Today we went from Refugio Mottets, France to Courmayeur, Italy. Benvenuta. I would say this was a killer day, but thus far they have all been killers. 😂 Today we climbed 2,772 feet, descended 4,911!!, over the course of 16.1 miles and 9 hours. Yikes.
I don’t think the ascents or descents are what get to me, but rather the duration of the day. This was our first rain free day and man do I feel lucky for it since it would have been a shame to miss today’s views. After summiting our first pass of the day, we got a full on view of Mont Blanc completely unobstructed by clouds. Just sensational. Mont Blanc is the clear beauty of the group, but the other mountains are also amazing.
The Alps are, geologically speaking, a young mountain range (somewhere between 44 and 65 million years old), meaning, they have experienced less erosion than other mountains, making their peaks more jagged. So many of the peaks are in the form of a pyramid, often resembling a shark tooth.
We awesomely stopped at Refugio Elisabetta for some cappuccinos and blueberry pie 🤤. Best break of the day, gazing out at the glacier, that is perfectly situated directly behind it, while drinking coffee and eating pie.
We ended our beautiful but long day in Courmayeur. We entered the town as if we were out of central casting for the walking dead, yet ended up at a spa/luxury hotel. Our place has three levels, 5 bedrooms and a jacuzzi big enough for all six of us. Oh yeah. Tempting to spend the rest of the trip here, but onwards.Read more
FranceBourg-Saint-Maurice45°44’38” N 6°47’34” E
FranceBourg-Saint-Maurice45°44’38” N 6°47’34” E