to stop and catch my breath! The disadvantages were we had to skip parts of the trail that were impassable to most self-guided hikers like us, because it was too snowy, and a good number of the refuges and huts were not open yet, limiting our options. We worked around these obstacles with ground transportation and a sense of adventure, since we had decided at the outset we were going to make it up as we went along.
I read several places that you should not walk the TMB to get in shape. I could not disagree more! In fact, it can be a terrific way to get in shape, as along as you allow plenty of time. For us, it got progressively easier as the days went by, and we felt great by the end- even though I managed somehow to fracture my ankle on the second to last day.
The purpose of this post is to give armchair and potential self-guided TMB trekkers a taste of the trail, and also give people in the planning stages some suggestions on how to avoid some of the missteps we made. For starters, in spite of the warnings we read about bringing too much stuff, we could not resist the temptation to overload, which we regretted before we even stepped foot on the trail. I have, for my own future reference, put together a list of essentials based on our experience. If you stick to those your pack should not weigh more than 12-15 pounds, unless you are camping.
We started our walk the first week in June, just as many places along the trail were opening for the season. The advantages were that we weren't sharing the trail or refuges with scores of other hikers, and there were loads of spring wildflowers everywhere giving me ample opportunities to stop and catch my breath! The disadvantages were we had to skip parts of the trail that were impassable to most self-guided hikers like us, because it was too snowy, and a good number of the refuges and huts were not open yet, limiting our options. We worked around these obstacles with ground transportation and a sense of adventure, since we had decided at the outset we were going to make it up as we went along.
I read several places that you should not walk the TMB to get in shape. I could not disagree more! In fact, it can be a terrific way to get in shape, as along as you allow plenty of time. For us, it got progressively easier as the days went by, and we felt great by the end- even though I managed somehow to fracture my ankle on the second to last day.
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