Mt. Blanc

In the mid eighties Vicki and I and our friend Fred Blumenstein hiked the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt with a Chamonix Mountain Guide.  Before the hike we spent a couple of days in the beautiful alpine village of Chamonix with Mt. Blanc looming overhead. My guess is that most people who stay in that town say at some point, “I wonder what it would be like to climb Mt. Blanc?’ which at 15,700 feet is the highest mountain in Western Europe.

 

Vicki and I were no different, and in the early 90’s, after hiking in the Dolomites in Northern Italy for a week, we took a train to Chamonix to attempt to climb Mt. Blanc. We had hired a Chamonix Mountain Guide, and we arrived in Chamonix fit and ready.

 

The climb, which would take two days, began by riding a ski train partway up the mountain. We then began several hours of hiking through an intense boulder field. The sun was hot, and the hiking was difficult. Finally we arrived at he edge of the glacier, where sat our home for the night. The mountain refuge housed more than a hundred climbers and guides... We were assigned two body width spaces for sleeping and provided a supper. The scene was chaotic, but our guide made sure we had what we needed.

At 1:00 AM the refuge woke up, and we all began roping up, putting on crampons, and turning on our headlamps. Soon I heard the rhythmic sound of boots on hard snow, as we hiked up the glacier. The walking was much easier that yesterday’s hike through the boulder field. Lines of people were spread out across the glacier. The glare of the headlamps made it seem as if many caterpillars were winding their way up the glacier.

The reason for the early start was to take advantage of the hard snow, which is easier and safer to walk on than snow softened by the summer sun. After a few hours we reached “windy corner”. I struggled to put on my Gortex pants, which would be necessary to fend of the cold air on the exposed ridge above. Finally we began climbing along the ridgeline. Though it looked dicey, my crampons kept me securely on the snow below, and I felt very comfortable. The scenery was wonderful, and soon we came to a flat place, the summit of the mountain. It was 6; 00 AM of so, and the day was clear. I could see Mt. Paradiso in Italy, and the dramatic Matterhorn in Switzerland.

After taking pictures we began the walk down to the refuge, where we had lunch. Then we hiked back through the boulder field to the mountain ski train station. We arrived at our hotel tired but happy. Dinner was excellent, and sleep was welcomed.

The next day we took a train to Kandersteg, Switzerland. We were staying at a hotel recommended by friends we had met on a past trip. It seemed surreal to be sitting by the pool eating a delicious lunch, when 24 hours earlier I had been walking down a glacier.