Craig Henderson Europe '23 Part 4 - Tour du Mont Blanc

23 July 2023 - Chamonix; day prior to start of Tour du Mont Blanc

Cathy and I left London this morning and made our way to Chamonix via a flight to Geneva then a shared mini-bus.

It’s a Sunday afternoon and Chamonix is basking in summer warmth. At 5.00pm, it’s 25C. The twin peaks of Mont Blanc are clearly visible, as are Aiguille du Midi and the Aiguilles Rouge. The planter boxes everywhere are in full bloom - geraniums and petunias - and the glacial river L’Arve is rushing through the town.

On a day like today there’s an energy and buzz to Chamonix. Everyone’s in outdoor attire, many with packs and walking sticks, some with climbing rope. Most look like they’ve done something energetic and there’s more than a few signs of sunburn. The cafes, bars and glaceries are doing a roaring trade as people claim their rewards.

Our accommodation is right on the river and our first floor room faces onto it. Most hotels in Chamonix do not have air-conditioning, so on warm days like today windows need to be open. With our window open, the noise of the rushing river is thunderous, but it’s a natural world noise and even soothing I think. Hopefully, I’ll still think that at 3.00am.

Cathy and I walked the Tour du Mont Blanc in 1990. That walk was prompted by the highly respected Walt Unsworth’s Classic Walks of the World, a book which I pored over endlessly. We’ve got fond memories of our 1990 walk but only isolated specific recollections. We want to refresh our memories and create some new ones. The TMB has appeared on just about every list of Western Europe’s best multi-day walks for years. Sometimes it sits atop such lists. Does it still deserve that ranking?

24 July 2023 - Day 1 of Tour du Mont Blanc: Les Houches to Les Contamines (21.0 km; 6.0h)

We wake up to the predicted thunderstorms! But when you have accommodation for the next 11 nights already booked, you have little choice but to pull on the wet weather gear and hope for the best.

Les Houches is where most people start their Tour du Mont Blanc trek. There’s an arch in the main street that proclaims the commencement of the walk. We get off the bus at the wrong spot and manage to miss the arch. Eerie echoes of the last time we did the walk 30 years ago: on that occasion, we decided to walk to Les Houches from Chamonix. We lost the trail when it seemed to take us a few hundred metres up an unstable scree slope. Suffice to say, it took us several hours more than planned to get to Les Houches. By comparison this is a smooth beginning. We’ll find the arch when we finish.

Col de Voza (1,653m) is the first col of many and a decent 600m climb up from Les Houches. A cafe at the col gives us a chance to recover our breath. Shortly after, the heavens darken and hail the size of marbles start pinging us. A large conifer provides us with some protection and the storm soon passes.

Some lovely woodland strolling (tall, thin pine trees and silver birch) in the gradual descent into overnight village of Les Contamines. Our abode, Hotel Le Gai Soleil, is a tranquil garden oasis and very welcoming. They do dinner so, from arrival, minimum movement required!

Picnic lunch overlooking Les Contamines, France

25 July 2023 - Day 2 of Tour du Mont Blanc: Les Contamines to Les Chapieux (18.0 km; 6.0h)

We’re conscious that today is one of the longest of the TMB stages, so set off reasonably early. The first hour is a delightful riverside track that leads gently upwards to Notre Dame de la Gorge, a pretty church located where the gorge narrows and starts to climb.

After the church, we get down to the serious business of climbing to the two cols we need to surmount today, Col du Bonhomme (2,329m) and Col de la Croix du Bonhomme (2,479m). Both passes are windy and cold, but at the first we manage to shelter in the lee of a small rock structure.

We pause at Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme, which is heaving because the weather has taken a turn for the worse and everyone is looking for some shelter. We make the mistake of ordering hot chocolate which takes forever to arrive. By the time we leave it’s 4.00 pm and raining heavily. We don all of our wet weather gear and additional clothes for warmth. It’s a long and wet trudge down the steep hill to the very welcome sanctuary of Auberge de la Nova.

Our table companions tonight reflect the range of nationalities undertaking the TMB and the different itineraries. A Norwegian couple in their early 50’s are doing the full walk in 7 days. An English couple in their 20’s are taking longer but, as they organised the trip recently, they have been forced to do some two or three hour days and some eleven hour plus days (in order to find accommodation). A couple from Kansas City are taking a similar period to us. Due to the absence of mountains in their hometown, they’ve had little opportunity to train on hills and are finding the going tough.

Montjoie Valley, heading towards Col du Bonhomme, France

26 July 2023 - Day 3 of Tour du Mont Blanc: Les Chapieux to Cabane du Combal (18.0 km; 6.0h)

Today follows a similar pattern to yesterday - a gentle start, a pre-lunch climb and a gradual decline to the overnight destination. However, today, each of the stages is a bit shorter.

It’s an overcast morning, but before long patches of blue sky appear and the odds look good for a better day weather-wise than yesterday.

It’s still cool though and when we reach La Ville des Glaciers (1,789m), after 90 minutes of gentle climbing, we’re reaching for the raincoats and gloves. Not for rain but for warmth.

The views from La Ville des Glaciers are stunning. Particularly those of Aiguille des Glaciers and the Glacier des Glaciers.

The pre-lunch climb is to Col de la Seigne (2,516m), which constitutes the France/Italy border. Soon after leaving La Ville des Glaciers we start passing through ice and snow fresh from last night’s squalls. The views get better as you gain more height, easing the effort of doing so.

It’s windy and cold at Col de la Seigne but we’re hungry and keen for a rest. We spy the ruins of a building a few hundred metres off and investigate. The windward side of the structure has half a wall and a few fellow walkers are huddled in behind it. They make room for us and we all sit in our makeshift refuge, tearing hungrily into our baguettes.

We head into Italy and in a matter of metres go from no mobile reception (on the French side) to three bars (on the Italian side). Didn’t expect that!

Overnight is spent at Cabane du Combal. It’s an A frame building remotely located near Lac du Combal/Lac du Miage. Our room buddies are Alex and Shelley, a mother and son. They’re English, though Alex is a mountain guide in Europe. Alex is taking mum on a bespoke five day ‘highlights of the TMB’ tour as a 60th birthday present. Entertaining room and dinner companions.

Skylight windows in our room enable us to admire the amazing nighttime stars.

View of Aosta Valley from Cabana du Combal, Italy

27 July 2023 - Day 4 of Tour du Mont Blanc: Cabane du Combal to Courmayeur (16.0 km; 5.0h)

Cabane du Combal, like most of the refugios and auberges is run pretty strictly. Breakfast is at 7am and it’s done by 7.30. No chance of a late start today!

But you wouldn’t want to start late today. It’s a clear day and we know that the first few hours provide some of the best views of the Mont Blanc massif of the entire walk.

After an a hour or so of climbing we’re rewarded with the dress circle views we’d hoped for. Mont Blanc and its rugged southern face are directly across the valley from us. The twin glaciers that sweep down from its summit seem to be flowing directly towards us. The track just contours pleasantly, allowing us to gape constantly at the changing aspects. In addition to its proximity to Mont Blanc, this section of the trail provides glorious vistas of the mighty Val Veny below.

Eventually, we reach the clearings and infrastructure of the Col Checroui ski resort. The whole experience drops a notch or two (mainly due to the snow making machines and chairlift infrastructure) but the mountain views stay stellar. As we get closer to the lifts that service Courmayeur during summer, the day walkers increase. We succumb to the final gondola that spares you the last toe crushing kilometre plunge into Courmayeur!

Closeup vistas of the twin glaciers of Mont Blanc, Italy

28 July 2023 - Rest day in Courmayeur

On an 11 day walk you’d prefer a rest day, if you’re only having one (like us), to come a bit later. But Courmayeur, the Italian version of France’s Chamonix, has the facilities you often need on a rest day (laundrette, ATM and supermarket for starters) and is an attractive holiday resort, so really picks itself.

We meet others who we’ve seen on the track doing likewise, including a charming group of five from California and Minnesota (who Cathy and I, in our rambling, on-trail conversations, have taken to calling the CalMinn 5). Two of them work in the optometry business and immediately identify make, model and serial number of my glasses. I note that they are the most (only) stylish element of my hiking get-up.

Our hotel had a lovely shady garden so we take up residence there in the afternoon. Our feet relish the fresh air and cool grass.

Courmayeur Traditional Summer Festival, Italy

29 July 2023 - Day 5 of Tour du Mont Blanc: Courmayeur to Refugio Bonatti (14.0 km; 4.5h)

The morning starts with one of the steepest climbs on the TMB - 800m of ascent over 3.5 km. The sun is out and it’s warm work. Thankfully, most of the climb is in the shade of a forest.

It’s a Saturday and as we’re close to Courmayeur and the weather’s good, there are lots of walkers on the track. Alpine walking is very popular in Italy (as it is in France as well). But there are lots of paths and so people soon dissipate.

Rifugio Bertone is the first target and a caffeine reward is planned. We reach it at 10am only to find that it doesn’t open till 10.30. Foiled! We push on.

The next couple of hours are magical walking. We are just following the contours of the hills that face the Mont Blanc massif. So, we have a valley immediately below us (Val Ferret) and then the Mont Blanc massif soaring up from the valley floor. It can only be described as dress-circle walking. At this point, it’s the Grandes Jorasses, a series of jagged peaks separated by plunging glaciers, putting on the performance.

The wildflowers in this section of the walk are colourful and wonderfully diverse. It’s the most profuse display we’ve seen on the walk so far. We attempt to capture them on camera but the photos don’t do them justice. Due to their dainty size, their beauty and their contribution to the vistas have to be experienced directly.

Refugio Bonatti is our overnight accommodation. It’s situated at about 2,000m so when thunder and lightning roll up Val Ferret during the evening we have a ringside seat. Walkers gather under the eaves of the Refugio to watch the display.

30 July 2023 - Day 6 of Tour du Mont Blanc: Refugio Bonatti to Le Fouly (24.0 km; 7.0h)

We know today is one of the harder days so we’re on our way at 8.00 am. The overnight storms have cleared away leaving the trail wet but not awash. The sun has the clouds on the run, though the higher peaks are still fully shrouded.

The first hour or so are a continuation of yesterday’s dress-circle walking. A great way to ease into the day.

We descend to Chalet de Ferret where the real business of the day begins. The mission is to climb up to Grand Col Ferret (2,537m) which constitutes the border between Italy and Switzerland and then descend into Switzerland. This is a popular walk, so with TMB’ers, Sunday walkers and holiday makers, it’s very busy on the track. At times it feels as if you are part of a conga line.

The climb takes a couple of hours. When we reach Grand Col Ferret, we’re pleasantly surprised by the conditions. Unlike the previous cols we’ve crossed, it’s not overly windy and the sun is out. We join scores of others picnicking at the col.

Continuing on into Switzerland, the path is less crowded and as a result the walking more relaxed. Eventually we come to a remote restaurant, Alpage de la Peule. We join track buddies who are basking in the sun. The bulk of the day’s work is done, so nobody is in a rush to leave.

Eventually, we get into gear and force ourselves into a rhythm for the last 1h,45m into Le Fouly. There’s a bus option for the last 45 minutes but we resist. We soon regret that as we take a wrong turn that stretches the last session out to over two hours. Not much more than anticipated but every bit matters at the end of the day.

Le Fouly is a small, neat ski resort and is comprised largely of Swiss style chalets. Our accommodation is well-located and lively but treats walkers with indifference and for half-board meals relegates us to a non-descript room at the rear.

31 July 2023 - Day 7 of Tour du Mont Blanc: Le Fouly to Champex (18.0 km; 4.5h)

The first couple of hours today are quite different to our high country walking of the last couple of days. We follow a gently descending forest path that parallels a river. As we get lower, we pass through several small villages largely comprised of chalet style residences that look as if they may be holiday homes. It being Switzerland, everything is clean and attractive.

We bump into three teachers from South Korea who we’ve chatted to a bit over the last couple of days. They’re clearly very strong walkers and it doesn’t surprise us when they say their last walk together was the Annapurna Circuit. They tell us they have been trying to guess amongst themselves what we do for a living. Apparently two of them had picked me as a lawyer. I resolve to change all aspects of my speech and appearance. They pick Cathy as a “care-giver of some type” which we tell them is very close to the mark.

Our destination today is Lac de Champex. We can remember this beautiful lake from our last visit and are keen to see it again. What we don’t remember is the 500m climb out of Val Ferret to get there. Clearly a case of the brain unilaterally deleting unpleasant memories. Our legs and lungs lift to the demands and we get there early enough to spend a couple of hours wandering around the lake. It’s a glorious day of 22C and, whilst it’s a cold mountain lake, a few people are swimming. Sadly we weren’t quite organised enough to join them.

Champex is reasonably busy and a bit touristy but actually not as bad on either of those fronts as I thought it might be. It was also even more attractive than I remembered. Its elevated location (1,470m), forest surrounds and mountain backdrop give it the character of an oasis and its popularity doesn’t detract too much from that.

1 August 2023 - Day 8 of Tour du Mont Blanc: Champex to Trient (20 km; 6.0h)

Again the TMB treats us compassionately, allowing us to ease into the day with an hour and a half of gentle forest and field walking. A couple of villages on the outskirts of Champex provide additional interest with colourful flower boxes and quirky decorative features (eg homes with old farming or winter sports equipment affixed to exterior walls).

Warmed up, we climb. This morning the objective is Alp Bovine, a rustic gite at about 2,000m. A very rocky path takes us most of the way until we reach open grazing land. From there, we keep climbing but the path and incline are friendlier. Alp Bovine provides extensive views down to the Rhone Valley, as well as hot drinks and fresh homemade cakes. They’re doing a roaring business.

While we’re scoffing our tart rustique aux nectarines, a herd of cattle come barrelling down the hill, cow bells ringing riotously. It’s as if something up higher has spooked them. They settle down around the gite. Alp Bovine definitely living up to its name.

Every day has a ‘col’ or mountain pass to cross. Usually, it’s a remote spot and the highest altitude point of the day. Today’s col is an exception - Col de Forclaz is on a road and located at a mere 1,400m. It reflects the northern end of the TMB generally. It feels a bit closer to civilisation and the mountains are a little lower.

Tonight we’re in Trient, still Switzerland but just. Hotel Grand Ourse is a walker’s rest place, providing dinner and breakfast to about 60 walkers. It’s clean and run like a well-oiled machine. Sure, it feels a bit like a school camp but they know exactly what walkers mid-trip want and need, and deliver it.

At the communal dinner table, we have the CalMinn 5 on one side and glass artist, Steven Ciezki and his partner, on the other. Steven, who has done a six month fellowship at Canberra Glassworks (a glass making facility for artists), tells us about glass art and his work.

Post-dinner, the CalMinn 5 teach us how to play the card game Yaniv. Sue, Mark and Denise tell us that it’s popular on the Camino de Santiago so I pay close attention.

2 August 2023 - Day 9 of Tour du Mont Blanc: Trient to Tre le Champ (18 km; 6.0h)

Today we start heading south down the western side of the Mont Blanc massif. This commences with an 800m climb up to the Switzerland/France border at Col de Balme (2,200m). As usual, it’s cold and windy at the col and the refuge selling hot drinks and meals is packed. Keen for some warmth, we squeeze in.

There are lots of tracks up at the col. By accident, we take a path that skirts around L’Aiguillette des Posettes, saving us a few hundred metres of climbing. Hope the adjudicators of a properly completed TMB don’t notice!

The traverse and descent to Tre le Champ provide increasingly spectacular views of Mount Dolent and the Grand Jorasses. After a while Mont Blanc itself joins the show.

Tonight we’re at Auberge de la Boerne, where we stayed with friend Chris 30 years ago. It’s as quirky as we remember, though we don’t remember it being such a tiny rabbit warren. On a sunny afternoon like today, its outdoor courtyard is very pleasant.

3 August 2023 - Day 10 of Tour du Mont Blanc: Tre le Champ to Plan Praz (20 km; 6.0h)

Today is one of the banner days of the TMB. From Tre le Champ you climb up to Tete aux Vents. This elevated point is halfway up the Aiguilles Rouges, the rugged series of crags that run along the western side of the Chamonix valley (ie on opposite side of the valley to the Mont Blanc massif). You then follow a roller coaster, balcony path with open views across to Mont Blanc and its siblings.

Now, there are alternative routes up to Tete aux Vents. The official TMB route involves metal ladders and steps affixed to very steep rock faces. A couple of these stretches are in quite exposed areas that can be very windy. The other main alternative doesn’t involve ladders but is quite long and involves both a hard climb and a descent.

Hmmm…..after much deliberation we decide to take the non-ladder route. Then, when we get to the fork in the track, a group of six Israelis about our age who we’ve chatted with over the course of the walk tell us they’re tackling the ladders and we make a split second decision to do that as well. There’s security in numbers!

All I can say is that if you can manage heights, take the ladder route. Yes, it’s airy in parts, but if you’re OK with that it’s thrilling. Almost like an adventure circuit at a theme park.

After Tete aux Vents, the path provides jaw dropping views in spades and the walking is relatively easy. There’s a chairlift station at La Flegere that provides an opportunity to drop down to the Chamonix valley floor. Noell and Jozsef of the CalMinn 5 are doing just that. We’re very tempted to join them but ultimately we keep going to Plan Praz, another couple of hours further. Plan Praz also has a gondola down to the valley and we take that for overnight accommodation in Chamonix.

We’ve still got a day to go but for others today is their last day on the TMB. We congratulate and farewell a few trail buddies. The CalMinn 5 kindly invite us to their celebratory dinner and, despite it being premature for us, we happily join this super-friendly group. They have planes to catch the next day, which reminds us how fortunate we are to have this extended adventure.

4 August 2023 - Day 11 of Tour du Mont Blanc: Plan Praz to Les Houches (19 km; 6.0h)

We’d heard a lot about the challenges of this day and the weather forecast isn’t great, so we feel a bit of trepidation as we set off. We return to Plan Praz (2,076m) via the gondola and then immediately begin the climb to Le Brevent (2,525m).

It’s cold at Plan Praz (probably about 8C), but only a bit of drizzle and the climbing, as always, quickly generates plenty of body heat.

At Col de Brevent (2,368m), there’s a 10 metre stretch of snow to crunch through, the only snow we’ve had to walk through on the whole trek. Shortly after the col, in quite a rocky inhospitable locale, two ibex appear to be fighting but soon I realise they’re conducting a mating ritual. They’re not fussed about me or the couple of other walkers around.

There’s no visibility at Le Brevent so we continue on our way. We’re acutely aware that there’s a descent of about 1,500m between us and the finish at Les Houches. We break briefly for hot chocolates at the last TMB refuge, the cosy Refuge de Bellachat. The rain sets in soon after we leave the refuge and gets heavier over the last few hours. We trudge ever downwards with plenty of time to reflect on the last 11 days.

At last, we hit the valley floor and enter Les Houches. This time, we find the TMB arch without trouble. Strangely, the arch marks the start but makes no mention of the finish!

The 168 km (105 miles) have involved some challenges but we’re unequivocal as to the TMB’s place up there amongst western Europe’s best multi-day walks. The initial inspired concept of walking around western Europe’s highest mountain and its closely adjoining neighbours, and thereby walking through France, Italy and Switzerland, captures the imagination as much today as ever. Yes, it’s popular but your fellow walkers are invariably friendly and the shared endeavour enables easy socialising. If you get the chance to do it, don’t think twice!