What a welcome to Switzerland. The weather was not on our side for Day Five. We could only hope that it would improve for Day 6 - so we could enjoy the beauty of the Ferret Valley with its meadows and Swiss chalets. I think I did mention that this hike was going to be challenging!
Hiking - Day Five
Refuge Bonatti to La Fouly
Distance - 26kms
Height Gain - 895m
Height Loss - 1410m
High Point - Grand Col Ferret (2,537m - 8,300ft)
Notes - Rain and fog for most of the hike. Steep climb with lots of switchbacks to get to the top of Grand Col Ferret. Strong winds with a driving rain greeted us as we began our hike into Switzerland - totally soaked when we finally got to La Fouly.
Hiking - Day Six
La Fouly to Champex
Distance - 19kms
Height Gain - 420m
Height Loss - 565m
High Point - Champex (1,466m - 4,800ft)
Notes - Much nicer day with clouds and sunshine. Hiked through beautiful Swiss villages - this is what I imagined Switzerland would look like.
It felt so nice to be hiking in the sunshine, finally. Didn't take us long to find a quaint little restaurant to enjoy our first cheese fondue. This is Switzerland at its best.....
Hiking - Day Seven
Champex to Trient
Distance - 20kms
Height Gain - 1199m
Height Loss 1139m
High Point - Fenetre d' Arpette (2,655m - 8,750ft)
Notes - This was the day we hiked over the highest pass on the Tour du Mont Blanc. We had to scramble over huge boulders to make it to the top. Without a doubt, our most challenging day.
There are two routes to take you to Trient, our next overnight village. The main route takes you over a much smaller pass and is recommended if there is any adverse weather in the forecast. Here is the description of the route we took - " Crossing over the Fenetre d' Arpette is the toughest crossing of the whole TMB route. Its strenuous nature will be felt on the final approach to the pass where , after negotiating a chaos of boulders, and a steep slope of grit ensures that your arrival at the Fenetre is a cause of relief. This is a true mountain pass and one to enjoy for the sudden extraordinary vision of the upper Trient glacier. The glacier is visible for most of your decent down Trient Valley"
Next post from this trip.
