Tour du Mont Blanc: Random thoughts, snippets and everything else

Serendipity

While all the planning and training can be owned by us to the best of our ability, a whole lot of factors have to align to make this hike happen. I was blessed by the weather Gods, there was no rain on the trail for me, just rain at night to cool off the air for the next days. 

There were hikers around me who had to drop or change their plans due to injured knee, food poisoning etc. There was a hiker who had to be air lifted as she fractured her arm from a fall. These people were not necessarily less fit or committed to the hike than me. Any of these could have been me, and I'm grateful that the universe conspired to keep me safe.

On days that I was extra tired, something extra nice seemed to happen. Mostly, this was just having friendly hikers and happy conversations at the refuge, sometimes the music of the cowbells that were so calming. On the day 9, I was most exhausted and that's the day I got a private room, and the lady at the refuge offered me a cup of coffee - just what I needed! She turned out to be of Indian origin - from Pondicherry, and she told me all about her grandma who still lives there.

There was the case of the awkward platform beds at Elisabetta and Martha and Leanne coming to my rescue with their private roo.

The case of the lost hat, which led to so many kindnesses.. I was first given a straw hat for free, and then Theresa loaned me her hat. 

And so many more moments that didn't register.  The apt response to completing this hike, as with any other hikes in nature, is gratitude. 

What really matters

During the 10 days on the hike, majority of my mental capacity and bandwidth went towards putting one foot in front of the other (sometimes above, sometimes below!), and that left minimal bandwidth for anything else. I came to realize that what was in my mind during these days was what ultimately matters - my family, friends, eating wholesome food, taking care of my physical self. What was not in my mind was everything else: Work, house, incomplete chores, possible complications in future, things said by so-and-so that bothered me, clothes, style. There was a moment when someone asked me which cross road from the freeway I took for my home, and I couldn't remember! While this state of mind and acute focus on what really matters was just temporary - for those 10 days, it was a kind of spiritual awakening to experience this. 

Remembering the Why

This was a hard hike, there's no minimizing that fact. In moments when the going was tough, it was important to remember why I was on the trail. My first and foremost why was to enjoy the alpine beauty of this region. I knew that I was not doing this hike to document an achievement, nor was I doing this to keep my life easy. I was prepared to work hard to achieve my why, but at the same time, I wanted to take care of myself. I let my why guide me on so many decisions on the trail - do I want to take a gondola to avoid a steep descent - Yes. Do I want to take a bus to avoid a whole day of hiking? No. Do I want to hike the harder variant that has insane ascent and descent that will leave me no bandwidth to enjoy the views? No. Of course, it was easy to remember the why on the trail when the beauty was all around me all the time - when I'm puffing and panting on a steep ascent and asking myself what was I thinking to put myself through this, I just had to look up, and I had my answer.

I also kept in mind that another person's why may be different from mine, and so the actions each person takes is not a universal right or wrong. Each person's yardstick is theirs alone.

My Favorites

Refuge:  Elisabetta. Perfect location, great vibe, friendly people, great food.. Only thing not perfect was the dorm situation, and thankfully I was not subjected to that.

A close 2nd was Rifugio Monte Bianco. Both in Italy!

Day on the trail: This is a difficult one to answer, as everyday was awesome. If I had to pick a day or a few, I would go with the days in Italy - Elisabetta to Courmayeur and Courmayeur to Bonatti. The views were stunning on both these days, but so were the views on most other days. I think what sets Italy apart was the food and language - great coffee, hot chocolates and the lyrical Bonjourno kept my heart singing a a step in my foot.

Food: Lunch at Elisabetta - the ravioli in a buttery sauce, yogurt and ice cream at Gite Alpage de la Peule. And all the cappuccino and hot chocolates in Italy. And the worst: Coffee at Bonhomme and dinner at Rifugio Chapy Mont Blanc

Lunch Spots

Just showcasing my lunch spots, just because they are so pretty and need to be documented. 

The People

When I decided to hike Tour du Mont Blanc, it was for the alpine scenery, the luxury of sleeping in a bed and having shower each night on a long distance hike, and for amazing food. One thing that was conspicuously absent from the list of motivators was people. I'm an introvert and secure in my own company, so doing a solo hike for 10 days wasn't a daunting aspect. However, I must say that one of the best aspects of this hike was people - meeting random strangers from around the world with whom I had a common bond for these 10 days. Since most people do this hike in 10 days, I ran into the same people each day and we became a trail family of sorts.. With some of these people, I spent multiple nights in refuges, with some, it was just a passing hello, but one thing I never felt on the trail was lonely.

Even before the hike started, I met Carol, my colleague from Apple, in Chamonix. She had just completed the hike and was providing me a wealth of information about the hike. It's thanks to her that I had energy gels in my pack which was a necessary pick-me-up on some of the steep uphills.

On the bus to Les Houches, I met Holly and Rocko, a friendly effervescent couple. 

On the trail the very first day, and many days after, I met Abby and Bailey, cousins by choice. 

There was Bridget and Jim, inspiring in their ability to do this hike at their age, and Jim would stop and chat with all the hikers no exception while Bridget would patiently wait afar.. 

Martha and Leanne, the couple from Sacramento, who I believe are now my friends. They rescued me from the awkward bunk situation in Elisabetta and shared their private room with me, and hiked with me for much of the next day. Too bad our paths didn't cross after Courmayeur, but I'm sure our paths will cross in life.

Teresa and Nica, who were great company at Elisabetta. Teresa was the kind soul who loaned me her hat for the last 2 days on the trail

Lara, who was in my refuge most nights. In a trail where everything was new everyday, having one constant was such a comfort. It helped that she is a sweet, friendly girl too. 

The 3 men from Holland whose name I don't know, but we were leap-frogging each other on the trail, and I'm sure they were looking out for me. They would be resting until I arrived, and only after they see me would they continue on the trail. I felt their protectiveness keenly.

There was Di, a friendly interesting soul from China, living in Austria. 

Thora - a 22 year old, adventuring confidently on her own.

The 68 year old lady from Korea, who was so affable and unleashed a never-ending torrent of Korean at me, with so much gestures that I understood everything she was saying! She was doing this trip with her husband and daughter to celebrate the husband's 70th birthday.

Heather and family, and her friend Erin and family. I first met Heather and her husband during a training hike at Sanborn county park. She recognized me on the trail and we hiked together for a bit. 

Prakash and Pragnya - a father and daughter from Seattle. Pragnya is a high school senior, sweet girl. She offered to take my bag at the ladders section, which I refused, but still! They were part of a large group, I chatted with a few others in their group too.

I'm sure I'm missing some folks, but all these people, their kindness, quirks, life stories and passions made my hike so much richer.