Day 12 - Chamonix, France - Mont Blanc

I could not have been happier when I looked out my basement window in the morning. I was greeted with clear, blue skies…a perfect day to go up Mont Blanc. This was to be my second time up Mont Blanc and Matt’s first. Here we come…15,781 feet!

We got to the lift early and began the accent. At certain junctions, the cable car would sway back and forth and elicit a few gasps from fellow travelers. On my first accent, it had been bitterly cold (-17 degrees, I literally found out I had freezer burned my lungs from my doctor), so I was more than prepared with warm clothes and heavy thermals. However, at the mid-way exchange point, I was not met with a blast of cold air as expected. There was no wind and it was sunny.

When we finally reached the top, I was again prepared for the bitter cold, but it pleasant…chilly…but nice and the sun felt great. The view into all 4 countries was spectacular. We were both rewarded with an amazing day to experience Mont Blanc. We spent about 2 hours at the top. I would have loved to have tried to hike, but there was much too much snow and ice shoes were necessary for safety on the glacier. Matt, my little flat-lander, was having his fill of the high altitude and was feeling the effects. I’ve never experienced any issues at high altitudes. I think it’s the reward/balance I’m granted in exchange for my being very susceptible to motion sickness.

On the way down, we had wanted to hike from the half way point over to the glacier caves, but the trail was completely snowed over. We had a day pass for all the transportation, so we were able to take the little mountain train over to the glacier caves. The train ride up had a great view, but the motion of the train was rocking me to sleep and I had to fight the desire to close my eyes and cat nap.

The train was built in the early 1900’s as a way to reach the glacier and access a hotel being built there. Unfortunately, when we got to the glacier viewing point, the glacier caves were closed until mid-June. They were currently being prepared for their summer re-opening…again June is not considered summer. The glacier had greatly receded since the 1920s. The top of it was a solid debris field. It certainly was not the pristine glaciers we had become accustomed to seeing in New Zealand.

Upon our return from the glacier, we had intended on taking the lifts up the opposite side of the valley since we had our day pass. The lifts were moving, but they were not taking people up. Of course, they were being prepared for summer opening on June 15^th. So, we have a day pass in our pockets and only 2 things to use them on…good times! The reoccurring theme of “not open until summer” had gotten really annoying. We spent the rest of the early afternoon walking around the town.