Tour du Mont Blanc Day 3: Les Mottets to Courmayeur – 7/13/16 –
15.2 Miles
[Note: This posting is very long and I had
difficulty limiting photos. You have been warned.]
Will I get over these trail jitters? Will these sleepless nights end? Will I ever stop worrying about tomorrow’s
mileage/elevation? Yes: today the tide turned.
Jim and I were up very early after another poor night of
sleep for me (no Tylenol PM) and worry about what today’s 27 kilometers will
bring. We shared breakfast with Hai, our British friend from last night’s dinner,
who was eagerly looking forward to a high mileage day. Our destination was the town of Courmayeur;
his was as far as his feet would carry him until he stopped. Jim feasted on
muesli, bread, jam, OJ and coffee. My appetite was definitely off, but I tried
to consume some calories (normally not a problem for me). We planned to get lunch mid-day at Rifugio Elisabetta.
Our boots were still damp, as were our hiking clothes (yes,
we wore the same pants for 10 days) but we expected to dry out as the forecast promised some sunshine. We were on our way by
7:20 a.m. [Les Mottets is strict: everyone out by 8:00 a.m.]
Know where you’re going next: Col de la Seigne, the
border crossing to Italy
Every day begins with a climb and we will soon be
enveloped in the mist. Goodbye Les Mottets!
A teasing peek/peak at what awaits behind the clouds
Still spooked by yesterday’s level of difficulty, I asked
Jim to stay in front of me and go slow up to the Col so I could just follow his
feet and focus on my steps without looking too far ahead. We climbed at a pace I could sustain and this
worked extremely well, stepping purposefully and concentrating on steady
breaths. I did glance around from time
to time.
Crossing this cascade got our attention. One misstep
is one too many!
We caught up with the clouds, making it even more
important to stay close together. Like
yesterday, we mixed in with a guided group and leap-frogged each other during
rest and photo breaks.
Foggy mountain sheep
Hello Italy! At
the Col de la Seigne, cold, damp and very, very windy (a few degrees more
tolerable than yesterday) so again we didn’t stick around.
As we began our descent, the clouds lifted up to
linger around the mountaintops, letting the sunshine and blue sky take over. My
spirits lifted as well with the revelation of the grand towering jagged peaks
we had been walking past. Unlike hikes
I’ve done in the U.S. (Glacier NP, Grand Tetons) where I sometimes felt like I
was at the top of the mountains, here I realized that I will never be on a
summit looking down, that the mountains will always be much taller than
whatever elevation I may reach.
Our friend Hai walking past remains of an old building
(the last we saw of him). The French-Italian border of Col de la Seigne has
long been significant in relations between the countries, constantly guarded by
a garrison that included the Barracks. This link
describes the area just before and during World War II: “In the thirties, with the rise in international tension, in
the Mont Blanc area they were held exercises with spectacular maneuvers of
military units at high altitudes. The darkest
time lived in these places is related to the Second World War, during which the
Col de la Seigne was the scene of one of the attacks carried out by the Italian
army behind a now beaten France by Nazi Germany. Even today are recognizable everywhere in this area the
remains of the fortifications and shooting positions.”
The Barracks are now a museum
and environmental education center called La Casermetta – a perfect spot for a
break.
Now with a spring in our step we
followed cowbell music into the pastures of Lée Blanche, a small valley
at the high end of Val Veni, crossing braided streams and passing more building remains
and lush flowers.
Sitting high up on a shelf, Rifugio Elisabetta looked
like a postcard. In fact, it is an iconic
picture of the Italian Tour de Mont Blanc.
At Elisabetta we met many TMB hikers taking a break out of
the strong wind. Inside we inquired
about a takeaway lunch – sorry, they don’t do that – so we cooled our heels
until 11:00 a.m. when the soup was ready, chatting with a British family (mom, dad, young adult daughter).
Wow! Huge portions of veg for me
with a Fanta orange, lentil for Jim with Italian coffee, and an enormous slice
of cake for dessert. A hiker walked in
dreaming of a hot panini – sorry, they don’t do that – but the cook was feeling
magnanimous and did it anyway. Can we have a Coke to go, please? A total of 32€ and well worth it. They even had wifi.
From Elisabetta the trail dropped down into Val Veni, passing by the Glacier de
la Lée Blanche with its streams of glacier melt flowing down to create Lac
Combal.
Another waterfall tucked into a fold in the landscape
More abandoned buildings
Looking down into Val Veni
Along the valley floor the TMB follows an old roadbed built by the Italian army. This is a look back over our shoulder. Can you see Rifugio Elisabetta? Majestic Mont
Blanc is hiding in the clouds again.
Lac Cambol
Fishermen at Lac Cambol
At the northern end of the lake is the decision point for taking the valley route or the high route to Courmayeur. The weather was fine – bring on the high route, which means climbing again, but the expansive view made the effort less arduous. Up, up, up through open meadows ringed by white-topped mountain peaks. Awe-inspiring, overwhelming, humbling.
A significant pause today and perhaps the outstanding moment of our TMB trek: Jim was walking ahead of me as we tried again and again to capture the scenes on our cameras, all the while shaking our heads because it was so immense and…uncapturable. He stopped, turned to me and said, “This is one of the best days of my life.” I snorted, punched him on the arm and said, “Oh, yeah, what about our wedding day? What about that time we…?” And he said again, “No, this is one of the best days of my life. I’m serious. I can’t believe we are standing here.” We stood and looked and commenced walking again, not talking. Indeed, one of the best days of our life together.
Alp inférieur de l'Arp Vielle
A little bit higher, another abandoned building: Alp supérieure de l'Arp Vielle
Glacier di Miage
From the highest point of the day on the TMB, looking at Mont Blanc and the
twin glaciers
Val Veni panorama - the tip of Mont Blanc above the clouds
The only thing that could possibly make this day better for Jim is – mountain
bikers from out of nowhere!
Called a balcony path, reminds me of the Highline Trail in Glacier National
Park in Montana
Mont Blanc and Glacier de Bruillard and Glacier de Fréney
Southern face of the Mont Blanc range
The best view yet of Glacier du Miage
Staying on course as the TMB descended back down to tree line
Note to those considering this: take the cable car. The final descent to Dolonne is not intended to be scenic or fun. It is the shortest way to get down the mountain on foot, with dozens of short switchbacks, sometimes no more than 20 paces before turning. Thighs shaking, knees aching, cursing loudly, we descended a punishing 3,600 feet, hobbling out of the woods onto a paved road and into the town of Dolonne.
Hotel Bouton D'Or - that corner room with two balconies is ours (120€ including the most extravagant breakfast buffet I shall ever see this side of heaven.)
After showers and a wardrobe upgrade, we walked around town in search of dinner. Again, we shortchanged ourselves tremendously by our limited time in Courmayeur. At a nondescript restaurant Jim chose the buffet, expecting huge portions of pasta, but it turned out to be only antipasto. He rose to the task and consumed mass quantities. My simple dish of ravioli with fontina cheese and grape tomatoes in olive oil was superb.
Mileage: 15.2 Miles Elevation Gain: 4,380 feet Elevation Loss: 6,345 feet
“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of
scenery – air, mountains, trees, people.
I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy.’” ~Sylvia Plath
No comments:
Post a Comment