The Best Hike Of My Life: The Tour Du Mont Blanc

The Best Hike of my Life: The Tour du Mont Blanc

Earlier this fall, four of us newcomers to long-distance hiking climbed the highest mountain in Europe. (On the first day, large predators circled overhead. I think they were just crows waiting for one of us to fall.)

The Tour du Mont Blanc is a 100-mile, ten-day hike, but we cheated a bit by walking the best 60 miles from our mountain hut to our home in six days, using local buses from less interesting places and Sherpas. ".service" transports our bags every day through France, Italy and transports from Chamonix to Chamonix via Switzerland.

The Tour du Mont Blanc is a 160 km circuit around the highest mountain in Europe. We cover the most useful 100 km (60 miles) by connecting segments with public buses.
I love the sherpa service Mont Blanc offers: you leave your big bag in the lobby of your hotel or mountain lodge and trust the bus to pick it up and deliver it safe and sound for your next stay. Every day the bags were happily waiting for us at check-in.
Various buses and lifts will help tourists choose the Tour du Mont Blanc. But the season is short and most lifts and buses are closed until mid-September.

It was my first time enjoying Europe with my friend Shelley and we were joined by Sue and David from Minnesota. (I worked with David Preston for 20 years on TPT - Twin Cities PBS. In the public television world, he is considered a "hostage driver".)

Everyone seems to ride the Tour du Mont Blanc clockwise from the ceremonial starting point in the village of Les Houches, near Chamonix. And this summer is always good for a happy group photo against a sparkling background.

Every day the road signs told us it was a five hour walk; we needed six or seven. Our mantra is: “Take your time. That's why we're here." The day usually began with a 3,000-foot climb to a pass (or "point") at 8,000 feet above sea level. Each place was a small triumph, its landscaped basement, dramatic atmosphere, stunning views and congratulatory selfies.

Part of our pre-trip preparation was a steep climb closer to home. Since a typical daily climb in TMB is a thousand meters (or about 3,000 feet), I would recommend choosing a training hike with 3,000 feet of climb so that you can use it as a guide. We had Mount C in Washington state. We even had a term for climbing 3,000 feet: "Mount C".

Every morning on Mont Blanc we did our hard work, usually climbing 3,000 feet. It seemed like it would last forever... but it didn't. And reaching the pass (usually about 8,000 feet above sea level) has always been a celebration at lunchtime.
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