Orsieres, Switzerland, on Friday, July 8, 2016
We enjoyed our last night and breakfast at Hotel l'Union. We walked quickly to the bus stop in fear of missed our bus up to Lac Champex. We made it on time and ascended the mountain on wheels.
The driver dropped us where the trail began and we set out downhill. We branched off to a sloping dirt road through forests and meadows, passing a large group of Korean's on a guided tour of the TMB.
We also passed an American group of ladies from the DC area we had met in Italy and along the trail from La Fouly the day before.
The alpine pastures included cows and sheep, which makes the Swiss mountains feel welcoming in a farmy kind of way.
At the bottom of our descent, the trail began to rise at a gradually increasing slope. Our side of the mountain was covered in shadow in the morning, but we crossed over to the sunny side, causing us to sweat as we worked our way uphill.
As we got closer to the peak of our climb for the day, the valley of Martiny opened up before us, stretching beyond for spectacular views.
My mom and I briefly stopped at a restaurant to change out our socks for a dry pair. This has become a trail ritual to prevent blisters. With the combination of Altra trail runners, merino wool socks, and the daily sock change, I was able to hike the 105 miles blister-free. This "sock switch" trick I had learned from a guide in 2013 on the Houte Route in Switzerland. Apparently, British soldiers are required to change socks at mid-day, and are threatened to be disciplined if they don't. Since blisters are caused by 1) moisture 2) heat and 3) friction, the socks switch helps keep feet dry and cool.
We continued on the path, exiting the pastoral region to a steep, wooded descent on the side of the mountain, overlooking the valley. The drop-off next to the trails were so steep at times, it seemed to be a 90° angle with a sense of vertigo if you looked down. I tried not to think of what would happen if I tripped in the wrong direction.
After hours of hiking, the trail finally led us to Col de Forclaz, where a restaurant supplied a much needed beverage.
My parents caught up, we snacked briefly, before continuing down into the valley of Trient, Switzerland.
We arrived at La Grande Ourse, a hostel type lodging where we shared bunk beds with 3 French hikers.
We arrived with enough time for showers, laundry, a snack, and blogging. Each time we stay at lodging with wifi, I work furiously to upload photos, write, and schedule blogs to post. While blogging in the bar area, we got to meet a couplefrom Philadelphia, Matt and Hilary, who were also on the TMB
For dinner, we were assigned seats at an English speaking table and got to meet a couple from Houston, Theresia and Matthew, also on the TMB.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteIm hiking the TMB with my girlfriend in early September and are doing this exact stage from Orsieres, bussing to Lac Champex and then hiking to La Grande Ourse. Do you recall how long the duration is? Any advice for us? Thank you :)