HAUTE ROUTE_2013
DAY 2: REFUGE LES GRANDS (6932 FT) TO CHAMPEX (4810 FT)
(Stage 3; via Fenetre d'Arpette, 8743 ft)
We woke up to howling winds and sheets of rain battering the windows at Refuges Les Grand. Fenetre d’Arpette, the first truly technically challenging pass of the trip, was barely visible across the valley in the clouds and rain. It was tempting to stay under the warm covers. We had slept in late but still felt exhausted. We discussed the trail conditions over a simple breakfast of crusty bread, butter, strawberry jam, an apple, and hot tea. Because of the bad weather, Jacques did not need to convince us of the wisdom of avoiding Fenetre d’Arpette and instead taking the less technically demanding detour through Alp Bovine.
Off to a late start from Refuges Les Grands (9:45am), we were sad to leave Jacques and the comforts of the warm hut but also eager to get started on the long day ahead. A steep and slippery descent led to Chalet du Glacier (5193 ft), where we bought chocolate bars and sandwiches. The weather started clearing up, and the staff at the Chalet said the conditions over Fenetre d’Arpette were not great but that it was do-able with care. So we changed our minds and decided to tackle the standard route via Fenetre d'Arpette.
The ascent up to Fenetre d’Arpette (8743 ft) started out steep and stayed steep, passing through pine forests, then grassy boulder fields, and finally scree and snow. Several trail runners passed us going down, and a father and son pair of hikers warned us that the descent on the other side of the pass would be steep, snowy, and dangerous. We pushed on, stopping once to eat a sandwich and take in the amazing up close views of Glacier du Trient to the right (south). The rain and wind started to intensify again in the early afternoon. Dark clouds swirled over our heads, and doubtful thoughts swirled in our heads about committing to do the pass.
In good conditions the hike from Chalet du Glacier to the top of Fenetre d’Arpette should only take three hours, but it took us over four, and we arrived at 4pm. At the top of the pass, the descent to the other side began with an steep snow-covered drop-off, with foot prints and signs of people glissading down. We avoid the snow by some 4th/5th class scrambling over wet rocks and muddy scree. The descent from Fenetre d’Arpette continued over snow-covered boulder fields for several hundred meters. The sun peaked through momentarily and a full rainbow materialized, but it quickly dissolved into more sustained rain.
Around 7200 ft Jie fell and slid 20-30 feet in the snow before slamming into a large boulder. She found herself suspended over a gap 15-20 feet deep separating the boulder from the surrounding snow, wedged between the snow and boulder. The snowy terrain continued steeply for at least another 300 feet into the valley and was strewn with numerous sharp rocks along the way. Jie would have seriously injured herself or worse if her fall had not been stopped by the boulder. Instead, she escaped mostly uninjured but a little shaken up.
The descent into Val d’Arpette was long and snowy, with lots of rain, wind, and fog. The poor visibility presented some route-finding challenges, but we never wandered significantly off course. As the snow got softer, we sank into it up to our waist level a few times and were generally slowed by the terrain and post-holing. It was getting dark in the valley, and we were hungry, tired, and started to be concerned about finding our way off the snow.
We finally arrived at Arpette, which had a hotel (“Relais d’Arpette”), around 8:30pm. The descent from the top of Fenetre d’Arpette had taken us 4:30, whereas the sign post said 2:00. Despite the late hour, we knew there would be at least another 30 minutes of daylight, and the trail ahead appeared to be considerably flatter. So we decided to continue onto Champex, Kev Reynold’s suggested end for Stage 3, and arrived at the lakeside village at dusk around 9:15pm. We were given a room at the Pension En Plein Air but missed dinner because we arrived so late. All three restaurants in town were either completely closed or their kitchens had stopped serving food. We finally managed to convince the Hotel du Glacier to make us four ham and cheese sandwiches, for which we were extremely grateful. We wolfed down the sandwiches back in our room with a pink lady apple, some chocolate, and water. They were the best ham & cheese sandwiches we’ve ever had. We hung up our soaking wet clothes and gear, enjoyed our first hot showers in two days, and went to bed around midnight extremely tired and glad to be alive.
8 miles, 11.5 hours.