Sunday 14th August: Weather: 14°C down to 9°C up to 19°: Overcast with sprinkly rain
Chamonix: Walk 13.1k : Vallorcine to Le Tour: Train to Vallorcine, bus from Le Tour. 8.30am to 1pm. 4hrs 30 mins with 1 x 20 min break
Ascent/Descent: Ascent 1,000m, Descent 725m, Total up and down 1,725m
Accommodation: Chamonix Chalet
Could have taken the Cabin
Steeo climb up to Col de Possiettes
Mountain Bikers safety barrier
Morning tea in the grotto
Steep climb up to Col de Balme
Been there before - Col De Balme
Snow falling on Mont Blanc
Half way Col de Balme to Le Tour
Highlight today was getting to the Col de Balme for the fifth time in 17 years. For today’s hike, we took a train at 7.28 from Chamonix to Vallorcine in another valley, delayed for 30 minutes half way up the track in the middle of nowhere, because of a “technical difficulty". Then from Vallorcine at 1,250m, we walked another part of the TMB from up to the Col de Balme at 2,195m, followed by a steep descent to Le Tour at 1,470 metres where we hopped in a crowded bus from Le Tour back to Chamonix.
I slept in until 5.45am and I an for the first time this week was already up. We hadn’t decided where to go today as the French meteo was predicting rain. But on checking meteo again while having breakfast, we see it would be overcast this morning, then rain in the afternoon. So we decided on a short walk (relatively speaking) of about 13k at the northern end of the Chamonix valley from Vallorcine up the the Col de Balme then down to Le Tour. We’d need to get the 7.28 train from Chamonix and a bus from Le Tour back to Chamonix when we finished.
The 7.28 train left right on time from Chamonix but just before Argentiere, whilst going up a hill, the train stopped and there’s an announcement that there’s technical difficulties. A bit like Murder on the Orient Express, we’re shut in the train in the middle of nowhere with men in yellow jackets running up and down checking the train. After 30 minutes, we’re off again with no explanation as to what had happened. The train arrives in Vallorcine late at 8.40, and we’re soon climbing the steep mountain behind the train station heading for Col des Posettes then Col de Balme. The track passes through a beautiful forest with many fallen logs before joining a gravel road up to the Vallorcine Telecabine end point where many day hikers depart from to walk to the Col des Posettes and the Col de Balme.
It’s windy and cold with snow falling on Mont Blanc in the distance so we stop to layer up with jackets. It’s taken 2 hours to climb the 750 metres to Col des Posettes, which was pretty good going as the first section through the forest was quite steep. Time for a coffee. But it’s windy and a cold 9°C. Too cold to sit and watch the snow falling on Mont Blanc. So we opt for the grotto, a deep grassy hole in the ground that’s clearly been visited by cows and used as a ladies toilet. But it’s warmer out of the wind and a hot coffee with a few fig rolls does the trick. Emerging from the grotto, we see many hikers going in all directions, all rugged up. It’s only a 45 minute walk to the Col de Balme and too cold to hang around except there’s time for a quick photo to remind us of a trip down memory land. This was teh 5th time we have been to the Cold de Balme. The lady who manages the refuge is known by hikers as teh witch of teh Balm as she’s usually out with her broomstick chasing away hikers sitting at het tables, who haven’t bought food from her. She's nowhere to be seen today.
The 4k hike from de Balme to Le Tour is easy, and we’re there in just on an hour. It’s warmed up a little to 14°C as we wait for teh Chamonix bus. We’re the only ones at the bus stop until 30 seconds before teh bus arrives, two large groups of hikers arrive and pile onto the bus before us, leaving us hanging onto the monkey bars as the bus swerves it’s way down the montain through Argentiere towards Chamonix. No one has a mask, but there’s no one coughing or spluttering. In fact we’ve only seen about 5 people wearing a mask out of the thousandsof people mulling around Chamonix. No one talks about it. It’s life as it was before C.
It’s spitting to rain, though the French meteo calls it “thin rain”, when the bus tops in Chamonix. Then just a 300 metres walk to our well insulated warm apartment where we have lunch at 2pm - left over bread and cheese - before washing the dusty hiking gear. It’s stopped raining and a little bit warmer so hopefully the clothes will dry before tomorrow when we leave Chamonix to go to Courmayeur to pick up 2 x Gas Cans, then take the bus to Pont St Martin. This is the half way village on our Tor des Geants walk starting next week, where we’ll stash a spare gas can some extra clothes, tea and coffee etc to pick up on the way through to save carrying extra weight for the 24 day hike. I’ve been culling my hiking pack and it’s now 5.7kg including my 1.3kg backpack and my 1.2kg computer and Charger. Of course teh end weight will all depend on how much cheese I choose to take!
There’s time to blog and catch up on emails before heading off to Carrefour’s supermarket to buy a bottle of Mateus, and a few extra dinner items like ONE onion. The sun’s out as we walk the 600 metres to Carrefours and return to have a cold beer, Mateus Rose and the usual bread, ham, cheese, tomato, onion, mace and mayonnaise. It sounds mundane. But the bullocks heart tomatoes, the French Bread, the Beaufort Cheese, the green mace with an onion and mayonnaise is 10 times better than it sounds.
A bit more packing to do before bed.