DAY 37: Sunday July 8th: Maison Vieille to Les Chapieux: 25.0k, 9hrs: 5°C to 20°C , rain, wind then blue skies
6am: Rain pouring off roof - ugh
8am: 5°C, rainn, 7 layers of clothes
There's hope yet - it might fine up
It's cold but cloud is lifting - yeh!!
Getting colder but sky is bluer
We can see the Col de La Seigne
The Elusive Elisabetta is in sight
Looking back - it's blue skies
Looking forward - can see the col
Col de la Seigne - WW11 scenes
Yes, we can almost see Mont Blanc
Yes now we can see Mont Blanc
Col de La Seigne - rear Mont Blanc
Tea at the top
Down the other side to Chapieux
Looking back to Col de la Seigne
Ponchos off - blue skies ahead
Des Mottets - newly rennovated
A beautiful afternoon on way down
How good is this afternoon
Lunch at the creek
2005 - Jenny and I put on10 layers of clothing in this garbage shed appropriately called Poubelles
What another magical day - blue skies on the Col de La Seigne at 2516 metres and views to Mont Blanc with blue skies all round. But it didn't start that way - rain, cold, wind - 7 layers of clothing weather. The long day of 25k was one of our best on the TMB considering in 2009 it was one of our worst after being caught in a whiteout blizzard.
We're awake at 6am - it's dark, cold and raining outside - we can hear the water pouring off the roof. Ian and I duck in to have a hot shower before the rest of the dormitory wakes. Our rustling while we're packing causes everyone else to wake. To get to breakfast, we have to run outside in the rain and around teh building into the dining room. Breakfast is sort of nice - Meuslii, yoghurt, jams and half fresh bread, but the tea is not real hot - I'm fussy about hot tea for breakfast. But the woman who runs the refuge is really nice - she was here last time we visited in 2009 - she's Argentinian and fell in love with the place - and I guess a man. We stall while having breakfast, chatting to the 2 Americans who have decided to get a car ride down to Courmayeur. The longer we chat the more likely it is for the rain to clear - it's supposed to be fine after lunch - but if we wait til then, we'll be finishing the long walk at midnight.
So after breakfast, we wrap up in every layer of clothing possible for a cold windy rainy day to climb the Col de La Seigne - we've been caught in a blizzard before on this col in whiteout conditions and froe - but not today - I have on 3/4 tights and long overpants and 2 pair of socks. For the top i have 2 Tee shirts, long sleeved thermal, long sleeved shirt, Aldi light wind vest, Goretex rain jacket and poncho - that's 7 layers on top together with beanie, scarf, gloves and cap. Ian does the same - dressed to the hilt. We leave at 8am and trudge up the hill away from the refuge. My pack is light, but I'm clogged up with clothing so it's a slow slog. For an hour we trek up the mountainside - there's mist in the valley, rain clouds all around and every 10 minutes a downpour with little white pea- sized blobs that I'm not sure is snow or hail - I just know it's cold at about 5°C with a wind-chill. But there's hope. Behind us the cloud is lifting a little so there's hope that it will clear all over later in the day.
We climb to the Alp superior d'Arpe Vieille at 2303 meters and the Col de la Seigne up ahead is either shrouded in dark clouds or misty rain but at least we can see it in teh distance - it's not in whiteout. Before we climb this col, we need to descend to the valley below at 2000 metres - it's a long way down and the elusive Elisabetta comes into view on a ledge in the valley. After 3 hrs, we get to the bottom and find a sheltered spot for a coffee. The rain has eased but its still really windy. A group of Australian walk past - it's easy to tell - they have just been dropped off by a mini bus and we suspect they are Lisa's group whom we expected to catch up with in Les Chapieux.
After a coffee and cheese and bread, we're ready to climb. It's still less than 8°C so I'm not stripping off any clothes yet, but at least it's stopped raining. Half way up to Elisabetta, we have to stop and take our ponchos off. The climb has warmed us up and the rain clouds are lifting. Looking back, it's all blue skies behind us and looking forward we can still see the col beneath the cloud. It's 1 hr 30 mins to the Col (so the sign at the bottom says) and in that time, the clouds lift even more, the sun comes out and the mystical Mont Blanc comes into view. By the time we reach the top of teh Col de La Seign at 2516 metres, it's still windy and cold, but the skies are blue - and we see Mont Blanc in it's full glory without it's perpetual halo of fluffy clouds. We celebrate with a cup of tea crouching behind the cairn at the top.
Time to descend down the other side and within 30 minutes we have to stop and peel off everything to just shorts and tee shirts - it's just warmed p to 20°C and stays that way for the rest of the day. It's just such a beautiful afternoon walking down the mountain, considering 3 years ago we followed the 20 army personnel up in whiteout blizard conditions. At the bottom is De Mottets, a refuge we had stayed in 7 years ago - back the it was jut 2 converted cow sheds - today there's three new buildings, and a room with a shower and demi pension costs 190 Euro for 2. Obviously doing a roaring trade with trekkers as it's a very strategic location in between other accommodations on the TMB
It's almost 3pm when we stop for lunch at a creek cheese, meat and tomatoes and more left over lettuce - but it's now so warm, the last of our chocolate has melted and has made a disgusting mess in the tomato jar. We keep looking bacl at the col, disbelieving that it could be so picture perfect with blue skies behind after such a wet and clody morning. A little further down the track we get to La Ville de Glaciers where they sell cheeses, but I'm not allowed to buy any as we have some left over for our last day tomorrow. Then we see the little shed where in 2009, Jenny and I changed into every stitch of clothing we had in our backpacks before climbing the Col de La Seigne in a whiteout blizzard. This little shed, appropriately names=d Poubelles is a garbage shed, but at the time we really didn't care.
The walk down the 7k of bitumen road to Les Chaoieux is relaxing. We've seen Mont Blanc at it's best, conquered Col de La Seigne in fine weather and now it's time to enjoy a warm afternoon's stroll. We arrive at 5pm - a 9hr day, it was such a beautiful day, it didn't seem long. I have booked the Refuge de la Nova at Les Chapieux many months ago and hopefully we'll have a room instead of a dormitory. And yes, he's expecting us and we have a room with a double bed - shower and loo up the hall. Time to shower, wash a few clothes - not everything as it wasn't a hot and sweaty day - then go downstairs to blog and meet whoever's down there. We do get to meet some of Lisa and David's group - this group of Aussies are t=doing the TMB clockwise like us and the only dates that con-incided with ours was July 8th at Les Chapieux. We had a quick chat to them before dinner, and then find ourselves sitting with another group of Aussies - 8 of them. The place is full of them as we've also seen an Aussie group of cyclists here.
Dinner is nice - soup, casseroled meat and potatoes the a berry tart. All with a refuge red, and topped off with a genepy. Jeremy and Vanessa are sitting beside us - they're from Melbourne and we share a few TMB stories before going to bed at 9.30pm.
It's our last night on the tMB trail - tomorrow we'll finish in Le Contamines at the Gai Soleil - it will be sad to finish a wonderful trip, but we still have teh Tour de France to look forward to before returning home.
Auberge de la Nova - Les Chapieux
Time for a beer in the garden
Cheese and salami shop - where I'm not allowed to go