Stage 2: A Mountain of Challenges

Chamonix to Trient

Saturday, July 6 

We woke up early the next morning in the hostel Ski Station in Chamonix, France and tried not to wake our roommate.  However, as we were packing, a stuff sack of mine containing socks, a pack rain cover, and rain gear rolled under the bed, without my knowing.  

We left and went to the bus station after buying cherries from a local market in Chamonix.  We boarded the bus, which took us 9k North to Argentiere, where we got off and started looking for the Haute Route trailhead.  It was then, as we started heading up into forested mountains, that I got the feeling of adventure and fear.  We were leaving everything familiar and going into the wild.  

There was a steady incline the majority of the trail.  We rested every 45 minutes and enjoyed the scenery along the way.  I noticed they have huge slugs and snails here!  Black, yellow, and brilliant orange.  

We met some hikers who passed us.  The first pair from America-- who had hiked the route 10 years ago, groups from France and 2 English couples-- very nice people-- many of them doing the same route and going a lot faster than us.  We started noticing how heavy our packs were getting ad how lite everyone else was packing.  Had we taken too much gear and food?  Before we left, the weight of each pack was around 37 lbs without water, much of the weight in food like trail mix, energy bars, beef jerky, etc.  

After, hiking, along the mountain, we came to a bowl like valley where the small town of Le Tour sits in an elevated view of the Chamonix valley, walled in by breath-taking snow covered mountains.  We wondered to the village of Le Tour and stopped a little fountain to rest. 

Then we climbed up further to the edge of town where the gondola was sending people up a steep mountain. So dad and I started trekking up the hill with a very steep incline and the sun was blazing.  It took us a long time to get up this mountain but the view that we saw below was spectacular. 

After being very exhausted, we finally got to the top and went to the pass which was called Col du Balme.  It had an Alpine Hutte and cubed stone which marked the border of France and Switzerland.  There, we talked to some hikers about the best way to get down to the town of Trient. 

We walked along the side of the mountain across snow banks covering parts of the trail.  We had to be very careful, because the snow sloped steeply and one slip could take you a long way down.  Then we came to an intersection of trails and we weren't sure where to go.  So we decided the trail to the right and it took us up on a ridge very high up and steep on both sides. It was a beautiful expedition and had a pinnacle overlooking a 360° view of the valley below, however it was the wrong way. A dead end.  So we backtracked to the trail and then went down into the valley overlooking a gorge across more snow passes being very careful with our sticks to slip down falling down the very slippery probably 20° slope.  

Don't go that way!!! It's a dead end!

We continued hiking down through sides of mountains, forests, passed cows with large bells on their necks.  Then down and down on bone breaking declines and switchbacks. Finally, the trail let us to the town small village of Trient. We had hiked for 11 hours for about 20 km which is equal to 12 miles.  We ascended 4,701 feet in altitude!! Wow.  

After finishing, we asked some locals about where we could stay for the night and one Frenchwoman pointed down the road to a place where she said was cheap.  When we got to the hostel, it ended up being more like a converted garage with two garage ports below and an attic above. The two below served as  kitchen and the other was a bathroom. There were other French hikers there to explain that we are just supposed to leave €15 a box and they hadn't seen the manager. So we unloaded our gear, however, I noticed that something was missing. The tuff sack we left 20 km over the mountain.   I was very frustrated.  the gear i left was essential.  the day ended on an exhausted and bitter note.