Tour du Mont Blanc
The Tour du Mont Blanc or is one of the most popular long distance walks in Europe. It circles the Mont Blanc Massif covering a distance of roughly 170 km with 10 km of ascent/descent and passes through parts of Switzerland, Italy and France. Having already been to foot of Everest high up in the Himalayas this seemed to be the next logical step for me in my quest to walk some of the best available long distance walks the world has to offer. This is my account of a fantastic adventure with wonderful scenery and great company. I hope you enjoy it.
(Note: This walk is kindly contributed by Neal Lever)
Day 6, 28th June 2012:
It is hard to leave the campsite at La Fouly as the vistas are some of the best yet. Waking up to view the Glacier de L'a is as spectacular a sight as can be imagined and not many campsites will beat it.
Today is a tough day with over a thousand metres of ascent and the ascent starts almost immediately. We pass through the edge of sleeping La Fouly with our early start and soon we are climbing through pine forests and then beautiful open fields full of wild flowers. I have volunteered to be the back marker as someone is selected every day. Lee walks with me and also Keith who is a little quiet but also very interesting with a great sense of humour and not a particularly strong accent considering he comes from Newcastle. We have a little fun on the climb up by filling Ted's rucksack pockets with wild flowers without his knowledge. He soon looks like a traveling florists but is none the wiser. This does jazz up his mundane light grey coloured rucksack and once we are found out at our first rest stop Ted sees the funny side as I knew he would. "You little buggers" he says in his native bush tongue. We all laugh.
Fantastic Alpine walking
A couple of Marmots
Ted is in his element taking pictures and bumbling along in his care free manner. The day is hot and many stops are needed to take on water which allows Ted to take plenty of photos. We have passed through the Hamlet of Ferret and climbed higher to the last refreshment chalet before we reach the Italian border. Coffee and apple pie bakes are to die for here. The two Swiss girls serving add to the already magnificent views. Lee is smitten, easy tiger.
After another hour of steep climbing and traversing through several snow fields we arrive at the Col de Ferret 2537m and the Italian border. The big mountains are close now and looming right above us. Mont Dolent 3820m stands towering above us and is spilling its Glacier du Pre de Bard below us. This is unquestionably one of the best lunch stops on the whole walk. Mont Dolent seems almost touchable and I just want to reach out. Better still, Keith and I are encouraged by Graham to summit Tete de Ferret at 2714m as the group is stopping for a long lunch break in this wonderful spot.
Keith enjoys the views from Tete de Ferret
Happy chappies
Before you know it with a bite of my sandwich we are off. Keith is light and extremely fit and is at the top in a little over nine and a half minutes. It takes me another minute or so to reach the top with Matt who did set off a little later to be fair but not too far behind. To all our amazement Ted turns up eating a sandwich. I do believe there is no stopping this seventy three year old Aussie. His determination and zest for life is mirrored in no man I know. We prance around on the summit taking some silly photos but the views here are Godlike. You feel amongst this vista that you are as close to God as you can be without dying. The glacial snow and ice look like frozen sea waves with the sunlight bouncing of them.
The second verse from Shelley's "Love's Philosophy" came to mind.
See the mountains kiss high heaven
And the waves clasp one another
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdain'd its brother
And the sunlight clasps the earth
And the moonbeams kiss the sea
What are all these kissings worth
If thou kiss not me?
We can see all the way back down to La Fouly and yesterday's campsite in one direction and then all the way down the valley towards Courmayeur in the other. We spend ten minutes or so and then go back down to join the group. The extra energy spent was worth it. Ten minutes in Heaven. Although I hope that my final resting place in Heaven is many years away.
View down to Courmayeur
View down to La Fouly
We take quite a while to reach the valley floor named Val Ferret with only one small stop on the way. All the way down are the views of the south side of Mont Blanc and the Grandes Jorasses. The last stop is for half an hour or so and I sit in the sun holding a beer with a view that will be cemented in my mind for as long as I walk this earth. A short walk takes us to a bus stop and a ride in to our campsite just before the town of Planpincieux.
Lewis is all set up and there are showers at this site, nice. There is plenty of time to relax before dinner. Some are reading many are resting up but I chose a light ale available from the support vehicle at a very reasonable price and chat to Lewis, amongst others, for a while. Tomorrow there are plenty of different options available on our first rest day. Apart from several ridge walks there is the ascent of Mount Chetif which Keith and Matt are keen to do. The main attraction for the day seems to be the cable car from Courmayeur. The cable car goes to the Pointe Helbronner linking it to the Vallëe Blanche Aerial Tramway going to the Aiguille du Midi where there is a link to the Tëlëphërique de l'Aiguille du Midi, the cable car from Chamonix. Most opt for this but having checked the weather on line it looks like the cloud will be thick up there so Lee and I choose a relaxing day in Courmayeur.
