After a great meal and good sleep Anna and I headed out towards Italy!
Once again Up we went with very little if any switch backs. I do want to say to anyone wanting too trek the TMB, the signs that tell you distanced until the next stop in hours is a lie, add at least 3 hours to it. Unless you are a UTMB runner. We went up and over Col de la Seigne. At the top is the border to Italy, I couldn’t believe we had backpacked into Italy through the Alpes. We walked down into another valley to Refugio Elisabetta for lunch. The hike up to the Refugio was another steep uphill., but worth the extra up hill. The food was EXCELLENT and the view was beautiful. A must stop!
From here we walked thru a beautiful valley of rivers and waterfalls along with beautiful wildflowers and forest. The road was flat and a great relief until we had to go back up. We headed up a steep ascent towards Courmayeur Italy. After this very steep climb we were once again awarded a dramatic view. This time the Italian Alpes. I was in such wonderment, a great moment of accomplishment and the reason I was there. The descent down to Randonneur was long and steep. We were so tired and thought surely, we were lost again, but we weren’t. Gite le Randonneur is settled at the top of the Courmayeur Ski Resort, Dolonne.
Today we walked 16.6 miles 9 hours. The signs and Kev Reynolds book said; Approximately 6 hours.
Gite le Randonneur du Mont Blanc had a great shower, nice accommodations, with decent food. They speak very little English. 50 Euro for half board. Do not get a picnic if you are going down into the valley of Courmayeur. You can get a great lunch there. If you can plan it, take a day of rest and spend the night in Courmayeur.
Here in Italy the name form Refuge changes to Refugio.
9 hours – 12 miles
