Day 2 - Chamonix - Grand Balcon
This was our first hike. We did not need to move hotels as we would
end up back at the hotel. The van took us in two groups to the start
of our hike slightly north at Le Praz de Chamonix. The first
portion of the hike was on a road that served a small chalet on the
way up. I learned right away that I was carrying too much in my pack
and was last in the group. The trail was steep going up but was
really representative of what to expect for the balance of the
trip. After the chalet, the trail became a single track.
This was a relatively clear day. Because I was last and was
struggling to keep up, I passed up some good places to take pictures
on the way up. Marina was ahead of me and she did catch most of what
I missed. As we reached the bottom of the ski area, as well as
tree line we had a few snowfields to cross. We traversed across and
descended a bit to another ski area where we had lunch. After lunch
we started our descent back to the hotel. The trail down was
steeper going than the ascent. Marina's ankle and my knee had some
level of pain. The rest of the the group went faster, but Celene
stayed with the three of us. I finished 2 litres of water on
the hike, part of the reason I had a heavy pack. The next day though
I did lighten up the pack considerably.
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This page last updated July 1, 2016