Tour du Mont-Blanc completed

Today it is pouring down with rain, with the occasional thunder & lightening strikes, so definitely no hiking today.  Having said that it is a relief as I am still recovering from yesterday’s brutal 10 km down  hill hike over rocks, clinging onto chains and having to be mindful of every step downhill!!

To start the day we had two amazing gondola rides.  We decided whenever possible we would take a gondola or chairlift – because where else do you get to experience these amazing feats of engineering.

When riding these cars I don’t look down, take slow deep breaths and try and think logically about the chance of them falling or whatever else the mind can come up with.  Tracy got a little vertigo and had side effects all day hiking down hill.

Switzerland

When I last posted we were moving into Switzerland.  Tracy had a long walk (18 kms) over from Italy by herself.  She said when she crossed into Switzerland and looked back down the long valley, she could see where she had crossed from France into Italy.  While she was hiking I was being driven around to La Fouly.  It was a long 6.5 hr. car ride, as I was having another day off.  This proved to be exactly what I should have been doing. I tried to make the most of this unplanned journey admiring the scenery and country-side passing many road cyclists riding some of the big climbs with support vehicles coming up the rear.

Swiss landscape & buildings

Seeing and experiencing the different landscapes has been a highlight for us.  This day’s hike was from La Fouly to Champex-Lac.  It was also the day the ultra TMB event was passing through. By the time they passed us many had already been running for 14 odd hrs, of course there were those runners who had already gone through earlier.  They are another field of athlete with their physically and mentally capabilities.  We gave them verbal encouragement which many acknowledged.

The little Swiss villages seemed very old – bit like medieval wooden buildings but with beautiful flower-filled boxes and narrow winding roads.  Everything spotlessly clean.  This was our easiest day on the trail, and I enjoyed a short hike of 10 Km to see how the body coped.  Tracy hiked the full route in the blazing hot sun – being continuously passed by ultra runners!  I walked then caught a bus to our accommodation.

Hiking through much of the Swiss country-side you could constantly hear the cow bells ringing as the cattle ate the grass or made any slight movement.

Accommodation highlight – Champex-Lac

Hotel Splendide, Champex-Lac has been the best accommodation we have had.  Tracy described it as ‘old alpine luxury’ and it was.  The food was delicious, and we were waited on.  I felt posh!!

I had the best night’s sleep so far on this trip, woke refreshed and ready tackle the new day.  It was the best day on the trail for me, no real breathing issues, nausea and diarrhea gone AND I felt like eating while hiking.

The trail through the rest of Switzerland was enjoyable, plenty of ups and downs and still busy with many hikers.

Paragliding over Chamonix

When we first arrived in Chamonix we saw many paragliders floating high up above us and Tracy decided it was something she wanted to do when we returned to Chamonix.  I was reluctant until I spoke to a woman (from Hobart) in Trient (Switzerland) that changed my mind.

We fulfilled that adventure.   And what an experience it was, floating for approximately 20 minutes, 1,000 m above Chamonix valley, looking directly across to Aiguille du Midi, Mont-Blanc, and its glaciers.  It was stunning and while I wasn’t totally relaxed I enjoyed the experience.  My instructor Gerry was very cool and calm.  He has visited NZ and loved paragliding out at Raglan – small world eh?  In case you are interested here is a link to their website Paragilding in Chamonix.

We have been extremely lucky with the weather especially so as the last couple of days have been cold and wet.

My apologies this post is a little disjointed!  I’m still quite tired and just want to get something out before I start travelling in Germany.

Geneva

We have left France and currently in Geneva for one night before Tracy travels to Hamburg and I travel to Offenburg.  We meet up again in Munich 13th September and fly home on 15 September.

Reflections

I feel as though I need time to reflect on our adventure and get my thoughts in order before I post my reflections.

In the mean time go the ABs on Saturday night!!  Till next time, take care – GoldCard Gal 🙂

Scenes from the last few days