TMB Day 2 - Auberge du Truc to Col du Croix du Bohnhomme France - 21 km, 1,500 meter elevation gain - 9hrs, one way, up and down with some wildlife encounters.
Waking in the dark I placed my petzl light on my head and clambered out of my top bunk. The cold mountain air quickly chilled me and I stayed in my sleeping clothes as I made my way to the main room of the refuge for 630am breakfast. The smell of French coffee perked my spirits as my body was seriously under slept.
I remained in my alpine pajamas as my hiking attire was still damp from my sweat from the climb the previous day. I soon after set out for a descent into the town of Les Contamines-Montjoie and slipped out of my warm pants and into my damp shorts as my body temp rose from the hard downhill and the 40 lbs on my back. I thought of myself as a turtle. My home on my back and my pace, steady and slow.
Following a dark 7 km flat path outside of Les Contamines, I was cold and starting to doubt why I came. After a few hours the trail steepened and pockets of sunlight emerged from the tree canopy. I opted for some music to lift my emotions and change my state. Onward and upward for many more kilometres.
The scenery began to change into a world where the Hobbit might live and the Grey Wolf might be found. Through this mystical valley I began another steep incline, and, again, my spirits took a turn as the physical demands of this part of the trail started to wear out my emotions. As a solo hiker on a difficult trek, I had to reach down and dig deep to channel my inner warrior woman and fight back the tears...for now. I felt alone in this postcard landscape but I knew that this journey would greatly strengthen my body heart and soul.
The sounds of bells rang in the air once again and I was quickly greeted by hundreds of sheep crossing the Col, herded by border collies. A welcomed sight after that lengthy ascent.
One more hour and I reached the Col du Croix du Bonhomme, a refuge perched amongst the towering Alps, my home for the second night. Here I was grateful for the very basic shower amenities, all 4 minutes that the token allowed of the warm water over most of my body. I roomed with 5 men of various races and ages and after hearing many people talk of the refuges at capacity and fully booked up for the following night from where I was currently to the Italian boarder, I let those tears I held back hours before run down my face as I felt very alone.
I quickly realised how valuable camaraderie is in this solo alpine journey of mine.
Having to face the stress of finding an alpine home the following night made me realise that this is just part of the adventure. But not being able to charge my phone added to this anxiety and not being able to complete a phone call to the next country to see about accommodation exacerbated my uneasy feelings.
In the dining hall of the refuge, I ate at a table amongst 120 other mountain friends.
I began to feel at ease as I laughed with a lady from New Zealand about the day’s hike and how she too needed accommodation the following night. I quickly realised how valuable camaraderie is in this solo alpine journey of mine.
After dinner, the dinning hall was illuminated by candle light and many hikers hung their damp clothes to dry inside the cold refuge. Electricity is used sparingly in these high Alp huts and walking to the bathroom was a tricky task as I felt my way down the dark hallway to navigate some steps to the Lou.
Sleep came quickly that night as I settled into my bottom bunk while the temperature outside sank sharply exposing a night sky punctured with countless stars that I gazed at thankfully, just an hour before.
I did this hike entirely solo. These blog posts are told from my unique perspective; a woman who had never done anything like this before. Having only completed local, yet challenging day hikes at home in British Columbia with friends, pursuing a multi-day, strenuous hike on the other side of the world, alone, was definitely ambitious. Being the defiant lioness that I am, I thought I could handle this all on my own without securing a spot with a professionally guided tour group, like most people do. I still made my way around the mountain, faced a white-out blizzard snow storm, met an incredible group of women and some new mountain friends who I walked a few days with, and of course, succumbed to a few mini-meltdown, sob cry moments, peppered throughout the adventure.
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