In January, six of us decided to hike the famous Tour de Mont Blanc trail in the Alpes. After research and discussions with Alpine Exploratory, our travel agent, we decided to only hike the northern section. Seven days, around seventy miles, from Courmayeur in Italy to Chamonix in France. August 5 was our seventh day of hiking TMB: Flegere to Chamonix. 11 miles, 2,362 feet elevation.
Cable car to Flegere
Due to the weather the day before, we did not make it to the Refuge Flegere, but stayed another night in the wonderful Heliopic hotel in Chamonix. Well rested and after another great breakfast buffet in the hotel, we are ready for our final day of hiking. From Chamonix, we take the bus to the le Praz to take the gondola up to restart our hike from Refuge Flegere. When we leave Chamonix, it is sunny, however, when we arrive on top and leave the gondola, we walk into a heavy fog.
Flegere to PlanPraz
Initially we have difficulty finding the trailhead as there are a number of trails starting at the top of the gondola. We reread our route-card and realize we have to go below and around the refuge. The trail cuts through trees before we hit a steep and rocky path down. It is good there are handrails to guide us down as it is definitely slippery due to the fog. The path levels out and now we walk along the hillside, crossing several narrow gullies. The fog makes the views eerily beautiful. We pass another ski lift before we hit an intersection of trails at the top of the Planpraz cable car. If we had not planned to stop at the cafe here, we would have missed it as it is completely hidden in the mist. After our foggy hike, we welcome the hot chocolates, with a side of fries.
Planpraz to Col du Brevent
Leaving the cafe, we see that the fog is starting to lift and hang gliders are flying in the valley below Mont Blanc. It is a beautiful sight, and we stop for pictures, before continuing our route. Our path takes us into the opposite direction of Mont Blanc, towards the mountain across from Mont Blanc. The trail starts with a steep climb and then zig zags to the top. After several more zigzags, we are all of a sudden walking in snow. After we cross the snowy part, the path becomes a rocky uphill. Sometimes it is hard to know whether we are still on the trail. The next adventure is a set of ladders, followed by more bouldering, before we finally reach the Col du Brevent.
Le Brevent cable car down to Chamonix
After leaving Col du Brevent, it is only a short walk up until we reach the Le Brevent Cable car. From here, the trail continues down to the valley. It is 4,000 feet descend in 4 miles. We decide to spare our knees and take the cable car down instead. By now, the fog has almost lifted, and we take our time to take pictures of the magnificent Mont Blanc one more time.
The official end point of TMB is Les Houches and we had planned to end our hike there with a picture at the famous sign. However, the cable car brings us down to Chamonix and we dont feel like taking a bus back to Les Houches and then back again to Chamonix, just for a picture. Instead, we take the bus back to town and celebrate our last day of hiking with an Aperol Spritz in Chamonix. We take our own victory picture in front of our hotel. This last day was another fantastic day. It was definitely one of the more challenging hikes, but with the most amazing views. I am sad this is the end of our adventure, as it has been an unforgettable 7 days experience.
All photo credit: Liane Aihara, Mariel van Tatenhove, Mauren O'Gorman, Seema O'Dwyer, Tammy Bacca, Vanessa O'Keeffe
