Tag: mountain pass
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Tour du Mont Blanc: The final climb
It was our final ascent of the Tour du Mont Blanc, which we began July 13. The thick clouds and rain of Saturday afternoon had cleared Sunday when we completed nearly 33,000 feet of climbing and an equal amount of descent over 10 trekking days. As we reached the Col de Balme, Mont Blanc's…
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Tour du Mont Blanc: Up through the clouds
We peeked out our curtain this morning with fingers crossed. The sky was gray, but dry. Perfect! We dashed down to breakfast at 7:00 am, eager to get an early start. We walked through a mostly deserted Champex, guidebook in hand, searching for our trail. We anticipated a bit of a climb today, as we've…
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Tour du Mont Blanc: Time to return to this amazing trail
It was “ciao” to Courmayeur, Italy today after a day of rest in the Alps resort city. The Tour du Mont Blanc has been more than challenging for us, so we needed the break. Walking into a new country was a new experience on Saturday. We heard “buon giorno” more often than “bonjour” almost…
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Tour du Mont Blanc: After struggle, the mountain rewards
From my bottom bunk looking out a small window in a wood-paneled room, I see a glacier and Alpine peaks high above. Our home for tonight, the Elizabetta hut in Italy, is at about 7,500 feet, two miles from the Italy-France border. The only way we could get to this place, as remote as…
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Tour du Mont Blanc: A circular Alpine trek
We will be walking the 110 miles of the Tour du Mont Blanc over the next two weeks, with a couple of breaks. The trek circles Europe's highest peak, which is really a mountain range of Alpine peaks, above 15,000 feet. We are starting in France and will go counter clockwise through Italy and…
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Tour du Mont Blanc: Our challenge begins
We were strongly advised to begin our trek with two gondola rides from Chamonix, taking us more than 5,000 feet up above spectacular terrain to Le Brevant, more than 8,000 feet high. Clouds blocked our view across the valley to Mont Blanc and made visibility poor for most of the day. So, after ascending…
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Three Sisters are a treat to behold
“Like scoops in the world's largest sundae,” the Three Sisters “are served up as the centerpiece of the state's most visited wilderness,” writes William L. Sullivan. Just west of Bend, Oregon, the three 10,000-foot peaks and many lakes offer a plethora of outdoor activities. Sullivan's book, Oregon Trips and Trails, highlights more than 30 pages…
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Sawtooth Mountain Scenery at its Peak
What a beautiful surprise today has been. We're on the road again, driving towards our Park City, Utah destination where we will meet all our kids for a family reunion. In an effort to avoid the endless Nevada landscape, we chose the scenic route…through Idaho. On day two we headed north out of Boise following…
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