Chamonix

From Provence, we headed to Chamonix, the valley town at the foot of Mt. Blanc. We did the Tour of Mt. Blanc a few years prior, so visiting the charming alpine town was déjàvu all over again. Our two days in the alps was really an opportunity to burn some calories, get the endorphins pumping, and for me in particular, get some recent field experience as I prepare for the Tour of the Jungfrau region with Gabe in a few weeks.

 Day 1: We took the Aguile D'Midi lift to the top of the mountain range, and were quite literally on top of the world. In addition to the scenery, we, at 13,000+ feet felt the effects of altitude, evidenced by our dizziness and shortness of breath. As per the recommendation of Rickey Stevey (I here his followers are called "RICKNICKS"), we did a 2.5 hour hike which ended with stunning views of the Mer de Glacé, Europe's largest glacier. We were pooped afterwards!

Day 2: We did a brief ... very brief ... portion of the TMB, hiking for four hours from Les Contamines to the Col du Bahm. The hike was fairly moderate, and we capped off our two days in the alps with a delicious lunch of omeletes and beer in a Mt. Hut below the Col.

Our experience in Chamonix amped me up for my future hikes through CH with Gabe, and the new addition to our group, Cullen.

An omelet never did taste so good ... @ a Mt. Hut restaurant