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We were worried about rainy conditions today, but in the morning visibility wasn't too bad. It was gently raining a little, but there were no thunderstorms yet.
Still, the worst was forecast for the afternoon.
We had debated about starting really early today, but in the end decided it wouldn't serve much purpose. Due to the conditions, we weren't going to do the Brevent route. We had a late flight so our driver wasn't going to pick us up from the hotel until 5pm. We figured we would probably take the gondola down from La Flegere, if it was running. But it didn't run until about 8:30am anyway.
So we opted to stay for breakfast, which started at 7:30. Well, it turned out to be the worst breakfast of the trip. Orange juice/coffee, bread with butter and jam. That's it. Seriously.
We packed up and left a bit after 8am. We had our pack covers, jackets, and gloves on. We started the descent toward La Flegere. Some of the trail was a stream of water, probably in part due to last night's storm. But it wasn't muddy and the water was shallow so easy to navigate.
Starting the descent from Lac Blanc
Continuing the descent
Looking across the Chamonix valley
Descending to the La Flegere gondola
Descending to the La Flegere gondola
Descending to the La Flegere gondola
Cairn and trail view
The rain let up and I took off the gloves. There was one section of trail with planks that was particularly pretty, providing views over a pool of water (Lac de la Flégère) leading to the edge with views of the mountains across the valley.
Boardwalk section of trail
Boardwalk at Lac de la Flégère
Lac de la Flégère
Boardwalk at Lac de la Flégère
Lac de la Flégère
Boardwalk and pond at Lac de la Flégère
Reflected sky
Mountains reflected in the water
Things got a little confusing as we approached the ski area. There are multiple paths, and we ended up going down a very steep gravelly slope. Everyone else seemed to be doing this route as well. After this steep section we saw a couple of workers from the Lac Blanc refuge. They had gotten up early to pick up some supplies
and were now carrying them back to the refuge. They were carrying huge tray-like packages. It's entirely possible that they were literally Sherpas.
Or perhaps at least from Nepal, I'm not sure. I hadn't recognized the language they spoke at the refuge.
Final descent to La Flegere gondola
We made it down to the gondola around 9:30am and it was running. I was hungry after that unsatisfying breakfast so I dug into the bag lunch sandwich from the refuge. It was the worst excuse for a sandwich I can recall. Two pieces of hard bread, one slice of cheese, and a single slice of meat. I took out the meat and cheese and ate that and threw the rest away.
We took the gondola ride down, about 2840 feet and 1.3 miles to Chamonix. It was raining again, but not too much. Once we got to the bottom, we walked to Chamonix city center. Along the way we saw the swollen Arve river rushing by.
Hiking next to the fast-flowing Arve river
We found a cafe to have a proper lunch. After lunch we continued walking through the city center, which was lined with touristy shops and restaurants and lots of pedestrians.
Chamonix
Chamonix
After exiting the city center we continued walking in the rain, which didn't really let up. At times it grew heavy. We debated taking a bus or taxi, but just kept walking. For maybe the last mile or so the rain finally let up. We made it back to our hotel in Les Houches. It was still only around 2pm. We took showers and packed everything up in preparation for our flight.
Heading to Les Houches
Poor stuffed bear left out in the rain in Les Houches
It was hard to believe our walk was over.
Final thoughts: all in all, the hike turned out well. We did take two gondolas, a bus ride, and modified the final day's route. But we experienced most of it,
and still managed to stay in every refuge and hotel we'd intended to. It was still a tough hike, with tons of steep uphill and downhill. Despite my knee problems,
we made it without much problem (and the knee felt perfectly fine after I got back).
Packing: We used pretty much everything we packed, except we
never used the water filter, or the tripod (no good sunsets). We did use the microspikes, though only on
one section of trail. I'm still glad we brought them. I never actually used my sleep mask or ear plugs, though
I would still pack them just in case. I probably should have been a bit more organized with my charging cables
and could have brought a bit less. I brought two extra camera batteries, though one would have sufficed (though
I'd kick myself if I only brought one extra and it wasn't enough).
We didn't have any major stream crossings, so I probably could have just taken my Crocs instead of the heavier
Keen sandals. But we had seen video of someone a week or two earlier on some flooded sections of trail, so
we didn't know if we'd run into the same situation. It was definitely a good idea to bring the two battery
packs to charge our phones and stuff. I didn't end up using my pens and notebook at all, since I ended up just writing notes on my phone instead. And in the end, I lost it anyway (good thing it was completely blank); I
might have left it in the hotel in Argentière, not sure. The cards and chess set definitely came in handy,
especially when we were stuck in Rifugio Elena waiting to check in. I brought a paper map which I never
even opened the entire trip (just relied on GPS on our phones). Things I wish I had brought: ibuprofen
and allergy medicine, both of which I usually bring but for some reason ditched at the last minute to save
space. Oh, and I wish we had brought more cash.
Accomodations: The Grand Montets hotel in Argentière was great. The Berthod in Courmayeur was ok (rooms
were small and service was not great), though it had the best breakfast on the trip. I'd rate the refuges
based on accomodations in this order (best to worst); Combal, Hotel de la Forclaz, Auberge de la Nova,
Pontet, Edelweiss, Lac Blanc, Bon Abri, Elena. We ended up having private or semi-private rooms for
all of them except Elena. But all of them were basically fine. My only complaint would be the super
short showers at Elena.
Dinners: I'd rate the refuges based on dinner as follows (best to worst): Auberge de la Nova,
Edelweiss, Hotel de la Forclaz, Lac Blanc, Pontet, Elena, Combal, Bon Abri. I'd say Auberge de la Nova
was a clear best, and Bon Abri was a clear worst. Edelweiss, Hotel de la Forclaz, Lac Blanc, and Pontet
were similar, and Elena and Combal were similar.
Breakfast: I'd rate the refuges based on breakfast as follows (best to worst): Pontet,
Edelweiss, Elena, Auberge de la Nova, Combal, Bon Abri, Hotel de la Forclaz, Lac Blanc.
Lac Blanc was a clear worst. Bon Abri and Hotel de la Forclaz were also lacking. The other
refuges were all pretty similar, though.
Lunch: I'd rate the refuges based on lunch as follows: Pontet, Auberge de la Nova, Hotel de la Forclaz,
Elena, Combal, Edelweiss, Lac Blanc. We didn't order lunch from Bon Abri. Lac Blanc was a clear worst.
I'd say Pontet, Auberge de la Nova, and Hotel de la Forclaz were pretty similar. Elena, Combal, and
Edelweiss were so-so. If I had to do it again, I'd probably order a lot fewer bag lunches and just
try to eat at refuges and other places along the trail.
Trail conditions were generally pretty good, other than at times being a bit too steep up or down.
Signage was generally great. It's hard to get lost on the trail.
There were probably more people on the trails on this hike than any other backpacking trip we've done.
That, and the presence of refuges, roads, and ski lifts eliminated any feeling of being out in the wilderness.
So even though some of the views may compare, I'd still rate the John Muir Trail much better. It's
hard to beat the Sierra Nevada! Still, it was a great experience and we look forward to doing more
hikes in Europe in the future.
For info on the rest of our trip, return to
Barcelona Trip Report.
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