TMB Val Ferret balcony path Fri 8 Sep

Up at 6.30am and breakfast at 7am. Left the Hotel Edelweiss in Courmayeur (1224 metres) and walked to the bus station. We caught the Val Ferret bus around 9am and Karen and I alighted at the Grand Jorass camping area while Richard and Yvonne continued on and alighted at Bivio Rifugio Bonatti bus stop. Karen and I found the start of the dirt road which later became a foot track to connect with the TMB track above us almost immediately. This was signposted as route 30. Having ascended route 30 to meet the main TMB balcony track, Karen and I then followed the TMB balcony track. This track contoured up the Val Ferret with spectacular views of the glaciers on the Mont Blanc massif opposite. At one point cows were drinking at stream and one was blocking the path. I climbed around the cow and got past but Karen had wait till it had finished. We then walked behind 7 cows that were also on the TMB path for a significant distance, gradually passing them one by one. When we reached the Rifugio Bonatti (2035 metres) around 12.30pm Karen and I met Richard and Yvonne for lunch.Read more