The weather forecast for today’s hike from Champex-Lac to our refugio in Trient was predicted to be a rainy one. Sure enough, it had rained all night and continued through our breakfast. But miraculously, by the time we set out to hike the rain had stopped. The forecast now called for a few hours sans precipitation before the rain returned. Any mile without rain is a good one in my book! So we set out with our packs covered and raincoats on our backs.
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The first few miles were flat and pleasant along a gravel path. I chatted a while with two men (hiking buddies) from Boston and New Hampshire. Even though the skies were cloudy, the scenery was lovely. Little by little, the clouds disappeared and the sun began to emerge.
Leaving Champex-Lac Behind
As the morning wore on, the path became quite rocky and steep. But we found a lovely place for a snack, right on the edge of a stream/waterfall. We also briefly met a group of men from Malta and took their photo.
Near the noon hour, we had to walk through a field of cattle. They had on those traditional giant, Swiss bells. I wonder if the constant ringing is annoying to them?! It’s charming to us. Anyway, there was a little restaurant almost at the very top of the mountain, right next to the cattle. It was called Bovine; elevation 6,519 feet (1,987 m). We were going to stop in, but it was packed, so we pushed on. Eventually, we lunched on some rocks ringing the trail on the way back down.
The route down wasn’t too bad. We reached a small town near the bottom of the mountain, after hiking on a bridge attached to the side of the mountain. There was a souvenir shop there, so I snagged a TMB technical t-shirt. At that point, it began to sprinkle.
Rain, Rain, Go Away
We still had 30 minutes or so to our lodging, Refuge Le Peuty, so we quickened our pace. But the rain soon dissipated and we 
trekked the rest of the way in sunshine. As we neared Trient, the town where we’d be staying, we spotted their famous pink church. Our lodging was at the far end of town.
We arrived early for us – about 2:30 p.m. Check-in wasn’t until 4 p.m., but we had our luggage delivered here and the showers were open, so we cleaned up and enjoyed some beer and wine. Our lodging was on the second floor, above the registration area, and consisted of two levels of platforms where you slept next to each other. I snagged a spot by the wall, with Ed on the other side. He had to have the stranger next to him!
That night, as we ate dinner in a yurt, it poured and hailed. So glad we escaped that! A lovely young woman from Toronto joined us, Christina. All in all, a great day!
Snowshoe
Tour du Mont Blanc Miles Today: =11.6 (18.7 km)
TMB Miles Overall: 85.1 (137 km)
TMB Miles to Go: 24.9 (40.1 km)
Today’s favored gear: My new Keen Shanti camp shoes, which are supportive yet amazingly light.
