LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk Spring 2015 LOCALadk Magazine 33 Stage 7 Champex, Switzerland to Trient, Switzerland Distance: 10 mi Trail time: 7 hrs Waking up in Champex, we looked out the window and saw thick fog and more rain. Unfortunately this poor visibility meant that we had to take the Alp Bovine route, rather than the highly-rated alternate route over Fenetre d'Arpette next to a glacier. The Reynolds book discouraged taking the alternate route in anything other than favorable weather since walking so close to the glaciers led to some tricky terrain on the trail. The fog was consistent throughout the day and it seemed as though we were walking through an enchanted forest. The massive pines appeared eerily out of the mist as we approached them on the trail. We picked our way down to Trient and arrived at the town's famous pink church by midafternoon. ~ Stage 8 Trient, Switzerland to Tre-Le-Champ, France Distance: 8 mi Trail time: 7 hrs We began our ascent up to the Col du Balme immediately, trudging up the seemingly endless switchbacks just to get us out of the valley in which Trient lays. The clouds were low and air cold once we arrived at the Col du Balme, the border between Switzerland and France. Making our way back into France, the weather cleared just in time for our last major hiking day, one that we had been anticipating with excitement ever since we booked our trip. ~ Stage 9 Tre-Le-Champ, France to La Flégère, France Distance: 6 mi Trail time: 7 hrs The trail was forested and winding to start, reminding us of some trails in the high peaks of the Adirondacks. The next mile or so of the trail was a mix of rocky pathways and vertical ladders. As we made our final push to Lac Blanc, we saw a few ibexes playing on the trail that went around the first lake. A few more ladders to climb and we crested the hillside to see the refuge in front of us and the lake shortly beyond. To be at Lac Blanc looking at the valleys, Mont Blanc, and glaciers is an other worldly experience.

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