TOUR DU MONT BLANC - 2007 - DAY 11

 JUNE 14

Today is our last day on the tour. Freddy decides to leave all of our gear behind in the hotel. He will come later to pick it up.

From Les Houches the trail continues up to Refuge de Bel Lachat. We stop often to admire the view of Aiguille du Midi (3,842m), Mont Blanc du Tacul (4,248m) and Mont Maudit (4,465m). Dome du Gouter and Mont Blanc are hidden in the clouds.

The trail steepens. In some places we have to use steel railings to keep the balance.

We are getting closer and closer to the ridge.

View from the summit of Le Brevent (2,525m).

Descent from Le Brevent is quite steep. Steel ladders and railings help keep the balance.

We have to traverse several snow fields on the way down to Chamonix.

Before we can sit down to well deserved beer.

And that's how the Grand Tour of Mont Blanc ends. We are the second team to finish the tour this season. A young British couple, whom we met in Refuge Walter Bonatti has beaten us by less than an hour. It has been a great experience, made much more enjoyable by Freddy. He was truly the God's gift to us. For eleven days all we had to do was to walk and be happy. Freddy took care of all the bookings, entertained us during the long hiking hours, made sure that we never strayed of the trail and kept Wanda's company for dinners. Without him this trip would have been far more difficult.

But, it is not yet the end of our adventure. Tomorrow, Freddy and I are moving up to Cosmic, a high mountain refuge by Aiguille du Midi, to try for the summit of Mont Blanc the day after.