Tour de Mt Blanc

In between two babysitting periods in Brussels, we intended to squeeze in a week´s hiking on the Tour du Mont Blanc.

Courmayeur

We chose to do the TMB in the nontraditional clockwise sense, starting from Courmayeur - the connection via Alpybus Geneve Airport -Chamonix and public bus Chamonix-Courmayeur was excellent, we got to Courmayeur at lunchtime and only planned a short walk to the nearest hut, Refugio le Randonneur.

Le Randonneur

The short walk through the woods turned out to have 800m elevation, and with the heat and the flies and the mosquitoes was not quite the dream start. We were alone in the refuge´s dortoir, a nicely furnished and well kept old house, and the family running the refuge and restaurant served excellent food, including homemade cake.

The first proper hike was along a ridge with wonderful views of Mte Bianco di Courmayeur massive to Arp Vielle, than down to the mouth of Miage Glacier (no ice as far as one could see) and along the Vallone de la Lex Blanche to Refugio Elisabetta. Easy pleasant walking, apart from a few landslides blocking the valley road, and a few snowfields covering the path in a few places higher up; we had good use of our Huang Shan walking sticks there. We got to see marmots quite close and chamois at a distance, and a profusion of flowers.

Refugio Elisabetta Soldini

The Elisabetta is quite strategically placed but can not be recommended. It was overcrowded-we had to wait until quite late for our turn at dinner (and they served half-cooked risotto). Particular warning for the dortoir - 24 people on 3 shelves above each other, only one working toilet, no hot water - and most of the ceiling and some of the walls covered by black mould!

Sunshine even on our third day, again an easy uphill walk, but we had forgotten how to pack for hiking, my backpack was overloaded and my shoulders started to ache. The small nature information hut of Casermetta was a welcome break, the terrace had information on geology, flora and fauna, and panaramatic pictures identifying all the peaks in view.

Casermetta terrace

Setting out of Elisabetta

Col de Seigne with Mt Blanc

Towards Les Chapieux

 The Colle dela Seigne pass - our highest altitude, 2510m - had wonderful views, our first view of Mt Blanc proper, all the imposing peaks along Lex Blanche and at the other side the mountains to the west.  

From the pass it was essentially downhill, after a while the valley opened up to show alpine farms with cattle, and the Mottetes and Ville de le Glaciers refuges a few miles away.  A surprising feature along the path was the very narrow and deep ditches or furrows created by running water.   

A pleasant walk along the valley floor took us to Auberge de la Nova in Les Chapieux. Again a nice place, and we had a delicious local dish there - cow´s cheeks.

Unfortunately, Annika´s ear inflammation, which was troubling from the start of the trip got so much worse by the morning that we had to break off the hike and take a taxi to a doctor in Bourg St Maurice.