After scrutinizing the itinerary for tomorrow and opting for the alternate Stage 7 of the Haute Route, we agreed to get going early. The alarm goes off at 5:15, and we start moving right away. I had a solid night of sleep even though the room was a bit on the warm side. All of these bodies packed into a tiny space are bound to raise the room temperature, I guess. (more…)
Our guidebook describes this as the toughest day of the Haute Route so far, so we are up at 5:30 to have an early breakfast and get on the trail as early as possible. By the time all is said and done, it’s 7:00 by the time we leave the refuge, and we walk out the door just as Tony and Jenny are leaving, too. We have found the most difficult of the route-finding experience is figuring out where to go right out of the gate, so we are grateful to have two extra minds working on which way to head. (more…)
After a beautiful night of sleep in our cozy, quiet room at Hotel La Poste in Le Châble, we head down for breakfast, which our host Marc has laid out in a pleasantly decorated room with lots of wood, leather couches and warm colors. Fresh croissants, coffee, yogurt and plenty of goodies to choose from make this a good start to the day. (more…)
Sleep is tough to come by in our dorm room overnight. A trio of snorers makes it nearly impossible to drift back to sleep after my 2 am trip to the bathroom. Oh well. Sleep is overrated. Who needs it? I try to convince myself. By the time the alarm goes off at 6:15, I am relieved that the night is over. At least we can get up and start packing for our next classic hike: the Walker’s Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt. (more…)
We wake up this morning in the quaint, Swiss hamlet of Le Peuty in a tiny refuge with only one other occupant, David from Australia. There is a certain amount of excitement as today is the 10th and final day of the TMB for us, a worthy achievement in its own right. This is tempered by the fact that this is also simultaneously Day 3 of the Walker’s Haute Route for us. The Haute Route goes from Chamonix to Zermatt for 112 miles so, when we arrive back in Champex Lac, we’ll just continue walking for another ten days on to Zermatt! (more…)
Breakfast is served at 6:30 this morning, so we wake up at 6 and pack up before heading down to the dining room for our breakfast of toast and jam. It’s already our 9th day on the TMB, but we are still surprised every morning by how unsubstantial the breakfasts are each day. We are facing a 4000 foot climb today, and we will be tackling it with nothing more than a few carbs and some sugar in our bellies. It makes us all the more grateful for the delicious, multi-course dinner we had last night. (more…)
Take A Hike Photography 