From refuge Elisabetta to Courmayeur
Mornings in the huts is a hectic affair, and Elisabetta is no different. Bathrooms, breakfast, collecting items from the dry room (Elisabetta has a particularly good one, which I accidentally got locked in last night. It has three doors, two of which it turns out, open only from the other room. I had to get out of the third door which I barely managed to open and hike around the building in the last moments before sunset). This morning's topic of conversation: how to get to Courmayeur. Some people are hiking down the valley to catch the bus, others are considering the full route. I'm in no hurry to make it to Courmayeur as I selected to have a day off tomorrow (and I've been there before), so I pack my bag and head out.
Shoe room. Did I mention there's no hiking shoes allowed in the huts?
It's a gentle hike down along a gravel road into Val Veny. The vally is wide, and the road is dotted with small pools. It looks as if it's a flood plain. 45 minutes brings me to junction - left into the Combal hut and the small lake above it, right up into the trail. I take right and start the climb. A donkey covered in red water-resistant bags is behind me, with its handler and a guided group. I will see it's brothers or sisters along the route on and off, as there are several companies offering this service.
The path heads up and up and up until about 2/3 along the way to the top. You can see Lac Combal on the other side, its color stunning in the sun. This is where I meet the American girls I met on the first day. They were also struggling. Turns out they made it to Les Contamines that first day, and fearing the 1200+ ascent of the second day, took a very expensive taxi to take them around to Mottets.
From here now it's mostly an even horizontal path, a stroll above the valley. I stop for an early lunch at the small Lago Checrouit, finishing the supply I bought at es Contamines a few days ago.
As I near Plan Checrouit I can see more signs of civilization, mostly in the massive pylons scattered around. This is a ski area, and there are cable cars everywhere. There are also increasing numbers of day hikers, identified by the lack of a large backpack. The local tourism board put some fun artifacts along the way, directing your attention to the Mont Blanc range just across the valley: large mirrors encouraging you to take a "selfi" with the mountain, simple wooden pipes directed at specific locations on the range serving as low cost binoculars.
Rifugio Maison Vieille is a busy hut, of the kind that does most of its business off day hikers coming from lunch. It has a great outdoor sitting area, and I take no time in finding myself a spot, taking of my shoes and ordering Aperol spritz and tiramisu, only to be disappointed that they ran out ! I order a blueberry pie instead. It's the season, and you can see wild blueberries everywhere, if you pay attention.
It's also Grasshoppers season, and around me on the grass there are thousands of them hopping around. Every step scatters dozens, and they make a not- unpleasant background noise. It's the end of summer, and nature here is hectic.
I'm in no hurry, but after a pleasantly long break I move on to the infamous descent into Courmyour. I've been here before, hiked up to Maison Vieille on a day hike, and I remember it as a challenging ascent, but nothing out of the ordinary. In forums and blogs I've read before the trip this is referred to as a descent to be missed if possible, but the cable car into Dolonne is no longer running, so onwards and downwards.
After a short hike through the ski slop, the path enters the forest, and its a mix of stairs and switchbacks all the way down. It's long, and for those with knee problems, I can see why this will be a challenge. I can already see the village of Dolonne right below me, and i'm willing for this descent to end, but there's still 30 more minutes before I make it to the gravel road taking me into the village. Dolonne is a charming little village of narrow streets and stone buildings. Having been here before, I elected to spend the night here rather than in Courmayeur (which is right across the river).
I check into a room (by myself, wo ho! - no snoring !), go in search of food only to discover that on this random Tuesday the few places in Dolonne are closed, and as I make my way to across the river (10 minutes on foot), so are the restaurants in Courmayeur. I find myself in line to the one open place, when my roommates from the night before - three very nice South Africans - arrive as well, and we start chatting. After I wonder out loud about my chances of scoring a table for 1, they invite me to join then and we have a lovely dinner discussing politics and religion and travelling. This is the nature of hiking life - you meet people, you bond with them and you never see them again.
I make my way back to the hotel slightly drunk with a stomach full of great pasta. Tomorrow I have a day off, and I suddenly wish I didn't. I want to push on. I feel my body getting stronger, and nothing hurts. But the huts are already reserved, and tomorrow my brother joins me !
Pro tip: maps. You don't really need a map to navigate the TMB. It's well marked. At the same time, I can't understand people who relay solely on trail blaze or digital maps they've downloaded from someone else. These digital navigation files only show you the trail itself. In the Alps there are 100's of trails, and having a paper map or at least a digital one with all the options in the region could be anything from beneficial if you want to cut your day short or life saving if you get lost. There are two maps covering the TMB, and they are not too expensive. At the very least, download a regional map from one of the navigation sites. I've paid for a month-long subscription for outdooractive, which worked great.
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