Accentuated by sharply jutting peaks, it wove together glaciers, rivers, and forests. At the cols (mountain passes), it seemed that the chilly wind whispered Javed Akthar’s couplets :
कह रही हैं कि बस एक तुम हो यहाँ
सिर्फ़ मैं हूँ, मेरी साँसें हैं और मेरी धड़कने
ऐसी गहराइयाँ, ऐसी तनहाइयाँ और मैं, सिर्फ़ मैं
अपने होने पे मुझको यक़ीन आ गया
Growing up, I had heard many stories of my mother’s Himalayan treks. Stories about the long hikes, lifelong friendships, and exciting living arrangements. It was now my turn to live these stories.
In late July 2022, my parents and I embarked on the Tour du Mont Blanc. This journey encircles the highest peaks of Europe, covering 100 miles with a total change in elevation of 26,000ft, and passes through 3 countries: France, Italy, and Switzerland. This is an account of our adventure:
TMB Day 1 : Les Houches to du Truc
Day 1 : After strapping over 20 lbs on our backs, our attempt at the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) began with a 1600 ft descent from Bellevue, a ski spot near the town of Les Houches in France. The tour led us through Col de Voza, the hamlet of Bionnassay, and into the village…
TMB Day 2 : du Truc to du Bonhomme
Mornings in Refugios begin bright and early at 5:30A.M. With limited restrooms and breakfast at 6:30 A.M., it was essential to get ready before everyone else. More importantly, we had to get to the next Refugio before 6 P.M. to catch dinner. It also helped to hike in the morning when temperatures were cooler. Europe…
TMB day 3-4 : du Bonhomme to Maison Vielle
On day 3, we went off the road, or more like on the road. After the previous grueling days followed by a steep 3200ft steep descent to Les Chapieux early in the morning, my dad’s knees were just shy of being shot. Our entire tour was in jeopardy. However, we had the human embodiment of…
TMB day 5 : Maison Vieille to Courmayeur
By the 5th day, we were halfway done. We made our way down the ski slopes through the towns of Dolone and Courmayeur to the correct Hotel Funivia in la Palud, a suburb of Courmayeur. Along the way, we stopped for lunch in Courmayeur’s older part of town. Our plan was to have pizza as…
TMB day 6 : Courmayeur to La Peule
Our latter half of the tour began with temporary frustration. The destination at the end of day 6 lay behind a 15-mile hike with roughly 4000ft of total elevation change. To conserve our energy to enjoy the scenery, we had planned to take the local bus for part of the way. It seemed everyone else…
TMB Day 7 : Peule to D’Arpette
Day 7 was our day for Flora and Fauna. Since the Alpage (French/Swiss dorm) was also an active cow farm, our morning was occupied by watching the resident border collie. He was running around the bovines, shepherding them into a cow milking trailer. While the cows ambled on, bells clinking and munching on their breakfast…
TMB Day 8 : D’Arpette to Auberge Blanc
On this day, we covered over 11 miles and 6000ft+ total elevation change going around the northern face of the Mont Blanc massif. And, by this point of the tour, the winds had changed direction, bringing in foreboding clouds. The previous day, Harry was caught in a rain storm and pelted by hail. Today was…
TMB Day 9 : Auberge Blanc to Le Moulin
Our penultimate day was drier than the previous day as we crossed back into France. The downpour alleviated the hiking conditions by dropping the temperature to a cool 20C. Our morning was spent zig-zagging up 2500ft, reaching just shy of the Carraye peak, standing at roughly 7000ft. To minimize the gradient, we took an alternate…
TMB day 10 : Le Moulin to Chamonix
Our goal for the final day was Lac Blanc. Resting on the upper ridges of Grand Balcones du Sud (the southern balconies), the lake is TMB’s THE photography spot. However, the Lac Blanc route was a more challenging variant than the standard run-of-the-mill route as it included a set of ladders and steep sections. The…
Conscience of Aniket 