TMB Day 8: Combal > Courmayeur | Allison’s Wanderlust

A very short day was planned for today so I drew out breakfast with a long conversation with Emma about hiking. I finally hit the trail about 8am but stopped so frequently as the views in the morning light were magnificent.

*Morning pack up. We had to leave our backpacks outside in big lockers overnight and use little bins to take what we needed inside (to minimize dirt & bedbugs)*

*The morning after! Yesterday’s stormy col is crystal clear today. The trail is to the left of the little peak in the center, Refugio Elisabetta is right under it*

Once again the TMB started straight up a hill. I’ve 500 meters to climb today and it’s all at the beginning. However it’s only a ~3h hike so I tried to be the slowest one on trail, savoring the incredible views. Mont Blanc was my constant companion today, towering over my left shoulder.

*I spent ages watching the little cloud grow and dissipate above Mont Blanc*

@ 2 miles and 1h30m I reached the high point of the day with it’s amazing panorama of the Mt Blanc range. I sat there for the longest time, soaking in its majesty, feeling so privileged to have such perfect conditions….

I finally got a move on and started descending on a balcony path towards Maison Vielle and as I was doing so high clouds rolled in, drawing a close to the golden hour for photography.

*My new friend* *wants to share my cake!*

The balcony path led down to the treeline and I passed under ski lifts and across ski slopes as I dropped down to the refugio.

Unwilling to leave the mountain I stayed for a beer and pasta before taking the chairlift then cablecar down to Courmayeur to find my hotel for the next three nights.