29th – Rifugio Bonatti – La Fouly

We left the refuge at around 0800. Bonatti is quite large with a capacity of 100+ guests, but despite that breakfast was done without crowding the buffet during the one hour it was open.

One of the employees at the refuge looks exactly like the actor Zachary Quinto. The likeness is uncanny. I almost suspect it’s him (the actor) who spends his time off from acting.

It was quite chilly in the morning, walking in the shade with a cool breeze added to it. Finally coming out in the sun helped immensely, though (as usual). We spent the first hour or so descending to the bottom of the valley. Here we had a short break before starting the long ascent to Grand Col Ferret, the tallest point on our route. On the way we passed by Rifugio Elena where we had another short (and needed) break.

Reaching the col after the long ascent rewarded us with sun and a clear view back into Italy and into Switzerland with the border going straight along the col. With the time being around 1300 it was the perfect time and place for lunch, with lunch packs from Bonatti. Disappointing buns, some chocolate and a huge muffin.

We spent the first couple of hours descending 

which meant we obviously had to go back up again.

Having a break at Grand Col Ferret, the highest point of the tour.

The descent into Switzerland was never very steep but rather a gradual descent over a long period. After app. 3 hours we arrived at La Fouly and our final destination for the day. And once again, when entering the premises, I had flashbacks from the last time I was here.

Before Courmayeur my calves and thighs were almost constantly sore. Now, after the rest day, despite my worries, I have no issues with them other than normal exhaustion. That’s pretty nice, to be honest.

When doing the trek you tend to bump into the same people doing the route. At the refuge here in La Fouly we sat down with an American couple (Nicole & Shane) we have been meeting almost daily. They are very friendly and they apparently met 10 years ago on a 5-month trek on the Appalachian Trail and now were on their honeymoon. Both of them are in very good shape but Shane is muscular. So much so that when they were posing for a photo at Rifugio Bertone and he flexed I blurted out “Oh god I feel so small” which made the guide standing next to me almost fall over laughing. 

28th – Courmayeur – Rifugio Bonatti

With breakfast being served at 0800-1000 the decision was to leave at 0900, relatively late compared to the previous days. This was probably a good idea as last night’s food festival ended up being a street party and half the group – including the guide – wasn’t back at the hotel until close to 0100. The wooden plate was a glorified ticket; you presented it at a stall, they wrote the stall number on its back (so you could only go to a place once) and you were handed a plate with food. There were 11 stalls and we ended up trying 8 of them; cold cuts, sausage with ratatouille, cheese & potatoes, minestrone, tartar on bread, blue cheese risotto (which was delicious and heavy and you were given a huge portion!), ice cream with liquor and pie. After the stalls starting closing multiple DJs played music throughout the center of the town, though the later it got the music turned more and more into Italian pop.

Leaving a bit past 0900 this morning we walked through Courmayeur and we soon started ascending – steeply. 800 meters of ascent later we reached Rifugio Bertone. They don’t start serving lunch until 1230 so we had half an hour or so of relaxation and enjoying the view before being able to order. Service was slow, but the food was good, so it took almost 2 hours before we were on our way again.

Quick group photo before lunch.

Relaxing with a view.

Leaving Bertone, we traversed with generally gentle small ups and downs on our way until we app. 2 hours after departure arrived at Rifugio Bonatti with a great view of the massif.

The lone walker. 

The rest of the day is/was shower and doing very little.

The relaxing view from Bonatti.

The light at around sunset.

27th – Courmayeur

As this was a rest day we had the day to do what we wanted. A few people went to a spa, others… something… and three of us took a cabin lift up from where we could see the entire town. We found a café and enjoyed a couple of beers and drinks – while staying in the shade as the sun was out in full force – which apparently included chips and a platter of bread, meat and cheese.

The old part of Courmayeur where we stayed.

Coming back down to the town we had a walk through the center and had lunch before returning to the hotel for relaxation.

View of the town from above.

Tonight there is a food festival of sorts in town; 20 euros for a wooden plate and food is free at a number of stalls. Exciting!

No, it didn't feel cheesy at all walking around with a plate around my neck. 

Not at all...

Credit goes to our guide Heather Florence.

26th – Les Chapieux – Courmayeur

Lunch was bought in the shape of sandwiches near the refuge before getting a ride at 0740 to skip a long piece of road and getting dropped off, starting today’s walk. The ride saved us from what would have been a 1½ hours of walking. The drop-off happened around La Ville des Glaciers.

The problem with getting up early is getting up early. 

On the other hand you get to see something like this.

Not long after the start we passed Refuge des Mottes, the place we stayed at my last trip instead of Les Chapieux, and started ascending towards Col de la Seigne at 2516m. While the view was nice the place was also noteworthy for being the point where we exited France and entered Italy. The sun was high though the wind was fairly cold, but with a bit of walking around on the col we found a spot out of the wind and we managed to have a nice break enjoying the view.

Coming down to Rifugio Elisabetta we had our lunch. Luckily we didn’t spend the night here; looking into the dorms the very high capacity they boasted of (narrow beds in a row in 3 bunks) made it feel like a prison camp.

Instead of riding them up they dragged them as it was too heavy. 

Instead of riding them down the dragged them as they didn't feel comfortable.

We continued downwards, reaching a roman road in the bottom of the valley and continued descending for 1½ hours on road. Finally, at the end, we got a bus for 20 minutes which took us to the center of Courmayeur.

  

After having ice cream, we went to our hotel and checked in. Relaxing for a few hours before going out for dinner and returning to the hotel for a drink.

Return to Chamonix!

As mentioned previously I have been laid off since the beginning of March. Being home all the time having nothing to do makes me restless despite my lazy nature and completely ignoring the fact that it has been barely a month since my last trip (but that is so looong!).

So, a bit impulsively I decided I wanted to return to Chamonix and re-experience the beauty of the Tour du Mont Blanc trail. The trip will be no different than the previous so I will not go into much detail. But to give a quick overview of the schedule it looks like this:

22nd of July

Departure evening from Copenhagen and arrive late in Geneva with a transfer to Chamonix.

23rd of July

Meet up with the group in the evening, giving me a day by myself in Chamonix which will likely end up result in going on a walk somewhere.

24th - 31st of July

Leaving Chamonix and following the route Chamonix - Les Contamines - Les Chapieux - Courmayeur (Italy) - rest day in Courmayeur - Val Ferret (Italy) - La Fouly (Switzerland) - Trient - Chamonix.

1st of August

Leaving Chamonix and flying home.