Tour du Mont Blanc – Refuge Option (~100 miles, June 20-25, 2025)

Prologue

It was a warm late June night, and the sun was setting over the Mont Blanc massif. The last rays of sunlight shined through the Fenetre d’Arpette and reflected off the Trient glacier, giving it an almost otherworldly glow. Snowcapped peaks reflected in the still waters of Lac Blanc. It was a golden hour, and the Ibex of Aiguilles Rouges nature preserve were getting ready for a Tuesday night party at Club Lac Blanc. The young bucks were polishing their horns, and the ladies were fluffing their tails. By the time the sun set, they were ready to party. They were running up the trails to Refuge Lac Blanc. Some were unable to contain their excitement and left their droppings all over the trail to Lac Blanc. When they got there, their favorite tune, the Ibex by Servant of Light was blasting from the loudspeakers, the heavy techno beat amplified as it bounced off surrounding cliffs (Google the tune or just ask Siri to “Play the Ibex sound’”, more on this in Day 6 report). The dance floor on the deck of Refuge Lac Blanc was packed with young Ibex gyrating to the music. Some daring young bucks broke into the refuge’s beer stores and rolled out the kegs of beer (this may be the reason that the next day the refuge was out of draft beer). They were drinking and serving up beer to the ladies. The party was growing wilder and wilder. One young buck tried to take advantage of a slightly tipsy female Ibex but got properly rejected (ask James for video). The old grumpy grandpa Ibex who was keeping an eye on the rowdy young crowd would not allow inappropriate behavior and chased the young buck into the cliffs. The short summer night was almost over. As the sky started growing lighter in predawn hours, the party started breaking up and exhausted Ibex were filing towards the cliffs surrounding Lac Blanc. By the time the first DCULers got there, all Ibex were fast asleep (that’s why we haven’t seen a single one on that trail).

Day 0: Les Houches

This Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) adventure was a bit different for DCUL. Instead of our usual one group, we had two: Veronica’s refuge crew and David and Justus’s camping squad. Everyone got to Les Houches their own way – no carpools or metro stops needed! Both groups officially kicked off their tours on June 20th. Veronica’s trip to Les Houches, the start of the 100-mile Tour du Mont Blanc, hit a snag when her flight got canceled. Big thanks (not!) to British Airways, she still made it just in time for dinner on June 19, 2025.
The DCUL Tour du Mont Blanc – Refuge group, including Aneesh and Swaroopa, Parag, Chris, Janice, Veronica, Brian, Beth and James, started their adventure in the afternoon of June 19, 2025, in Les Houches, a small village in Haute-Savoie region of France and the official starting point of the Tour du Mont Blanc 100-mile circuit.  We had a wonderful dinner at the Le Refuge Des Loupes (literal translation “Wolf’s shelter”), complete with local beer and cheese and potato-filled local culinary favorites (except for Swaroopa, who decided to go healthy and have fish). The camping crew also joined us: David O, Justus, Wesal, Haigang, Ashley, and Aileen (who, sadly, missed out on dinner because it was all cheese!). Most of us stayed at Ibis Styles hotel in town and a few camped at Camping Bellevue nearby.  The start was set to 7:30 am the next day from the TMB arch.

Day 1: Les Houches – Refuge de La Balme, with Col De Tricot variant

We started around 7 am from Ibis Styles. We walked across town to the TMB official start arch, a somewhat unimpressive contraption at the edge of town. We waited for David O’s camping group to arrive and then took group pictures at the arch. From there, our journey began.  The initial climb to Col de Voza was not particularly difficult, although fairly steep.  We initially walked through town and then stayed on a mixture of paved and gravel roads climbing steadily.  As we huffed up the hill, getting used to 5K ft elevation, several cars and buses passed us.  Apparently, you can ride a city bus or a ski lift (that appeared to be not running) to the top of the Col.  This is actually true for a large part of the TMB, which can be completed with minimal walking, primarily by taking buses and ski lifts that connect TMB’s sections.  We weren’t going to shuttle our way along the TMB, but that was a nice option to have in case of injury or another unexpected event. Aneesh and Parag researched some public transportation options and shared them with the group. 

After summiting Col de Voza, we had a decision to make to either stay on the main TMB route or take the Col de Tricot variant that added about 2K additional climb but promised incredible views. A note on variants; there are many alternate routes along the TMB (called the variants). These routes are normally more physically challenging with additional elevation changes and less maintained trails but often leading to spectacular views and offering relative solitude (if that’s ever possible on the TMB). In June, the early season, many of the variants are snow-covered and may be impassable.  We were lucky with a combination of low snow year and unseasonably warm and sunny spring, which melted most of the snowpack along the route and made the high variants accessible much earlier than normal.  Participants frequently opted for these variants or adjusted their routes based on personal preference, physical condition, or time constraints. Veronica and Brian: Focused on completing the miles efficiently. Aneesh and Swaroopa prioritized cakes at refuges. Parag and Janice emphasized maximizing fun on their vacation throughout the hike. Beth and James went full hiker purist on the TMB. From day one, they were locked in on doing the full official route or official variants without shortcuts, shuttles, or second-guessing. While the rest of us were adjusting plans based on the heatwave or lingering a bit longer at lunch, they were out there grinding up every pass like it was a personal mission.

On Day1, some of us decided to take the Col De Tricot variant.  It definitely paid off.  The climb was steep, but the trail, first a wooded single track and then a climb along an exposed slope, was incredibly gorgeous, leading us through pine forests, alpine meadows covered with wildflowers, past roaring waterfalls and with incredible views of snow-covered peaks along the way.  At the end, we were treated with a breathtaking 360 view from the top of Col de Tricot.  Aneesh and Swaroopa started their tradition of making 15-minute snack pit stops at Refuge De Miage on their way down from Col de Tricot. This refuge is recommended as the place to stop for lunch on Day 1 of TMB. 

After descending, we made our way to Refuge de La Balme and got there at various times in the afternoon.  The views from refuge were awesome.  We checked into our rooms, 4 or 6-person dormitories and settled for a couple of beers outside.  It was a wonderful sunny afternoon and very enjoyable to sit in a lawn chair with a cold beer and savor the views of surrounding mountains.  A stray shower came in later that evening that caused a mad rush out of the dining room to save the laundry that was drying outside from getting soaked. After eating dinner at 6:30, we stayed up a bit longer and then turned in for the night.  Everyone enjoyed their first day on the TMB.

Day 2: Refuge de La Balme – Cabane du Combal, with Col des Fours variant

Day 2 was an early start from Refuge de La Balme.  Each of us had different refuge destinations for the day, Janice, James and Beth were headed to Elisabetta. I, Swaroopa, Aneesh and Parag were headed to Combal. Brian and Chris were going to have to make their way to Maison Vieille with additional elevation gain and miles to cover.  
I caught a sunrise, which is ridiculously early this time of the year, around 5:35 am. Since we planned on departing early, the refuge staff agreed to serve us breakfast at 6:30, before the normal 7 am time.  We went to the dining room and found a small selection of breakfast cereals, bread and yogurt, accompanied by juice and coffee.  To the dismay of Janice and Parag, there were no eggs! However, there was a group of four Brits that we talked to the night before, who speed-hiked the TMB in 4 days.  They were already gone but left four glorious eggs on the table. Moral qualms aside, the eggs were quickly appropriated, transported to our breakfast table and properly consumed (unfortunately, Janice left the yoke as evidence of our crime, but we haven’t heard from the French Police yet, so I think we got away with one). Properly nourished, we set out on our day’s adventure. Aneesh and Swaroopa had opted for a picnic which was the other unclaimed food on our table until Aneesh remembered they did buy picnic the previous night. They claimed the picnic lunches offered by the TMB refuges were far better than the ones at Dolomites rifugios. La Balme’s picnic lunch had a couscous salad, bread, cheese and a green apple (which Swaroopa carried with her till Day 5). Beth and James camped near the refuge and had breakfast at 7:30 at the refuge before starting their day. 

The trail from Refuge de La Balme to Col de la Croix du Bonhomme is steep and rocky, but it was also incredibly beautiful, winding through green mountain sides and offering views of snow-covered peaks in the distance.  It was also less crowded than yesterday’s section, maybe because we got an early start and the crowds were still behind us. I saw a herd of Ibex scrambling down a rocky hillside, as graceful and quick as can be.  I snapped a couple of pictures from a distance.  There were others in our groups who were lucky enough to take awesome pictures of the Ibex along the route. Once I got to the top of Col de la Croix du Bonhomme, and crossed into Italy, there was a decision to be made.  Either continue on the TMB main route that leads down to the town of Bionnassay (with a rumored bridge out over a river), or take the Col des Fours variant, which, at over 8700 ft, has the highest elevation on the trail. Normally, Col des Fours is not passable until July, but because of weather conditions this year, there were reports of people going through there without much trouble.  I had my spikes, and I was prepared for the challenge. As I was climbing towards the Col, I spotted a familiar hat.  It looked like Chris! They left the refuge earlier than all of us because they were staying at Maison Vieille, a refuge about 3 miles past Cabane du Combal where Aneesh, Swaroopa, Parag and I were staying.  Yes, it was definitely Chris, and then I saw Brian too. They were contemplating whether to attempt a climb up a steep and icy-looking snow hill ahead.  As a note, Brian’s hiking poles and spikes decided to hang out in Dublin for a couple of extra days, so he did not have his snow equipment.  Some random French guy told Brian and Chris that the snow up Col des Fours was sketchy, and they should not risk it (even though he proceeded to go himself).  It was not worth risking an injury on Day 2, so Chris and Brian decided to turn around.  I was armed and ready with my snow spikes, so I decided to push on.  The intimidating snow hill was not what it was trumped up to be.  It was only a few steps high and not very slippery.  There was more snow on the other side, but nothing too sketchy or treacherous.  I kept the spikes on for the steep, muddy and washed out downhill, where they provided needed traction and saved me from potentially sliding hundreds of feet down on my butt.  As I was slowly climbing downhill, a couple of trail runners in tank tops, shorts and Hokas blew past me, completely unbothered by the terrain.  The scenery was totally worth it!  After the initial steep descent, the trail evened out and meandered through gorgeous alpine meadows, covered by wildflowers, with many streams roaring down the hills.  The views of the Mont Blanc massif were unbeatable, and I saw another herd of Ibex.  Once again, the variant did not disappoint. I got to the Ville de Glaciers, which appeared to be a working farm and saw the signs for a public toilet in the distance.  As a note, the bio-break options on the TMB are very limited and one needs to find official bathroom facilities, because ducking behind a bush or a rock is just not an option. I excitedly ran towards the toilets, just to have my hopes crushed because they were locked. Luckily, here was Refuge Des Mottets nearby, which offered just-cleaned toilets, rest and refreshments.  I got myself a $6 can of Coke (you should just block the prices out of your mind while on the TMB, or you will go insane), and relaxed there for a bit.

Earlier in the day Aneesh & Swaroopa spotted Janice on their way up to Col du Bonhomme, a tiny blue/ khaki spec against the black soil background. They eventually caught up with her while she was enjoying her snack and the beautiful views from Col Du Bonhomme. The three of them enjoyed their sighting of the Ibex herd and a baby Ibex trying to figure out its mountain ways. After some photos and discussion on whether to head to Col des Fours, assuming everyone ahead of them took this route they decided to head up to Col des Fours. As the three of them made their way up Col des Fours, to their surprise, they spotted Brian heading toward them from the other direction. He gave a quick update on the conditions along the variant route, as the four of them caught up and chatted in the midday sun, Chris reappeared on the trail, making their way back to rejoin the group. After a few more laughs and a well-timed group selfie, the five of them turned around and began their descent together, rejoining the main TMB route.  Just moments later, Brian and Aneesh spotted Parag walking towards them. All along Aneesh thought Parag was ahead and assumed he was already on the variant route (somewhere behind Veronica). After some more time spent catching up with Parag, the six of them started their way down to Refuge de Col de la Croix du Bonhomme. The location of the refugio was perfect for a quick bathroom break and water refills. By this time, Aneesh felt like he had talked more than he had walked and needed a coffee. His coffee was accompanied by a nice big chocolate cake which he shared with the rest of the group. Realizing they were all behind schedule and still had a long way to go, everyone started their descent down to Les Chapieux.

At Les Chapieux, Aneesh decided they needed more food and got pizza and refilled water. Janice, Parag and Chris used a shuttle to avoid some road walking in extreme heat. Aneesh and Swaroopa checked their CalTopo map and resigned to the road walking and kept eying the trail which diverted from the road wondering why they were not hiking on it as they hiked their least favorite section of the entire trip and made their way to Ville de Glaciers. While on the road they decided to look up FarOut which had the trail eventually converging on to Ville de Glaciers; this made them realize they hated the road section even more as it was entirely avoidable. After making it to Refuge Des Mottets a little before 1PM they caught up with an Argentine couple who were on the trail with us earlier in the day and they also hated the road walk but had seen Brian on the trail we wished we were on. At this point Aneesh & Swaroopa knew Brian was ahead of them, expected Parag, Janice, and Chris to be ahead of them and expected Veronica to have already reached Combal. At Refuge Des Mottets Aneesh and Swaroopa kept up with their snack breaks and had pancakes, which looked more like crepes, with some delicious chestnut spread. They also spotted what they swear was the most ultralight coffee setup they ever saw on a trail and took pictures of it for Steve (the Baconator) to emulate. Steve if it’s not a red mocha pot we do not want you to be brewing coffee anymore on your backpacking trips! From the Refuge Des Mottets they set out on their way up to Col de la Seigne. This climb is enjoyable but lacks tree cover, causing several “are we there yet?” moments due to its false peaks. Stone cairns mark Col de la Seigne which serve as a symbolic crossing from the French Alps into the Italian Alps. The pass offers sweeping views of Mont Blanc, Aiguille des Glaciers, and the surrounding alpine ridges.

The rest of the way to Cabane du Combal was an easy downhill on a gravel path, going past Refuge Elisabetta, where some of the folks were staying, and through a gorgeous mountain valley with a river running through it.  I got to Cabane du Combal a little after 3 pm and settled outside with a well-deserved beer (I personally recommend Biere du Mont Blanc that comes in Rousse (Red) or Blonde), while waiting for check in time.  Combal is accessible by car from Courmayeur and many Italian families were there for dayhiking and picnicking (did I mention that we crossed into Italy that day?). There are many trails around Combal. I walked on a trail that led to Lake Miage, a small pretty alpine lake that you can swim in.  I did not swim but enjoyed the views of the lake and the surrounding peaks. Aneesh, Swaroopa and Parag got there together, and we had a couple of beverages, a nice dinner, and then settled for the night.  Combal had the best accommodations on the trail, in my opinion.  I was in a large triple room with a private bathroom and a shower. They also provide towels, soap and clean sheets, so no need to use a sleeping bag liner, required by most refuges to keep bed bugs at bay (Yikes!).

Day 3: Cabane du Combal – Refugio Elena, make your own adventure day

Next morning, we had an early breakfast again and were ready to head out around 7 am. We looked at today’s route the night before and saw a steep uphill right after Cabane du Combal and then an even steeper and longer downhill to Courmayeur. My knees, still feeling the descent from Col des Fours, were not thrilled about it, so when Aneesh proposed a roadwalk to Courmayeur as an option, we all jumped on it. My motto for this trip was to “Maximize the enjoyment” on the TMB, not to hike every single inch of it or set speed or endurance records, so I wasn’t going to suffer needlessly. The road walk looked very pleasant, the road winding through a beautiful valley with a river rushing through it and cliffs rising on both sides. Parag and I started before Aneesh and Swaroopa and were making great time on a gentle downhill slope. About 3 miles in, we came onto a small parking area. A guy in a pickup truck was pulling out, he asked if we needed a ride to Courmayeur. Initially, we started to decline the offer but quickly reconsidered and got in the truck. It was about 4 miles to town, not a bad distance to cut out of a 20-mile day. Our driver turned out to be quite a character. He leads climbing tours to Mont Blanc (not a bad day job). He also has a sister company in Nepal and has climbed Everest. Not that these things are totally unimpressive, but he has bigger plans in mind. He and his partner have a deal with Discovery channel for an adventure show, as part of which they will climb 7 high peaks, 7 high volcanoes and ride bikes for the last degree to the North and South poles. Suddenly, my desk job seemed even more unimpressive than I already thought it was. Parag and I got dropped at the edge of Courmayeur and got back to TMB in town. We stopped by a small cafe and had some delectable pistachio croissants and coffee. The Italians call croissants brioches, maybe just to piss off the French.

TMB climbs very steeply out of Courmayeur, up to Refugio Bertone. It seemed like everyone started at the same time out of town because the trail was packed with large groups of hikers. I must’ve passed over a hundred people on the way up. And all of a sudden, I was hiking alone, with incredible views of the town below and snow-capped peaks rising ahead. After cresting the top, the trail evened out and meandered along the side of a hill, past herds of cows and alpine meadows covered in flowers. Azaleas were in full bloom and the slopes looked pink from all the flowers. There were so many different wildflowers, I could’ve spent a month identifying them with my plant app. It was getting very warm, the sun felt so much hotter at high altitude. I reached Refugio Bonatti around lunch time. The building sits on top of a hill overlooking the mountains, it’s a nice place to take a midday break.  It was busy with distance and day hikers and many trail runners, probably in town for the TMB marathon.  After lunch break, I got back on the trail after crossing a river.  From there to Val Ferret, the trail undulated gently through alpine meadows and forest.  Val Ferret was a busy place with many cars and vans parked along the river and people enjoying nice weather and a dip in the cool water on a hot afternoon.  It was getting hot, and I wasn’t looking forward to the shadeless climb up the Col Grand Ferret, but it had to be done.  It was one of the toughest climbs of the entire trip, with the afternoon sun beating down mercilessly.  I huffed and puffed up the steep hill until Refugio Elena finally came into view.  It sits in a spectacular location about a third of the way up Col Grant Ferret and has a very large outdoor deck to enjoy a beverage and a view.  Unfortunately, the inside was not quite as nice.  The dormitories were very large rooms with 30 beds each, luckily not all of them were occupied.  They did not offer free showers either and we had to buy shower tokens for 5 euros. There was no consistency in the length of a shower either. Some of us only had the water run for about a minute and others, like me, seemingly won the shower lottery with the water running for about 10 min.  Dinner was bean soup, pasta and some turkey with potatoes, nothing special, but filling enough. After dinner, we sat at the bar for a bit longer and then went to bed.  It was not a particularly restful night, with so many people in the same room and the hallway light coming on every time someone opened the room door. 

Day 4: Refugio Elena – Relais d’Arpette

I was a bit cranky in the morning, maybe because of less-than-optimal sleeping arrangements, maybe because of too many beers at the bar. In any case, there was Col Grand Ferret to climb and no way around it. The climb is pretty brutal, with 1,800 ft ascent in just a little over a mile.  I tried not to focus on it but rather entertained myself watching a small army of marmots run and frolic in the surrounding hills.  Marmots are adorable furry rodents that look a lot like groundhogs, but cuter and nimbler.  They make adorable squeaky noises and like to chase each other and wrestle.  I took a few videos of wrestling marmots while climbing up the Col.  FarOut has a marker on top of the Col that says simply “Spectacular View” and they were not exaggerating.  The view from the top of Col Grand Ferret is absolutely breathtaking. Behind was Italy and ahead laid Switzerland. Brian was at the top too.  We pondered for a minute about crossing the snowfield ahead.  I investigated a side trail, but it was not a good option, so I followed Brian down the main trail.  Snow wasn’t bad, just mushy and wet, there was no need for spikes.  The downhill was steep and long.  The scenery on the Swiss side was different.  Instead of the dramatic rocky slopes and alpine meadows of France and Italy, we were now among the pastoral scenery of rolling green hills, dotted by small farms and countless cows. The constant ringing of many cowbells blended into a tune that was almost lulling me to sleep. The sky clouded up and showers continued on and off for the next few hours. After the initial climb, it was a very easy walking day, the trail meandering through pine woods and many quaint Swiss villages, with cute dark wooden houses adorned with bright flower boxes.  On the way to the town of Champex-Lac, I walked through the woods spotting many carvings of woodland creatures, courtesy of the local Societe des Champignons (literal translation “The mushroom society”), the local community club whose mascot is Charlotte the Marmotte. It looked like I was walking through some fairytale woods.  The town of Champex-Lac was just as adorable, with pretty lake Champex in the center of it.  Many people were taking a break at the lake and a few even went for a dip.  I pressed on and, after a short uphill climb, I was at Relais d’Arpette, our home for the night.  Once again, I got there before the 4 pm check in and had time to shower and wash some of my hiking clothes. When the whole group arrived, we gathered at the outdoor patio for drinks and stories of the day’s adventures.  We talked about our plans for doing the Fenetre d’Arpette variant, one of the most difficult, but also most exciting TMB variants. Some of us wanted to do it, and a few decided to skip. Some kind of cold bug was starting to go through our group, unsurprisingly we picked up something from staying in hostels, and the folks who did not feel well didn’t want to push it too hard. The accommodations at Relais d’Arpette were not the best, with 8 people packed into a small room, but the food was pretty good.  We got a real salad for dinner!  I was getting pretty tired of the boring choices of pasta and bread, and fresh greens for dinner were pretty exciting. Once again, a stray shower hit in the middle of dinner, causing a mad stampede to rescue laundry from the “dryers”.  We had to move the laundry inside and hang it in our room, luckily Parag had his trusty rope that he brings everywhere, to use as a clothesline.  

Day 5: Relais d’Arpette to Gite Le Moulin, with Fenetre d’Arpette variant

The next morning was an early up and out again.  We grabbed a quick breakfast around 7 am and headed out.  With the Fenetre d’Arpette variant, it was shaping up to be a long day.  Luckily, the weather forecast was almost perfect: mid-70s and sunny, with negligible chance of rain. We’ve generally lucked out with the weather on this trip.  The rain gear that I packed remained basically unused for the whole trip. Today’s hiking route connected up to three variants: the first one was the most challenging to Fenetre d’Arpette, the second, from Chalet du Glaciers to Col de Balme and, finally, a choice between the main TMB route or another variant, to Gite le Moulin, our home for the night.  I opted for an “all-variant day”. The Fenêtre d’Arpette is a mountain pass between the Val de Trient to the northwest and the Val d’Arpette to the east. It is a natural window that stands at an altitude of over 8,700 ft. The route to the window started easy enough, on a gently upward sloping trail going through a meadow and some pine trees.  It was a little rocky, but a well-maintained trail.  After the relative flat, the trail started climbing very steeply. It was well marked by paint on the rocks, so there was never a question of losing the trail, and the Arpette window was directly in front the whole time.  The trail goes through a boulder field that requires some navigating, but nothing technical. At the end, there is a steep ascent on scree covered slope.  It was a very fun trail and the views of both valleys from the top, and the large Trient glacier, were certainly rewarding enough to make it worthwhile. Of course, what goes up must come down.  The downhill to me was much more challenging than the uphill, steep, rocky and scree covered.  Hiking poles lessened the impact a bit, but my knees were definitely feeling it when I got to Chalet du Glaciers.  I stopped for a well-deserved break and Janice joined me after a few minutes. We had some snacks and drinks and saw Parag down by the bridge, but he decided to push on, while the going was good. After Chalet du Glaciers, the trail evened out a bit and the ascent was not nearly as steep and rocky.  I decided to take another detour on a side trail that took me boulder-hopping up a riverbed.  It was fun, but after I crossed a small wooden bridge, I realized that there would be no way to make it up a cliff back to the main trail (maybe I should’ve believed the sign that said that the side trail was dead end), so I had to backtrack to the main trail.  Eventually, I caught up with Janice and we walked together the rest of the way.  The final variant was pretty and uncrowded, meandering through mountainsides covered in azalea blooms, past a small refuge with a helicopter landing pad.  We had to cross a few snow fields before Col de Balme.  We stopped at the Refuge de Col de Balme, a lovely place decorated in the Swiss mountain chalet style inside.  Janice and I had drinks and a giant brownie that Janice could not finish, even with my help! After looking at the map, we decided to take the last variant, which offered a more direct route to Gite le Moulin.  We almost ran down the dirt path until we got to a cable car station. The gondolas whizzing downhill looked very inviting, so we went to check it out.  We couldn’t find anyone at the station to buy tickets from, so we tried to get into the next gondola, when a man appeared out of seemingly nowhere and asked us for tickets.  We explained that we couldn’t figure out how to buy tickets and were not just gate jumping to get a free ride.  He led us to the ticket machine and made us pay up. Once we did, we boarded the gondola and headed down the mountain.  We rode over the slope dotted with sheep and goats, and a few intimidating-looking guard dogs.  There were conflicting accounts of those guard dogs, with Brian describing them as cuddly teddy-bear like creatures and Parag as growling beasts ready to tear you in pieces if you made one wrong move towards their precious goats and sheep.  Janice and I were blissfully unaware of any of that as we enjoyed the aerial views from the gondola.  It was a short walk to Gite le Moulin from the cable car station. The hostel was a cute house in town and did not look fully booked. I only had four people in a room of 8 bunks.  The showers and bathrooms were pretty nice too.  We had some beers in the backyard and then got served an absolutely delicious dinner.  The salad and pasta were so good, we tried to get the sauce recipe from the owner, but he politely declined.  Him and his wife owned this place for 20 plus years.  I think one of them might be a professionally trained chef, that’s how good the food was.  It was our last night on the TMB and a great place to end it.

Day 6: Gite Le Moulin – Chamonix, with Lac Blanc variant

Next morning, we grabbed a quick breakfast of bread, croissants and bean soup. For whatever reason, the French serve coffee in soup bowls, so Parag named it “bean soup”.  I am not sure if we were supposed to use a spoon, hope we didn’t violate any local customs.  The plan for today was to take the Lac Blanc variant to the famous TMB ladders, then continue to Le Brevent and take a cable car down to Chamonix.  I was on a tight schedule because my daughter was flying into Geneva at 3:30 and I had to pick up a rental car and get her at the airport. The road through town was easy and then the climb up to Lac Blanc started.  We walked through some of the most gorgeous scenery on the TMB.  The Trient glacier that we got very close to on the Fenetre d’Arpette variant, was still visible in the distance, and the trail was surrounded by massive rocky slopes.  About 2 miles in, the ladders started. They are built into a vertical cliff, nothing technical, but a lot of fun to climb.  Janice and I were hiking together and took lots of pictures and videos of us conquering the ladders.  I think there are 13 of them, although I wasn’t counting.  It was still early in the morning, so there weren’t many people on the trail, but I read that there are backups by the ladders during the busy times. As we walked on the trail, there was Ibex poop everywhere.  I wanted to see Ibex up close, and I read that they sometimes just stand on the trail in that area and there were certainly lots of signs of them, but I haven’t spotted a single Ibex anywhere.  Maybe they partied all night and were fast asleep?  Janice and I were doing our best making Ibex calls, when we realized that we have no idea what an Ibex sounds like. I decided to ask Siri for help.  “Siri, play the Ibex sound!”.  Siri thought for a moment and then started playing. Not exactly what we thought though, it was playing a loud techno club beat, not a gentle goat bleating that we expected. Google “The Ibex” by Servant of Light if you are interested to hear it. After passing by a couple of small alpine lakes, we got to Refuge de Lac Blanc.  It was overlooking Lac Blanc and was surrounded by snowcapped peaks.  It was absolutely stunning!  The refuge and the camping area below offered some of the most breathtaking views I have seen. We stopped at the refuge to get a snack and a drink. When I went to get a beer, they informed me that their draft machine was “having issues”, so I had to get a can.  Janice and I sat on the deck of the refuge for awhile admiring the views.  I completely lost track of time when I looked at the watch and realized that it was already past 10 am and I was getting short on time.  I said bye to Janice and took off.  I mostly jogged downhill to La Flegere.  When I got there, I looked at the map and saw that I still needed to conquer a 2K climb up to Le Brevent and then count on the cable car running to get to Chamonix.  I was standing next to the sign pointing to Chamonix, so I decided not to risk being late to pick up my daughter and skip Le Brevent.  As I mentioned, this trip was about “maximizing the enjoyment”, not completing every bit of the trail, so I picked what was best for me.  The trail down to Chamonix was about 4 miles long and wound mostly through wooded slopes and across cool mountain streams.  It was very shady and pleasant.  I ran into Brian, who picked the same route and decided to skip Le Brevent as well (as I found out later, so did most of our group, except for Beth and James).  We got to Chamonix around 1 pm and stopped at a cafe to have a celebratory beverage.  It turned out that Parag, Aneesh and Swaroopa were at a restaurant just a few hundred feet away.  Brian went to join them, and I raced to the bus station to catch a 2 pm bus to Geneva airport.  

That evening, we gathered at the restaurant Josephine for a post-hike celebratory meal and some mushroom cake.  As we shared our experiences, though different, we agreed that we all had absolutely awesome time.  Yes, some of us had to modify the trail to fit their needs, some battled sickness and injury and Beth and James completed every bit of the trail and then some extra, but we all enjoyed our time on the TMB tremendously.  It was a great group of DCULers and I can’t wait to hike with all of you again.

Until next time on the trail!

Veronica “Fairweather” Crawford