Then it was off on our walk armed with maps, compass, water,
lunch & other essentials. What a truly extraordinary experience. Walking
through three countries (Switzerland, Italy & France) staying in varied
accommodation & experiencing some of the most amazing scenery. We walked a
total of approximately 170kms over 13 days with 2 rest days with an accumulated
height gain & loss of some 10,000 metres. The biggest single day climb was
about 1,500 metres & the highest point we reached was 2,537m at Grand Col
Ferret.
Most days consisted of a hearty breakfast then a relentless
winding track up to a Col with stunning views followed by an equally relentless
decent to our accommodation for the night, a shower, a beer or wine & a
relaxed chat with fellow walkers. Not all tracks were steep & some
meandered through beautiful forests or meadows to the sounds of cow bells &
some involved a traverse across a snow field - some had cliff views or glaciers
or scree & there were many waterfalls. Would you believe people run the
full track in about 20 hours & many do it on trail bikes??? Crazy?
We met fellow walkers from around the world – Switzerland,
Italy, France, Aussies, Kiwis, USA, UK, Canada, Israel, Sweden, Belgium. Ages
were from 10 to 80+.
The accommodation was great in mountain refuges or gite
hostels or cabins. The meals were terrific with traditional favourites on offer
– fondue, deer stew, pasta, pizza, pig cheek, crepes.
The fields of flowers were amazing & colourful &
apart from cows & sheep, we saw Ibex, marmots, many birds, butterflies
& insects.
The last day involved some near vertical drops off the side
of the path & a cable car ride across a very deep valley (way out of my comfort
zone???) & we were also both pretty tired so it was great to arrive safely
in Chamonix.
Favourite spots were Refuge Elisabetta & Refuge de Miage.
A truly memorable experience.
Wowee looks amazing! Good effort on the hike
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