Day 1 & 2 WHW

And we are off on the West Highland Way, a weeklong Scottish odyssey from Milngavie (between Glasgow and Loch Lomond) to Fort William at the base of Ben Nevis. We will walk around 100 miles. It shouldn't be as challenging as the Alps but the days will be quite a bit longer.

The first day was relatively easy, twelve miles through gently rolling fields with lots of sheep and goats, heather and ferns. We ended for the night in the small village of Drymen.

Leaving Milngavie

A brief stop at the Glengoyne Distillery, right off the path.

The second morning we climbed Conic Hill for spectacular views of Loch Lomond. We descended to Balmalha and followed the trail along the lake for the rest of the afternoon. 

Loch Lomond

On the bonnie, bonnie banks

London/Glasgow

I made it to London yesterday, not without a misadventure where I mistakenly took a train from the airport to Brighton. I eventually got to London and found Julie. We enjoyed an evening on the town, exploring pubs and shops. I can't say that I'm a big fan of London. There are way too many people and too many odd, modern buildings that detract from the historic ones. Picadilly Circus looks an awful lot like Times Square.

A Pimms in the Borough Market

The window at Fortnum & Mason with a reflection of some of the buildings of Picadilly Circus

Today we took a train from London to Glasgow, a five hour journey through the English/Scottish countryside, and then a second, very short train from Glasgow to Milngavie, where we will begin the West Highland Way tomorrow. 

Derek's parents were from Glasgow and he still has relatives here, so we caught up with them this evening. 

Derek's Scottish relatives

Lake Como

Merilyn and I spent two days and three nights in a little apartment in Varenna on the shores of beautiful Lake Como, Italy. We mostly rested, ate Italian food, and took a ferry to Bellagio to stroll the streets. Merilyn left for home this morning and I am headed to London to meet up with my sister.

Bellagio

Dinner on our own balcony

Above Varenna

Chamonix

I was up early to check out Chamonix before our van to Geneva. It seems like a really cool town.

This is the view from the balcony of our fabulous hotel (the nicest I have ever been in). Mt. Blanc is in the background, looming over the town. On the table is my Mont Drus pastry. I really wanted a Mont Blanc pastry but had trouble finding one early this morning, so this is a substitute. It's a meringue made to look like one of the nearby mountains.

This street in Chamonix looks out on Le Brevant, the mountain that we climbed yesterday. In the sky above the chimneys you can faintly see a paraglider. The sky between Mt. Brevant and town is often filled with paragliders.

Chamonix is extra festive this week because it is the start of the Ultra Mont Blanc race. Hundreds of crazy people run non-stop around the trail that took us 1- 1/2 weeks to complete. We saw many people on the trail in training for the race. 

Day 12 TMB

This was our last day of the Tour du Mont Blanc and it certainly was a wild one. Our four companions decided to call it quits a little early and spend some extra time in Chamonix, so they took a cable car off the mountain mid-morning. Merilyn and I felt compelled to complete the circuit to the last step in Les Houches. It was a little more than we bargained for-twelve hours of strenuous hiking, climbing over a glacier, a near-miss from an errant paraglider, a slight injury, a lack of water. We arrived at Les Houches just at dark, where we found that we were too late for a bus and had to hire a taxi to take us to our hotel in Chamonix. Our friends had been wondering if we were going to make it. We missed the final celebration dinner, but our hotel was fabulous and the town looks wonderful and we did it!

This was last night's refuge at Lac Blanc, taken as we were leaving. 

Alpenrose with Mount Blanc in the background. 

(And there my phone/camera ran out of battery 🙁)

Day 11 TMB

Wow, what a day! We climbed the famous Aiguilette d'Argentiere via ladders, steps, and just good old-fashioned, exhausting climbing. After hours of ascending we reached Lac Blanc and our refuge for the night.

Mary Ann, Merilyn, and me with some of our new friends, Cherie from Australia, and Justine and Steve from England. 

Climbing the cliffs of the Argentiere. 

We made it! (almost)

Relaxing at the top (Lac Blanc) with new friend Kate. 

Bilberry tart high in the Alps. Bilberries are like wild blueberries or huckleberries and are in season everywhere at high elevations. 

Beautiful Lac Blanc

Ibex!

Sunset at Lac Blanc

Day 10 TMB

The weather cleared overnight and we were treated to fog and clouds settling and lifting all day. It was much colder, too, especially after we crossed the high Col du Balme, where we saw astonishing views of Mont Blanc and the Chamonix Valley where we started ten days ago.

First view of Mount Blanc coming back around into the Chamonix Valley from Col du Balme.

Day 9 TMB

The picture above says it all for today--rain and more rain, much colder, and limited views. It was a good day anyways, including warm drinks and pastry in a hut high in the mountains.

If you think of the Tour as an elongated circle, we are moving counterclockwise. We started at about 8:00 and we are now about 11:30. 

Day 8 TMB

We had a much easier day today and Darla and Cathy joined in again. Instead of high mountains and glaciers we walked mostly through charming Swiss villages and ended the day near a beautiful mountain lake. My phone battery was low all day so I took few pictures :(

Picnic lunch next to the Ferret River. 

This is a marmot carving along the trail. We have not seen marmots but have heard them. In truth, I think they are much like a groundhog so I am not disappointed. There are also chamois and ibex in this area-those I would like to see.

Day 7 TMB

We spent almost the whole morning climbing out of Italy and into Switzerland and most of the afternoon descending to La Fouly, SW. Late morning brought in the only bad weather we have faced so far.

Sunrise over Mont Blanc from Refugio Bonatti. 

I think that Heidi lived here. 

Bette Gail in her rain gear. The mountains were obscured by the clouds by late morning. 

Italy/Swiss border. 

Day 6 TMB

We were back on the trail early today but we are down to four hikers-Darla took a spill on the bus yesterday and hurt her ribs so she is joining Cathy in finding public transportation to as near as possible to our destinations. Hopefully a couple of rest days will heal her.

It was a long and steady climb all morning out of the valley where Courmayeur lies but the afternoon was a relatively (for the Alps) easy path along the edge of the valley facing Mont Blanc and the other highest peaks. Our lodging tonight is another rustic, remote hostel with spectacular views. It's a beauty, named for a famous adventurer, Walter Bonatti. They had the most fabulous hot chocolate I have ever had.

Climbing above Courmayeur. 

Picking wild blueberries, called bilberries here.

Day 5 TMB

This was a much needed rest day in Courmayeur. Merilyn, Bette Gail, and Darla opted to take the Skyway (kind of like a fancy cablecar) to near the top of Mont Blanc, but Bette Gail and Darla backed out due to weather concerns. Merilyn completed the trip and reported that it was spectacular up in the glaciers.

Meanwhile, I spent most of the day alone exploring the town.

Alone time: just me and a cappuccino and Italian cake and Mont Blanc in the background.