Alps 2022

Alps 2022 On Wednesday, August 24, we left for our trip to the Alps. We took a taxi to the airport and went to the Delta Lounge. We were flying first class, so that was nice. We boarded our 9 hour flight to Paris and right away were served a delicious meal. The beds would go completely flat so we both took naps off and on. At the Paris airport we had a long walk to make our connection and had to be re-screened and go through customs. It all went well and we boarded the plane for Geneva. We arrived in Geneva and took a taxi to the Hotel President Wilson. Our room wasn’t ready so we had to hang out. After resting up for awhile, we headed out along Lake Geneva and ended up at the Cottage Café where we had tapas for dinner. We were back at the hotel by 9 pm. The next day we slept in until 8:30, then had some breakfast at the hotel and walked into town. We took a couple of bus tours around Geneva. We went to the shopping district and had a snack and coffee at the Sophie Café. Back at the hotel, I went for swim in the pool and Diane went back to town for some shopping where she found a piggy bank for Quinn. The next day, Saturday the 27th we had a driver pick us up at the hotel and take us on a tour along Lake Geneva. Our first stop was in Lausanne where we toured the Olympic Museum. After that we boarded a boat that would take us along the shore of the Lake. We left one boat and reboarded another that took us past Montreux to Castle Chillon. We toured this centuries old castle for about 2 hours and then stopped for lunch. We met back up with the driver for our trip back to the hotel. We had dinner out by the pool overlooking the lake and turned in early.

 The start of our Backroads adventure would begin at the bus station in Geneva. There we met our guides, Anna and Hollie and we introduced ourselves to a few of our fellow hikers. We boarded a bus and left Geneva for France. Our first stop was a ski resort outside Megeve. We hiked uphill to our lunch spot at a mountain refuge. After lunch we opted for the longer hike down. The route was very steep and we could feel our toes jamming the ends of our boots. We got to town and opted to hike to the hotel. We were pretty tired by the time we got there. That evening we had a welcome reception where we got to know our fellow hikers. It was followed by dinner and then to bed. We hiked about 8 miles this day!

                                                              

 On Day 2 we had a breakfast buffet and then hopped on a shuttle that took us to a cog train at St. Gervais les Bains. Our stop was in the Col de Voza area that gave us views of Mt. Blanc and a glacier. We had lunch outside at a mountain hut. The hike after lunch, up Mt. Lachat, was a long, steep climb that teased us with 3 false summits. Hollie had sold the hike as “not that strenuous” and we let her know that was not the case. A beer was in order for me after that hike and Anna sensed that and handed me one right away. We got in the shuttle for the ride to Chamonix where we checked in to the Mt. Blanc hotel. Dinner that night was outside at the hotel. It was a great meal and the night was cool and pleasant. We hiked about 7 miles this day. 

                                                                             

 On Day 3 we ascended by cable car to the Aiguille du Midi to 12, 777 feet. The middle needle is a lone needle of rock looming above ice fields and moraine-strewn crags. The cars ascend in two sections. The second section goes up 4500 feet with no pylons in between. After taking in the views, we took the car down to the mid point where we would begin our hike. Diane opted out of this one as her toes were jammed up. The hike took us to a viewpoint where we saw the Mer de Glace glacier. We had lunch on the mountain and then hiked down to the Montenvers railway for a trip into town. Tonight dinner was on our own and we found a charming little restaurant. Hiking distance was about 8 miles.

                                                       

 Day 4 had us leaving Chamonix and taking the Mt. Blanc tunnel to Courmayeur Italy. The tunnel is 7 miles long and was competed in 1965. Once through the tunnel we got on a new cable car that ascended to a glacier field. Outfitted with mountaineering boots, harness, and crampons, we roped up with our guides in teams of 6 or 7. We hiked up the glacier field to an elevation where we had great views of Mt. Blanc, Aiguille du Midi, and the so called Giant’s tooth spire. At the top of our ascent we had a celebratory toast of champagne and a high mountain lunch. We retraced our path back down the glacier encountering the same crevasses we saw coming up. No one fell in! We continued down and said goodbye(Ciao) to our French mountain guides and headed to Courmayeur’s Entreves village. We checked into the Auberge de la Maison, our lodging for the next two nights.

                                                                    

 On Day 5, we hiked up(steep) to the balcony trail that overlooked the valley below. Along the trail were many cows peacefully grazing. Diane was in front of me when we heard what sounded like a stampede. I looked up above us and two steers were fighting with their horns locked together. They were sliding down the hill right towards us. I yelled for Diane to run and we went forward and up just before the two animals crashed across the trail. That got the old heart pumping. We continued hiking up to the Refugio Bonatti, a mountain hut where we had hot soup and polenta with sausages or mushrooms. We continued the hike along the Val Ferret descending to the valley where a chalet awaited us with drinks and snacks. That night we had our farewell dinner at the hotel. Last Day, Day 6. 

                                                     

There was a hike offered that day but with the proviso that it would be a short but steep climb to a viewpoint for one last look at Mt Bianco(the Italian name). I was one of the 6 intrepid hikers(out of 19) who ventured out to hike. It was steep but the views were great and well worth the effort. We got packed up at the hotel and soon left back to Geneva. We said our goodbyes at the airport and took a taxi to our hotel. Diane was regretting not buying the cowbell she had seen before our trip so we set out on the city bus to try and get back to the shop where she first saw it. Fortunately, we found it and got the cowbell for Quinn. This time we opted to take a taxi. We ate dinner at the hotel and went to bed early. We woke up the next morning to get to the airport and start our uneventful journey home. A few of our fellow hikers are worth mentioning. We enjoyed Todd and Amy Rustad from Boise. Todd is an ENT surgeon who coincidently operated on my nephew, Gavin. We had a mutual friend in Mike Curtin who lives in Boise. Bea Miley was a fun and interesting lady. There was Jim and Wendy from Mill Valley, CA. There were several others but these named were the ones we had the most fun with. All in all, it was a pretty good group. Our guides, Anna Caldwell and Holly Howes were outstanding and made the trip even more fun.