El Camino de Santiago and other trails.
Today we finally crossed the Alps from Italy into Switzerland. It was a long day, starting out first from the refuge at an undulating elevation before carrying out the steep climb to the top of the Ferret Pass. From the top, we saw down into the Ferret Valley in Switzerland. It was a long and mostly steep descent to our final stopping point of La Fouly. Approximately 20km total.
Today was a somewhat shorter day, with approximately 15km of hiking from Courmayeur to the Bonatti mountain hut at approximately 7500 feet. It was a beautiful climb into the mid-altitudes, where the trail leveled off and took us through beautiful meadows, along ridges, and across many rivers. As usual, we could only gawk at the beauty surrounding us. We spent the night in the peaceful refuge, where we enjoyed the long sunset and the isolation.
Today we crossed the border from France into Italy. The day started off with a gradual climb out of Les Chapieux before the ascent started in earnest to the Seigne Pass. Approximately 1300 meters (4000 ft) of climbing! From this point, there were dramatic views of both Italy and France. There was then a long steady descent into Courmayeur in Aosta, Italy.
Today started off with an easy few kilometers out of town before hitting a brutal ascent up to the Bonhomme Pass. Nevertheless, amazing views abounded. After nearly 3000 feet of climbing, we started our descent towards the village of Chapieux. However, the last several kilometers were a literal race to the finish under the torrent of a heavy thunder and hail storm. We arrived soaked to the bone and happy to have arrived unscathed. Approximately 20 kilometers for the day.
Day 2 of the hike was a completely different experience due to the terrain. We started off with an easy stroll through the town of Les Houches before doing a steep and challenging climb up to the Voza Pass at approximately 5000 feet. We then were rewarded with a long and scenic downhill through numerous villages and varying countryside before arriving at Les Contamines, where we spent the night. Great to have the opportunity to see small French villages in the Alps.
Today we hiked about eight miles through the French Alps. The trail is very well marked and with all the people hiking it is impossible to get lost. The journey was quite challenging for our 12 year old, we walked most of the time on rocky trails, sometimes through snow and ice, and at some point, we had to climb a ladder to get to the next hill.
The views of the valley are breathtaking and my words and pictures could not describe how beautiful this place is.
We are very happy to be back in Chamonix, Fr. Tomorrow we’re going to begin our 110 miles (177 kms) hike around the Mont Blanc Massif, which goes through France, Italy, and Switzerland.
TrekTok 