July 27th -Free Day Chamonix

Our last day in the Alps is a rainy one.  I'm so happy the rain held off until we were done hiking!  Some of those trails would not have been much fun in the rain!

7 of us had booked a "tour" of hydro speed - that's going down the raging river with a little hand held "boat" Looks more like a toboggan... anyways...  Ends up only 5 of us went down the river.  Here's how it went...

We got there, were fitted in wet suits as the river is glacial water.  Heather and I had a good laugh trying to put those on!  What a hoot!  Those are tight suckers! Once we were all dressed, we met outside for a briefing on what to do and what not to do.  This briefing got every single one of us thinking "what the hell did I get myself into"?!   Time came to get in the water...

Before going - I'm not sure we looked this happy at the end! 

We walk to the river, with all these thoughts in our heads - do this, don't do that, don't flip, don't let go of boat, don't stand... the list went on and on...or so it seemed.  OMG the water is cold on the feet!! You have booties on, but it's still really cold.

Ready to go - the guide says point your boat upstream and look downstream and off we go! WHEEE!  Within a few seconds, 2 of our group have flipped over, one has lost his helmet, what a team we make! haha  One guide takes care of the helmet while the other takes care of the flipped members.  All I can think of is don't flip, don't let go.

It's quite the ride! I don't know how fast we are going, but it's a little daunting.  We are supposed to stop -following strict instructions, we miss the first stop.  We did manage to stop a couple times - never a fun experience!  At one point, we hit huge waves, I'm pushed in them, hit my knee on rocks multiple times, we then stop and I hit my other knee on the one rock there.  Ouch!  More bruises!

By this point, I couldn't wait to be done, I'm sure, by the look on my buddies faces, they were feeling the same way.  Luckily, we were almost there.  The last bit was a bit harrowing!  The rapids were fast and furious - but quite fun after all!  This was an experience of a lifetime.  Would I do it again? Probably not even though I'm happy I did it.

We had a last dinner together at a restaurant.  The best part of this dinner was the desserts!

This adventure is now over.  Rémi and I will now be off on our own -in the south of France.  Off to the next leg of our trip!

July 26 -Last hike -

July 26th-
Today is where this whole experience will come to an end.  Before this happens though, we still have a long day of hiking ahead of us.  To be more precise, we need to hike up 1500 vertical meters.  That's a long and difficult day!  We climbed up to Brévent and back down to PlanPraz to complete the circuit - 170km.  It took us about 7 hours -to complete the 1500 vertical meters.  After going up, we had to hike down about 500m (vertical meters).  A much faster feat!

Some details...

Highest peak is where we are headed.

The hike started early in the morning in the woods - it was a nice way to start the day.  Don't get me wrong, it was challenging -but at least it was mostly shaded which helps.  Emily -our support crew at camp -is the one that led us today.  She's studying to be a European Alpine Guide, and so under the guidance of John, she was at the front of the line.

After walking for quite some time, the shaded area ended and we ended up in a clearing.  From then on, the terrain changed.  No more trees and roots.  It became more difficult with some exposed areas -not my favourite - but I did them ALL BY MYSELF this time!  Only a few encouraging words from Emily!  After these difficult parts, rocks, more rocks.

Just before lunch, there were some steeper sections, but nothing like le Col du Tricot!  Phew! What a relief!  After lunch, the terrain was even rockier -this time, large rocks - gorgeous and fun terrain.  As fun as it is, you can't wait to be done because it's so hot, and going up takes a toll on your body. 

When we finally reached the top - Brévent, John and Emily had a nice surprise for us... champagne!  What a thoughtful thing for them to do (supposedly they don't do this for every group they have)!  We had a drink, high fives all around, some tears, took some pictures and then the fun had to end as another storm was on its way, hence why we had to leave earlier again this morning.  Most of the group went down from Brévent in the cable car.  Only Rémi, Derek, Kevin, myself and the guides walked down to PlanPraz to complete the circle and end up where we started. 

How exciting!  We finished!  In one piece! 10 days of serious hiking.  Up and down mountains, aching feet, cut toes, blisters, bummed knees, fatigue, tents, extreme heat, every emotion possible, beautiful views, an all encompassing experience.  I don't know about the other hikers... for me, I know this will remain in my memories for a very long time!

We met the rest of the group in Chamonix for a celebratory drink and it then was time to make our way back to camp.  Tomorrow, we have one last free day in this beautiful region.  7 of us have plans to do hydro speed down the river.  We shall see how that will turn out!

25 juillet

We are back in France and today is supposed to be the most difficult day of all. You know that when John starts the day with "when in doubt, just go straight up" you are in for a difficult day! It was extremely difficult!  He sure wasn't kidding with the straight up part!  We ascended 3 times -and all three were very difficult to complete!  The weatherman called for torrid heat.  Whatever that means, I would agree... it was horribly hot! 

After our first ascent, we had the most wonderful blueberry and raspberry pieces of pie!  OMG that was delicious and would provide us with some energy for the next challenge -le col du tricot.  This was our only place to fill up our water bottles.  I made sure both my camel back and my bottle were full.  In this heat, you don't want to be caught without water!

The col du tricot was no joke.  We started ascending, wasn't too bad.  It got bad to worse very quickly!  I'm glad John let us go ahead to climb at our own pace, which was slow.  We got to parts that were so steep you could not stand up straight.  I kept saying to everyone we met "bonjour -sorry I can't look at you or I will fall on my back and roll down the hill!" I also wondered how some of the members of our group would manage this part.  I'm healthy and in shape and I feel like I'm going to die... add some weight and age and wow, difficulty level goes up again.  I'm happy to report that everyone got to the top!  John was a great help to them as he carried 3 or 4 bags up!  I had enough of my bag! 

We are going up there... 

On the way up those steep sections, I kept thinking thank God I don't have to come down this way!  I can't even imagine how that would be possible without sitting on my bum!  People do it though!

At the top, we had another very well deserved break!  The bad part is there is no shade to be had anywhere!  Bummer! As if we hadn't had enough yet, we descended again...which also meant we had one more time of going up and down again.  Remember 3 crossings today...

The third one was very difficult mentally.  We had some difficult ledges to cross, a suspended bridge to cross, more ledges, you get the picture.  I got through all of them with the help from Rémi and John.  I don't know what scares me.  I can't explain it.  I don't get dizzy, no vertigo, I have confidence in myself that I can do this, I just can't control this inexplicable fear of...I don't know what.  Important thing is I did it.  I push myself, I try as hard as I can not to let it stop me and then I can feel proud of my accomplishment. 

When we got to the top of the last crossing, I saw it right away.  Something no one else could see...the design of a hiker melted in the snow - crying as it had to cross on a ledge!  haha  It was clear as day to me... after explaining it, others could see it as well. 

Many members took the cable car down the mountain.  We have some injured and/or tired hikers.  5 of us + the guide walked down the mountain.  We had to hike down quickly as a storm was brewing and was imminent. You don't want to be stuck at the top of a mountain when lightning strikes.

So down we start.  Two of our hikers are going ahead of the guide.  John has let us do that before, knowing if we get to a junction, we will stop and wait, or if it's straight forward.  These two members, which shall remain unnamed didn't stop at the junction.  We were pretty sure they went down the wrong way because of what the sign was called.  I was NOT impressed.  They were adding at least 15 minutes of hiking and the possibility of missing the bus to our campsite.  Boy of boy.  Off we go running after these two idiots. I say to John, when we catch up to them, we should tell them we have to go back because they are going the wrong way.  He was like, no, no, it's not that big of a deal... I was like what?  It is a big deal.  My feet are killing me I don't need to be walking more than I have to.  Plus, this is a safety issue -not only for them, but for the rest of us as well.  Remember the imminent storm?

We eventually caught up to them and let me tell you... they got an earful.  I told them we had to go back because we were going the wrong way -to which they replied well why are you following us.  Really?  Are you serious? That's your response?  I was livid.  I then reminded them... what the hell have we been doing for the past 9 days when we reached a junction before the guide?  We stop and wait. Seriously -what were they thinking?  Let's just say they got the message.  I'm on vacation -I should not have to use my principal voice on adults!

We did make it to the campground before the rain started.  Funny how storms work here.  We heard thunder for a long time -all the while we were coming down the mountain -almost an hour.  Then the rain and more lightning and thunder.  It lasts a couple of hours for sure.  Funny because at home, thunderstorms are very short.  Not the case here!

The two men never apologized to me.  I think they were afraid... as they should've been 😉

July 23 and 24

July 23:
 We have a long day ahead of us.  My feet are in pain, the food is gross, but I will survive.

As most days, we started our hike by going up.  I found the perfect photo op - full group perfect shadows!  Unfortunately, this group is not like last year's group... they don't cooperate well when it comes to photo ops... oh well... their loss!  I think the photo still looks good... they just won't be able to find themselves as easily as if they would've have listened and struck a pose.

We made it to a sheep herder's field.  She was there with her sheep and 2 herding dogs.  It was a perfect place for a break!  We watch the dogs as they worked hard following all the orders that were given to them!  Spectacular to see!

It was really hot today.  It was frustrating- we were going up and we could see the refuge where we were headed for our next break.  It looked really close then all of a sudden it disappeared and wasn't close anymore!  The mountains play tricks on your brain!  Every corner you think "this has to be the last corner" and nope, there is always another corner, another hill. 

The terrain was very rocky today -like a playground!  Reminded me of when I was a child playing in the rapids -crossing the river without touching the water.

 There were a few spots with snow.  I sat in a snow bank to cool off, and later found another snow bank and made a snow angel, in the Alps! 

Coming back down we had to cross a large snow patch.  It was quite slippery -looks like everyone enjoyed this bit.  Not long after, maybe 5 minutes or so, we stopped at a little stream to try and get some relief from the suffocating heat (weatherman's terms today!).  We put our hats and shirts in streams whenever we see them.  This time, Rémi went in for a dip.   Brrr - that didn't last long!   We sat in the grass and had lunch.  When it was time to put our socks and boots back on, Rémi noticed blood dripping from his foot.  Great... He cut his big toe on a rock when he was in the stream.  The water is so cold that he never felt it.  We bandaged him up as best we could (it's a pretty deep gash) and off went.  We will have to make sure this doesn't get infected.

Shortly after, we got to our campground for the night.

July 24th - is a rest day.  We took the shuttle to the little village at the bottom of the hill.  We had lunch, and found a pharmacy.  The pharmacist was very helpful and set us up with compeed and tape for Rémi's toes and my blisters. 

We rested as the most difficult days of the trek are coming up! 

July 22

Monday, July 22 was the longest hike at 24 km long. It was not very technical or difficult. Simply a very long day. The trek started from the campground with almost half the group taking the bus to town to save 3 km. Those of us who walked followed the flat road for a while and then we went up up up up up up into a valley. We crossed the fairly hot valley.  Luckily there was a nice breeze. We went up to the first refuge. It was quite beautiful.  Under renovations.  Another break.  We like breaks...

We saw a little bridge which made Rémi and I think of the troll under the bridge.  We thought it would be funny for Rémi to hide under it and scare Jodi when she came through.  Ends up, Derek is the one that got scared - jumped up and made a funny sound.  A good laugh we all had!

A little later that day,  John (the guide) was saying something about mammoth -or so I heard.  I could not figure out what we were supposed to look for as mammoth have been extinct for millions of years!  I just had to ask him what he meant.  He looked baffled when I asked about the mammoth.  What he had said was that this was a good place for alpine marmots! Another good laugh!
This morning, we learned all about moraines and ice movements as we walked by receding glaciers.

We met a nice French man on our way down today!  We had stopped to have some ice cream and met Alain -who came in running.  We chatted about this and that through out our break.  He even offered for us to visit him later this week when the Tour de France was going by his apartment.  Unfortunately, we will still be hiking the mountains.  We said goodbye and were on our way when all of a sudden, he was among the group, running to his car.  The group separated in two - one group went the "easier" more direct way on the road, Rémi and I opted for the little trail.  Alain walked with us all the way to our campground, where his car was parked.  I'm grateful I can speak more than one language!  See what everyone else in the group is missing?!



The Alps is a wonderful spot to see butterflies and interesting bugs!  The flowers are also quite varied! I was surprised to see such a variety!  I think I will have to do a post just for that!
This bug had beautiful wings - I'm not sure if it was a moth or some other kind of insect... I will have to put it in iNaturalist and see if anyone will identify it!


Days are blending together.  My facts might not all be accurate! It all happened... only was it on this day or that day?  That's what happens when you don't have internet everyday and you leave your writing journal at home!

July 21 -

Sunday July 21st...Trek to Val Veny -camping Aiguille Noire
Was an easy day today -14km.  We took the bas back to where we had left off the previous hiking day.  We walked through woods, crossed a nice bridge, saw lots of butterflies - one of which just loved me! It kept landing on my hand... must be the salt...

We had Bonatti hot chocolate at the Refugio Bonatti up top a mountain at 2025 meters.  It was more like melted dark chocolate in a mug!  Yuck!  I would not have it again!  I got my handstand done a second time! Rémi did one as well =)

Our hike ended back in Courmayeur where we took the bus to Val Veny for the night.

Saturday July 20th =rest day!

July 20st - Today is Saturday and it is a rest day for us!  It sure will feel good to not have to put our boots for a day!  We got up this morning, Rémi and I and went for a short run. We did 5 km up in the mountains. John had suggested what was supposedly an easy 5K run. We ended up going up a mountain for 327 m and then back down. In the middle of the trail I thought for sure John was trying to kill me as this definitely was not an easy course. Still was a fabulous run! It felt great to move in a different way  then when we are hiking.

Our campsite has a fabulous children's playground.  We had fun trying out the structures and the exercise machines!


After our run, we did some laundry in the sink.  Time for some clean underwear!  Hung it to dry and off we went to town (Courmayeur). A short 15 minute bus ride in switchbacks, over bridges, not knowing if the road was wide enough for the bus and cars, we arrived alive and well!  We walked around, had lunch, took the bus and came back to the campsite. That pretty much sums up our rest day. Tomorrow we start hiking again for three days. Three days of hiking for one day of rest. Sunday will be a moderate day the rest of the days will be difficult days. Let’s see what that will be like. There’s also a heat wave coming that will not be fun.  The heat adds a whole other lever of difficulty!