After two weeks traveling through some countries in Europe, Sylvinho and I had to encounter Ludo and Matthias in Les houches, a city in the Alps where we had to start an adventure that would be once again hard.
The day before we were busy filling our backpacks with all the material that seemed useful to us, we wouldn’t miss anything for a whole week, but we didn’t want to carry more than necessary. Matthias, who was the least used to it, didn’t know where to start, besides that the room seemed a mess to us because there was food, technical materials, and also surviving material in case of something serious happens everywhere. When we finally made the preparations done, we went to a restaurant for what was our last dinner …
After a last and good night in a bed, a last shower, we take our backpacks of more or less thirteen kilos for each one of us to the starting point.
We were in good shape, ready to fight the mountain for a week, in fact it was our goal. Mentally I was at the top because in the mountains I feel good, despite the difficulties of the parcour.
The first day, the adventure already underway that the road put us in trouble with its slopes that were to me still « easy » to climb, as soon as the first day we started walking in pairs, I mean, Ludo and I in front followed by Matthias and Sylvinho , and in fact we kept hiking like this the other days. That day gave us very good sencations, so we weren’t hungry, Ludo’s knee didn’t hurt him, we realized that Sylvinho’s solar charger was working well and Matthias, who was the outsider, followed us well, we found the first cows of the way and many people, the funny thing is that each person greeted us smiling, as if they weren’t suffering and that although they were raising to the peak …
But we were thirsty, and because of pollution we couldn’t fill our canteens with water from the river in the Les Houches region so on the way we passed by a store to buy some bottles, but I also bought something that was going to make us very happy , a saucisson… At approximately six in the afternoon, for the first time, we knew the joy of removing the backpacks from our backs to put up the tents, however we already started to be hungry, so we started to cook some rations while Ludo was collecting some mushrooms.
On day two, I woke up with a big bite on my stomach that made me itch but I didn’t have time to analyze it, we only had a few minutes to have breakfast before starting the day. We started with a col, a col that we climbed for five hours, with the heat of the day, the difficulties of the road, I think it was that day that we realized what the famous Mont Blanc trail was … And also, that there was still people who using donkeys to carry their backpacks …
Behind each mountain we were very excited thinking that the peak had arrived, but no, a little more effort was needed for us to reach it. We took regular breaks to drink and eat a power bar, when noon had finally arrived, we stopped for a whole hour, time to cook some semolina while Sylvinho was playing with his drone.
At the beginning of the afternoon we kept climbing, it was so hot that Ludo and I wanted to throw ourselves in the snow, although we didn’t do it, because we had to make a detour to reach it. Finally, we reached the peak in the middle of the afternoon, we were very happy but it was time to go it down … I won’t talk about the women who always doubled Ludo and I for shortcuts although I had wanted to know those shortcuts. But the important thing is that we got down to a farm where we bought a piece of Beaufort (cheese), I think we made Sylvinho and Matthias very happy with that when they found us.
But I think the best moment of each day was when we found a place to put our tents, the top was when there was a river near the camp to cook and of course to have a wash.
The third day we had to climb the Col de Seigne and in this way cross the Franco-Italian border, so just like last day, we started with a col, we were going at a certain pace, except that at a moment we had to stop and wait before keep walking over the road because of a herd of sheep passing by and well guarded by the shepherd’s dogs. After the parade of the sheep we came back to the path well determined and when we reached the top, of course we were very happy for having reached the peak and to change countries, but what happens is that I was waiting for something to mark the border, physically, like a line or a flag with the colors of the country or something like that, but I wasn’t disappointed because we were going to go through the best part of the trail according to the legend.
I almost started the descent from Italy with a slip on the grass admiring the wonderful landscapes of the country, we also had to stop for a while because Ludo’s back was hurting him, I think we began to feel the weight of the backpacks …
The midday stop was very important, we had to regain a lot of energy before jumping into another climb. Once again we went up for a few hours, when we felt exhausted we took a break, with an energizing bar, a greeting to the pastor before coming back to the road.
Up, one of the best views I have seen of the adventure, mountains, ice, snow, lakes, everything that was needed to our eyes pleasure was there, we stayed a few minutes before starting the feared climb of Courmayeur.
Because Courmayeur is a city, there we planned to fill our backpacks with food again so by this way we could survive and above all we could eat a giant pizza in a restaurant, in fact I think the pizzas were the biggest we have eaten in our life. What a pleasure eating so much!
It was already late, a storm was getting closer so we had to find a place to camp and quickly, the matter is camping in Italy is prohibited below two thousand meters high, so the place had to be well hidden. We found it and as soon as we got inside it was starting to rain … It rained the whole night but when we got up in the morning the sun was already came back.
On the fourth day, I don’t think it is necessary to tell them that we started with a col because y’all already know it … But this time a different col, a path only surrounded by trees, there I have seen a bear footprint, in fact it couldn’t be another thing than a bear … We got to the top and we kept going forward on a more or less flat path to the bottom of a shelter where we planned to stop for the daily break, what happend is that below the shelter I felt that I lacked energy, I sat down, I ate a bar and made my way back to the shelter where we removed our heavy backpacks. No matter how well decorated it may be, at that time I didn’t like my backpack anymore …
An hour had passed and it was time to get back on the road, after some more or less flat parts, a plant that gave me itch and from a descent we came back on a climb to reach the Grand col Ferret, there was the Italian-Swiss border. Before going up we had to wait for Sylvinho and Matthias but after having waited more or less thirty minutes we couldn’t wait any longer, it was windy and we wanted to reach the peak to end the day …
At the beginning we went up well, we had a lot of strength, energy and nothing could stop us, but, after an hour we felt a bit of fatigue, not without difficulties we reached the peak, and by this way Switzerland, where it was so cold that as soon as we got there we had to change our clothes for much warmer ones, and instead of waiting around for Sylvinho and Matthias, Ludo and I decided to put the tents a little lower. When Sylvinho and Matthias got there, they took some photos, Matthias called his mother, we went into the tents, we ate a preparation with beans, prickly pear, wheat and that’s it. see you tomorrow.
On the fifth day, Matthias and I got up early, we woke up at five in the morning, more or less, barely awakened that Matthias told me « It might be the time for breakfast? », We were really hungry so we really wanted to open the package of Muesli to feel the sweet taste of cereals. When we finally found the courage to leave the tents, we followed the road to Ferret, a small town in Switzerland where we planned to eat before starting an afternoon that became to be one of the most difficult of the adventure … we started the evening softly, that’s to say that despite the heat, the road was still calm, especially that we found a lot of blueberries, which I ate to fill me with the energy that was beginning to be lacking, and when we got under the « fenêtre d’Arpette », we knew It would be a challenge, I put my away, sticks in my backpack, it’s was obvious that they wouldn’t be useful to us and we climbed over the stones with the aim of reaching the peak without any damage, the weight of the backpack was an enemy, it threw us behind and sometimes we almost fell back, although It didn’t rain as much as expected, but the little that had fallen from the sky made the stones slippery …
No matter how proud and happy we were when Ludo and I reached the peak, we were worried because we didn’t know how far Sylvinho and Matthias were, after having chatted with a couple, we decided to keep walking down the peak and by this way quickly find a place to spend the night.
We found a place, we repeated the daily task of putting up the tents and we waited for Sylvinho and Matthias even though we already knew they wouldn’t be happy … Matthias, who a falling stone almost killed him, got there angry, he had to break his frustration, and he did it. We have known each other for a long time with Matthias, so I already knew what would his reaction be…
On the sixth day we got up with motivation, and it’s for that reason that we told ourselves that it couldn’t be worse than the last day … But we were so motivated to move forward that we made a mistake on the way, fortunately we quickly noticed our mistake and came back to the right way.
The first col reminded us that it wasn’t a walk, but a challenge, although the path was easier than last day, once again it was full of col … to reach the Col de Balme, which is the border of the Back to our country, the road seemed so long that we had the feeling of staying in the same place, when we finally arrived, we hurried up to a shelter to eat a dish worthy of our adventure, but I won’t say what it was, it’s a secret.
Although eating in a restaurant was such a pleasure,, the day wasn’t over, in fact the climb to the White Lake was also a challenge, we already knew that it would be difficult so we prepared ourselves mentally before, and when we started it, we were clear, We were going forward eager, without raising our heads, I had a song in my head, I was in my world and I didn’t allow myself to be distracted by anything surrounded us. Except that in the middle of the col, I heard some girls who were already going down saying that they will never do the Mont Blanc trail, for the reason that going up that col has discouraged them, so at that moment I told myself that the lake was still far away .
After some stairs, we reached the lake, a gift from nature, with Mont Blanc in front of our tents, despite the wind, the last night seemed pleasant, we finished the peanut butter and got into the bags about sleeping.
The last day I woke up with a very heavy weight on my legs, each step was hard for me, each part was an effort, each slope hurt me, it was difficult although we had almost finished the tour, I realized that we put our bodies to a rough test Ludo hit his sticks against a stone, it was time to finish.
We finished it at noon in a shelter, in a restaurant, the three of us sat at a table, I say the three of us because Matthias wanted to stay alone, a whole table for Chief Matthias, away from us, that’s not surprising when you know Matthias. The important thing is that it didn’t bother the waitress.
And now, we have already done it, one hundred and sixty kilometers with eleven thousand meters of unevenness, seven days to be hungry, to fight with tiredness, to laugh, to suffer, to talk, to be silent, to overcome, to discover oneself.
We took a bus to Les houches, a bus where Ludo forgot his walking sticks, arrived at the flat, I took the longest shower of my life, and after that, Matthias and I went to the store to buy food, bread with charcuterie and cheese for him, and cereal with coconut milk for me, at dinner we had a bottle of wine with charcuterie before going to the restaurant, I ate so much that day that I went back to the flat with a stomach ache, we went to bed , a pleasure after having slept in a sleeping bag for seven days.
A full adventure, now I have other projects than expeditions, but I’ll come back, and the next time it may be in the jungle, so by this way I could leave my comfort zone once again.
Thanks for reading.
Lucas.
Black ace adventures 