TMB Stage 4: Cabane Du Combal to Courmayeur

Sunday, July 3, 2016, we awoke in Italy in a mountain cabin called "Cabane du Combal", close to Courmayeur.  We got ready and enjoyed some breakfast with our new friends from New Jersey.  We debated whether or not to stay for a rest day in the mountains, but decided to move forward one more day.  

Our trailhead for stage 4 started next to a small lake with a view of the east side of Mont Blanc.  This scenic route continued to reveal more and more of the mountain faces, and the view was breathtaking.  

We ran into Dorothee and said goodbye for the last time as she zoomed past in a race against the Canadian hikers.  

We stopped at a mountain restaurant where we enjoyed some beverages and a picnic of sandwiches in the sun.  

We headed back on the trail heading down into the Val Veny, the valley where we would stay.  Our descent got steeper and steeper until we were in the heat of the day, exposed to the blazing sun.   

Imagine a thousand stair steps going down a mountain.  Now increase the height of each step to be taller than the normal step-- just enough to be uncomfortable.  Now multiply that by 6.  This was our knee grinding climb down into Courmayeur.  I went ahead of my parents and got the first beer I could find.

Once they arrived, we went through a small town called Dolonne. It has unique narrow streets that weaves through stone houses.  We crossed the river to Courmayeur. 

We went straight to the Tourism Office and ran into our English friend Kevin-- who was finishing his tour with his son.

We reserved a room at a 4 star hotel called "Cresta et Duc".  As we arrived, I had false scare that I had lost my journal, but later my dad found it deep in my pack.  Losing something important on the trail is a constant fear.

After showers and laundry in the bathroom sink, we walked down into Courmayeur for dinner at the Tunnel Pizza restaurant.  We polished off the evening with Gelato and an agreement that this was the town in which to take a  to take a rest day.