Today I had one more hike I was determined to do, one that I’d been unable, due to time and weather, to walk on my last visit to Chamonix in 2013: the Great Balcon Nord.
One of the big advantages of this particular hike is that a lot of the heavy lifting is done by the cable car (to Plan de l ‘Aiguille) (up), and the Montenvers railway (down). So you can have the benefits of a high mountain walk without having to climb and descend 1000 metres under your own steam. Essentially it’s the opposite side of the valley to where I was yesterday, but higher up, so compensating me in a way for missing the high level route on the last two days of the Tour.
My first pleasant surprise was bumping into Mark and Amanda, from Southern California, at the foot of the Aiguille du Midi cable car, and who I’d first met way back in Bourg St Maurice in the early days of the trek. They were taking the spectacular trip up to the very top (a further cable car ride from where I was going) and across on the Helbronner gondola to Italy. Hopefully, Mark and Amanda, as a result of our chance encounter, you are now reading this, and I sincerely hope you are able, one day, to fulfil your ambition to visit Scotland. And I’d be delighted to help you with some ideas, for hikes or show you places to visit, that you might not otherwise have known about if you do. Remember, just get in touch!
We were booked on differently timed cable cars, so I left Mark and Amanda and was whisked up to Plan d’Aiguille for the start of my hike. And what a fabulous walk it was. If the Tour du Mont Blanc is one of the top multi day hikes in the world (more on that later), then the Grand Balcon Nord must be up there as one of the top day hikes in the Alps.
At first mainly level, or gently descending, with spectacular views back to Mont Blanc and other mountains ahead, as well as down into the valley, it was perfect. Meant to take only about three hours, I savoured the hike and took it slowly – it ended up taking me more like five, with a few stops along the way. About two thirds of the way into the hike- which on paper was only about six kilometres in total – I took the recommended route to Signal Forbes, climbing via a series of rocky zig zags to a pinnacle where you had a view down to the glacier, Mer de Glace, near Montenvers, my finishing point. From high up, and from my own recollections, I could already see that the glacier has shrunk incredibly over the last few years, and was less a pure white swirl of ice, but more a grey, muddy remnant of its former self.
There was one long final series of switchbacks, descending for the very last time for me on this trip before I finally I reached the relative bustle of Montenvers. As the (very expensive) cable car/mountain railway ticket I’d bought also had a visit to the ice caves thrown in, I took the further gondola downhill, and then down the steps to see. We’d visited here as an family thirteen years ago, but from the signs showing how high the glacier used to be at different times, some 200 steps had been added just in the last eight years at the foot of the gondola to reach the now much lower down glacier, so much had it receded.
The ice caves are a manmade construct – tunnels in the glacier and sculptures carved out each year to make an interesting touristic diversion, but one that’s been done now for many, many years. For how much longer I wonder, with the glacier shrinking so much every year? Will there be anything left to carve a cave or sculptures from in a few years’ time?
From that somewhat depressing thought, let me return to the subject of the blog, the Tour du Mont Blanc itself. Does it live up to all the hype? Is it truly one of the great treks of the world?
Of course, any view is subjective, but in my humble opinion the answer to both is definitively: yes. It has some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in Europe, the tallest mountain, the trail is tough but accessible, and I have yet to meet anyone who has been disappointed by it. Yes, people may say it’s harder than they expected, or they may quibble with the logistics or particular accommodation experiences they had, but no-one goes away thinking, that was disappointingly unspectacular, do they, surely?
And I think it goes deeper than that. Not only is it something very special, but it’s something that you have to invest effort, time, money and commitment into, if you want to enjoy it at the time, have fond memories of, and feel proud of your achievement. So not just like holidaying on the beach or being a city tourist.
What never ceases to amaze me is the sheer variety of mountain scenery there is- the differences in shapes of the mountain, types of rock, terrain, vegetation, wildlife, foliage, water, light, climate, not to mention the variety of ways in which humanity has affected and modified that environment, such as agriculture and pathways.So it’s new, even if you are familiar with other mountain ranges. It’s impressive, and I think for me and many others, it is humbling and emotional to be surrounded by such grandeur and beauty. I firmly believe that being around nature, for many people, uplifts, and emotionally affects you.
I rather enjoy hiking on my own and not seeing anyone for hours on end, being alone with my thoughts and absorbing the surroundings. So at first the sheer volume of people doing the Tour took some adjusting to. But what undoubtably has been the case is that sharing the experience with others- who you know are doing it for similar reasons as you- has only added to the experience. As well as the people I’ve mentioned, there were numerous occasions when I exchanged a few words or thoughts with others along the trail, and I’m sure the same goes for other people too. We’ve all shared in a common endeavour. It may not be a pilgrimage, but there is something in sharing in a common a journey to the same goal that brings us together.
So, what did I consider were the highlights?
For me, top was Day 4, high above Courmayeur, spending much of the day on a flat or undulating high path between Refugio Bertone and Bonatti. But there were many others too: the high country between Col du Bonhomme and Col de La Croix du Bonhomme on Day 2; the descent on Day 3 from Cabane du Cambal to La Visaille; beautiful Val Ferret on Day 5; the valley walk on the alternative route on Day 8 around Vallorcine; and the views of the snow capped Mont Blanc and the Aiguilles walking through the forest along the Petit Balcon Sud on Day 10. But they are just highlights. And going up was often beautiful too, it’s just sometimes you didn’t appreciate it at the time!
And how much did I walk? Not the full 10,000 metres of ascent and descent and 143 km for sure, but a fair share of it. By my calculation, using the GPS, I did 7,300 up, 7,000 metres down and 142 km or 88 miles in total, if you include my Grand Balcon Nord. Or to put it in Scottish terms: one Ben Nevis (1345 m, 4413 ft); two other ‘munros’ (climbs over 3000 feet); a ‘Corbett’ (climbs over 2,500 feet); and two ‘Grahams’ (climbs over 2,000 feet). It certainly felt it.
Where does leave me? What is there left to do?
What the Tour Du Mont Blanc has taught me is that, with some little adjustments, it was within my capabilities, something that I’d often had my doubts about. But I know that it’s about my limit. There are many, many multi day hikes that are less difficult, strenuous, involve less consistent climbing that I still haven’t done. And those that are harder and/or involve carrying your own gear, like Corsica’s GR 20 or the John Muir Trail I know are beyond what I’m capable of or prepared to tolerate. So it’s a useful benchmark too.
Of course there are many, many more day hikes, anyway – far too many for anyone to do all in a lifetime. I’ll just keep looking for ideas and variety, and finding ways to enjoy some of the world’s most beautiful places, in the best way you can, on foot.
As I sign off, can I say thank you to everyone that’s encouraged me, contacted me through the blog, through messages and on the trail. Thank you to my fellow Tour hikers. Thank you to my family for tolerating my hiking ambitions. And especially thank you to everyone who’s donated to my fundraiser in aid of Fauna and Flora International. It’s a good cause, and one very dear to my heart, so if anyone is reading this has enjoyed the blog and hasn’t but would like to donate, you can find the details here
https://www.justgiving.com/page/larry-honeysett-2
Maybe I’ll do another blog one day, maybe not. Time will tell.
My Tour du Mont Blanc journey 