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 3 was our fifth day of hiking TMB: Trient to Argentiere. 9.9 miles, 3,740 feet elevation.
Trient to Col de Balme
After a stormy night, the sky has cleared. We are ready for the long day ahead, with the second most incline. We walk through town and follow along the river. Passing through the village of Peuty, we hear that some of the tents were blown away by the storm. I am glad we stayed in our Auberge. The first part is the challenging one: 3,100 feet incline in just under 4 miles. The trail starts with a number of zig zags through the trees. It is a tough climb, and we all settle in at our own pace, enjoying the views when there is an opening through the trees. The trees make way for more open terrain. We can see the zig zag path to the top. It’s a grind and gets worse as closer to the top, the temperature drops, and there is an icy wind.
Refuge du Col de Balme
Due to the long climb and being cold, we are glad to take of our packs and get inside the Refuge du Col de Balme. As we arrive before lunch time, it is not too crowded yet and are able to find a table. We all order hot chocolates to get the chill out of our bones and warm our hands. Closer to lunch time, it starts smelling nice, so we decide we might as well stay and have soup for lunch.
Col de Balme to Col des Posettes
After leaving the refuge, we continue the path that drops below the refuge. Passing several ski lift stations, we realize that we are on the top of the ski resort of Argentiere. There is less wind here as we are dropping down into the valley. We come to an intersection of trails. Following the map and the directions, we agree we need to turn right towards Col des Posettes. Unfortunately, we realize Tammy and Maureen must have continued on downhill instead, as we don’t see them on the trail that goes up. The four of us continue on. We climb up along the mountain ridge and have beautiful views of magnificent Mont Blanc and Le Tour de Glacier next to it.
Col des Posettes and Col des Aiguilette to Tre-le-Champ
The path keeps climbing and at last we reach Col des Aiguilette. We realize we have taken a different route and missed Col des Posettes. Following along the ridge, the path becomes rocky, and we do some serious bouldering when we start to descend. The trail than has a number of wooden steps and stairs. Supposedly to help us, however they are tricky and slippery, better to avoid them. Finally, we reach a zigzag trail through the trees that leads us to the road to Tre-le-Champ. We follow the road to Tre-le-Champs. We see a little stream and can’t resist sticking our feet into the delicious cold water after a day of wearing hiking boots. From Tre-le-Champs it is a short walk to Argentiere, where we find Maureen and Tammy drinking a beer at a local cafe. A short bus ride later, we arrive in Chamonix.
Dinner at Michelin star restaurant L’Akashon
While walking over from the bus to Hotel Heliotrope, we discuss where to go for dinner. I check restaurants close by the hotel and see that we have a restaurant with a Bib Gourmand award by the Michelin Guide in our hotel. I check online and we are lucky, they have availability. We check in and retrieve our luggage. After showers – or bath in my case- we meet downstairs at L’Akashon. They give us a table next to the big windows. We order wine while browsing the menu and decide to treat ourselves tonight to the six course Gourmet tasting menu: Appetizers, Chef’s first starter, second starter Langoustines, plate Beef fillet or Monkfish, Alp’s cheese plater, Dessert of the pastry chef’s choice. Smiling at the irony, we agree that we have come a long way from Rifugio Elena, both in distance, as well as in quality.
All photo credit: Liane Aihara, Mariel van Tatenhove, Mauren O'Gorman, Seema O'Dwyer, Tammy Bacca, Vanessa O'Keeffe
