Woke up to our fourth day on the TMB, more than halfway done!

Courmayeur

The best part of the day was the Italian coffee for someone, for me it was the freshly squeezed orange juice. To each their own.

Val Ferret

Bone chilling group photo at the start of our trailhead after our shuttle dropped us off. Bone chilling for people from Hawaii.

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The start of our almost 3,000′ elevation climb.

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Putting our heads down and putting one foot in front of the other.

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Sometimes you have to look up and appreciate the Alps.

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The group crossing the bridge and following the stream for a bit.

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Hikers silhouetted against the sun kissed mountains.

Rifugio Elena

We stopped at the mountain hut for a bathroom break, snacks and Italian cappuccino. And of course, the views.

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Leaving the mountain hut as we gained more elevation. More cardio.

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Contouring our way above the Alps.

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Two way traffic on the trail fronting the bluffs.

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Nowhere to go but up. Just follow the arrow.

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Standing in front of Mount Dolent which shares the border with France, Italy and Switzerland.

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I think Roger was trying out for the job of sheepdog.

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Sylvia pointed out the rare sighting of the bearded vulture, which was hunted to the point of extinction but is making a comeback. If they start circling above you, best to pick it up.

Col du Grand Ferret

Crossing the border into Switzerland at the mountain pass that sits at 8,300′ elevation. Gruezi!

Col du Grand Ferret

Ferlino showing the colors.

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Going down the pass in search of a spot less windy to have our lunch.

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The group having our lunch with unmatched views of the surrounding Alps.

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Standing in front of the snow capped peak that is rarely visible according to Sylvia. The name of the mountain escapes me.

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Happy Birthday to you! Sylvia requested that we sing the song to her friend that was first documented in 1912. The copyright expired in the EU in 2017, so sing away. The animated ones were in the front, while the less animated one was sitting down. By all accounts, the recipient was quite pleased.

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A sea of sheep soon migrated from the Italian side to the Switzerland side accompanied by a constant blur and mash of bleating and bells ringing.

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Sheep crossing.

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Making our way down with the imposing Aiguille du Talefre and de Triolet mountains in the background.

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Going down the trail where we passed a puzzling driveway type gate. Push.

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Headed down to the Swiss mountain hut that is part of a working farm of cows and sheep. They even had a harmonica player. Ferlino missed out.

Alpage de la Peule

We took a small break, had their delicious ice cream, some more than once and Groot marked the neutral country.

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Left the charming hut and traversed through uneven terrain before breaking out of the alpine forest.

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Hiking through the pastoral landscapes in the Swiss Val Ferret Valley.

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Passing the Pramplo Trail as we were constantly treated to valley, glacier and mountain views.

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Walking over a stout wooden bridge that crossed over a rather parched streambed.

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Following the valley floor to La Fouly.

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One was sure footed and the other was not so sure footed on the “bridge to nowhere.”

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The last bridge crossing of the day as we soon approached the village boundary.

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More cowbell.

Maya Joie L’uberge

All smiles as we walked up the road to our hostel for the night. What gave us pause was when we read the memo about the bed bugs and not to worry.

Maya Joie L’uberge

The married couples were assigned to the rustic cabin, but upon inspection the linen was soiled and stained and the pillows musty and there was a bug of questionable character crawling on the sheets. The staff assured us that it was not a bed bug but just a bug. They said all the hostels in the area were of the same, even if we forked out considerable euros to move to a more palatable place. They mollified us by moving us all to the more modern dormitory style housing. Liberal amounts of bed bug spray was still applied to our bedding. Our backpacks and duffel bags had to stay in the cloakroom to keep down the chances of any bed bug infestation. We could only take essential stuff to our rooms.

Maya Joie L’uberge

We showered and cleaned up and then went to the dining area for our evening meal. Our main dish was melted cheese on potatoes. We don’t have anything else? Just cheese and potatoes. Eat up.

Maya Joie L’uberge

Group photo at the family style dinner. We then retired to our dormitory rooms and kept one eye open for the bed bugs, slight exaggeration. Good night and don’t let the bed bugs bite.

GPS Tracks

Our fourth day on the TMB covered 8.63 miles through what some argue is the most scenic section of the trail and we have now been in three countries since we started the hike; France, Italy and Switzerland. Wonderful day with good friends and only slightly marred by the “bed bug scare.”

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Chico Cantu, Deborah Tom, Ferlino Carinio, Mari Saito, Patrick Tom, Robin Farr, Roger Schiffman, and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.

Woke up the next day to start our third day on the trail that was formalized in the early 19th century as a means so that the general public could explore and hike the surrounding areas of Mont Blanc.

Hotel Base Camp Lodge

It was hard leaving the creature comforts of our second night lodging. The show must go on. We had our usual European breakfast, packed our lunch tins and duffel bags and checked out.

Les Chapieux

The same shuttle driver from last night picked us up and drove us to the trailhead while a sheepdog seemed to either want to herd or guard us on the way.

La Ville des Glaciers

Group photo at the start of the hike, the driver said this was our only opportunity to use the last toilette in France.

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When the dogs are sleeping, the goats are roaming.

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Crossing over one of multiple bridges to stay on trail.

Refuge des Mottets

Somebody got iced coffee at the mountain hut where the temperature hovered around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This place is also a donkey and mule sanctuary where the beasts of burden can take your baggage for a euro.

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Standing in front of the monument that is dedicated to the B17 bomber crew that crashed into the Aiguille des Glaciers in 1946. The melting ice finally gave them back from 1972 through 1979.

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Huffing and puffing our way up the switchbacks.

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Cheaper to pay a fence than a sheepdog.

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Mari striding over one of many glacier fed streams.

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Walking into the picturesque window of clouds.

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The group talking and hiking at the same time. But can they chew gum too?

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Yielding to a horse on the trail coming down. You mean we could have took a beast of burden instead?

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Who says I don’t like waterfalls or something that closely passes for one?

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The rest of the group making their way up against the stunning backdrop of the Alps.

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Soaking in the splendid views of the valley and mountains.

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Yielding to mountain bikers hurtling down the trail. You mean, we could’ve took pedal-driven single track vehicles instead?

Col de la Seigne

Everybody had their own way of crossing the border into Italy at the 8,241′ mountain pass. Ciao!

Col de la Seigne

The wind was biting cold, time to head down into Italy.

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We saw this Taiwanese hiker standing on the rocks below us. Monkey see, monkey do.

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Others chose to keep their feet planted on the ground with snow capped Mont Blanc in the background.

La Casermetta

Going down the trail as we passed the former military barracks turned reception center in search of a less windy place to have lunch.

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We found it below the shadow of La Casermetta that was thankfully just vacated by another group. It was still teeth chattering cold for myself.

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These poles are made for hiking.

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A mountain too far, with the Aiguille Noire de Peuterey that is part of the Mont Blanc Mountain Range.

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Easy peasy on the trail.

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Coming or going?

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Two way traffic on the trail.

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Who’s who? How do you say doppelganger in Italian?

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The cow was not cooperating.

La Chapelle de Giorgio Patriarca

Early mountaineers built these structures as a place of refuge and worship as they feared the Alps were the abode of demons and dragons.

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Chico explored the old military ruins that dates back to when France and Italy were not on friendly terms.

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Please don’t pee near the water source. Perched on the hillside is Rifugio Elisabetta, the only mountain hut on this section of the trail.

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Crossing over the water source.

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Dropping into the valley known as Val Veny.

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The worst toilette in all of Italy. But when you gotta go, you gotta go.

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Taking a photo of the photographer taking a photo. Redundancy in action.

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One of many bridge crossings.

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Kicking dust on the trail as we yielded to a car on the road. You mean we could have ridden down?

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Where there is a tree or rock to climb, Ferlino will be there. Chico will be not far behind.

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End of the trail for today. Time to take a load off our feet.

Hotel Edelweiss

The shuttle dropped us off to our hotel where we checked into our private rooms. Heaters don’t work in the summer. Suck it up.

Courmayeur

We explored and walked around “Italy’s best ski resort town.” Sampled some gelato in cones and cups. Shopped for souvenirs. Popped into the Church of Saint Pantaleon, who is the patron saint of physicians and midwives. Groot “marked” the boot shaped country. Chico got friendly with the “natives.”

Courmayeur

Taking in the sights of the picturesque town that sits at the foot of Mont Blanc.

Courmayeur

Dinner was at Cadran Solaire, described as a place of conviviality serving Alpine cuisine. It was quite tasty. Somebody got a doggie bag to go or as the Italians say “vaschetta per gli avanzi.”

GPS Tracks

Our third day on the TMB covered 9.4 miles through the mountain pass of Col de la Seigne where we crossed over into Italy and down into Val Veny and finally Courmayeur. Somebody was questioning why we did not get the 13 miles on the trail as “promised” in the itinerary. Really? Nobody was talking about taking zero days anymore. Committed to the finish line.

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Chico Cantu, Deborah Tom, Ferlino Carinio, Mari Saito, Patrick Tom, Robin Farr, Roger Schiffman, and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.