2022 Tor des Geants Italy

Monday 15th August:  Weather: 10°C to 25°C: Cold in Chamonix Warm and Sunny in Courmayeur S

Pont St Martin:  Bus from Chamonix to Courmayeur: Bus to Pont St Martin:

Ascent/Descent:  No walking today except to chase gas cans and SIM cards

Accommodation: Casa Antica BnB

Not too many highlights today as we spent the day bus hopping from Chamonix to Courmayeur to Aosta to Pont St Martin.  If there was a highlight it was a sad one, passing through the Mont Blanc Tunnel that connects Courmayeur to Chamonix.  The tunnel was teh scene of a disaster in 1999 when 39 people died in a fireball in the tunnel.

Another early start at 5.15am to pack a bit more, have breakfast, and wander up to teh Carrefours supermarket to buy a Mateus Rose for a hike on Thursday to a Bivouac high in the mountains which is the only time we need to cart food (and wine) to a mountain refuge.  We’re back in time to clean up the apartment, wash the sheets, and leave for the 10am Flixbus to go to Courmayeur.  It’s kinda exciting to go through this famous tunnel which is more infamous than famous for its 199 disaster when a lorry caught fire and unfortunately stopped instead of continuing, causing a fireball in the wind draft through teh tunnel killing 39 people.  A similar incident happened in Modane in 1917 when more then 500 French military soldiers dies in the tunnel on their return for R&R during World War 1 when their train derailed and caught fire. 

Moving on to happier times, we arrived in Courmayeur and after a Jet Boiled Coffee in teh park, went to the Tourist Office to ask for directions to Ulisse Sport.  I had been commuicating with Giacamo (pronounced Jack a moh)  who had promised to set aside 2 isobutane propane gas cans for us for our Jet Boil.  Sometimes finding these cans in a village when we arrive to start our hike is like finding hens teeth.  Other times we have paid $60 in a taxi to get to a Decatholon store to buy the right cans. We love our morning coffee after 2 hours of hiking and are prepared to go to all lengths to get the cans for the Jet Boil.  So after following instructions as per the tourist office, and walking one kilometre, we get to a Ulisse Sports store on the outskirts of Courmayeur, only to find its a branch of the one back in town that we inadvertantly passed on teh way.  Back to town where we had a chat to Giacomo and thanked him for putting aside the two cans.  To tell teh truth, we could have bought these cans from any number of sports stores in Chamonix, but firtsly we didn’t know we were going to be there for 5 days and secondly I like to keep faith with some one who has loyally corresponded with us an put aside the two cans in Courmayeur.

At 1pm we take the bus to Aosta and after one hour and a treacherous down hill ride with a driver who believed he could steer the bus with the finger tips on one arm, we arrive at the Aosta Bus Station ready to catch the linking bus to Pont St Martin.  But the POint st Martin bus doesn’t arrive on time and is almost an hour late.  Later we learn that August 15th is a public holiday in Italy and hence the reduced bus Times.  Finally we’re on the bus to Pont St Martin, and another roller coaster ride down through the gorge to Bus Station which we immediately recognise having been there on our 2018 hike in the Gran Paradiso. We know the way to Casa Antica where we stayed before, and we’re soon greeted by our host who gives us the best room in the house complete with huge bathroom and kitchenette.

After dumping our gear, it’s time to wander up the road to Nationale Pde to find teh phone shop that sells Winter SIM cards.  But on the way everything is closed and we soon learned that it  was an Italian Public Holiday for the Assumption of Mary.  On the way back to Casa Antica, we notice our favourite supermarket Conads is the only shop in the village that’s open and we soon walk out with one tomato, one cheese, and two cold beers for dinner plus two peaches and yoghurt for breakfast. Back to our comfy room for a picnic dinner of you know what. 

Time to repack and resort our back packs as we are leaving a bag full of return home clothes and a half way store of coffee, tea, powdered milk, sugar and that all important gas can for when we return on August 16th. It’s a very hot night but we need to shut the windows for the mozzies.  Pont St Martin is at an altitude of 300 metres, and much warmer than either Courmayeur or Chamonix.  The WiFi isn’t fantastic and teh best spot is sitting outside our room at the top of teh stairs - a small inconvenience for such a great stopover - not 5 star but it perfectly suits us.  The weather for the next few days doesn’t look good with storms each afternoon so we’ make plans for an early getaway for a our hike.