HAUTE ROUTE_2013
DAY 1: CHAMONIX (3402 ft) TO REFUGE LES GRANDS (6932 ft)
(Stages 1 and 2 in Key Reynold’s guide book; via Col de Balme, 7231 ft)
We woke up at 6:30am feeling tired and having slept poorly. After making breakfast (bread, butter, jam, coffee, tea) at Mountain Highs Hostel, we made the 15 minute walk to downtown Chamonix and departed the Chamonix train station at 8am for the official start of the Haute Route. Zermatt, our destination, seemed so far away in space and time. After months of preparations, we were both eager and nervous to finally begin the trek.
We walked through a city park and a golf park with great views of Mont Blanc. After steadily gaining elevation through pine forests (Petit Balcon Sud), we arrived in the town of Argentiere. A short snack break and then it was more pine forests with even steeper trails. We ate lunch by the cable car station in Le Tour (4767 ft). The picnic we assembled included a baguette, some stinky cheese, mini sausages, condensed milk in a tube, and chocolates.
After lunch, we slowly hiked to Charamillon (6273 ft) along trails that weaved under cable cars. A few mountain bikers zoomed downhill on nearby trails. The hike to Charamillon was quite tiring and we got a little sunburned. For the record, one of us wanted to take the cable car up to Charamillon, but the other person insisted on walking every step of the Haute Route and not cheating. We finally reached Charamillon and enjoyed a short break with a coke and a Poweraid.
Looking back southwest toward Chamonix and Mt. Blanc, we marveled at dramatic peaks such as Aiguilles Vert, Les Drus, and Aiguille Rouge framed by bulbous clouds and the blue sky. At 3pm we arrived at Col de Balme (7231 ft), the first (and lowest in elevation) of eleven mountain passes we would encounter on the Haute Route, and the boundary between France and Switzerland. One option at this point is to head into the valley directly toward the town of Trient. The more strenuous, alternate route is to stay on high ground and head north and then east toward Fenetre d'Arpette.
The trail on the west face of La Remointse initially passed through some steep snow, but we were not ready yet to take the easy route. So we opted for the alternate route by heading east towards Fenetre d'Arpette and Col de la Forclaz instead of descending into the Trient valley. Because this was our first time hiking through steep snow fields, it was very slow going as we tried to be extra careful. Fortunately, the snow was of just the right softness: not too icy hard and not too soft to induce post-holing.
To our left, the Croix de Fer towered over the barren landscape. In the north, the valley floor was speckled by the cottages of Trient and Le Peuty, hints of civilization. By the time we reached Refuge Les Grand around 6pm, the sun was setting quickly, and we were too hungry and tired to contemplate pushing on to Trient or Col de la Forclaz. The possibility occurred to us that if the refuge was closed we might have to bivy out in the open with no sleeping bags and nothing to eat except a few snack bars. Fortunately the refuge was open!
Jacques, the hut guardian, greeted us with hot soup and rice, which was delicious and rejuvenating. The hut had a wonderful close up view of Glacier du Trient and the Fenetre d’Arpette. We shared some chocolates with Jacques and chatted about our lives and the trail conditions. Because of the late snow in June, Jacques had only opened the hut the week before our arrival. Jacques is a software programmer from Lausanne in his former life and currently enjoys singing in a local choir when he’s not busy providing refuge to hikers at Refuge Les Grands.
After dinner, the clouds increased and it began to rain as the sun finally disappeared behind the valley walls. We helped wash the dishes, then washed some of our dirty socks, and slept very soundly in the loft/attic dortoir space.
Today's totals: 12 miles, 10 hours (door-to-door, including several breaks for lunch, photos, and snacks).