Hike above Chamonix

 July 16, Saturday

We meet our local hiking guide, Valerie, and take a small gondola up to the starting point for our hike.  Marta has gotten sandwiches and fruit for us to take for a picnic.  This is an area that in the winter popular for skiing. Everyone slathers up with sunblock.  Being at such a high altitude, the sun is extra strong.  I'm surprised at how much my hair has bleached out even though I've been wearing a hat most of the time. 

 It's a nice easy hike over gentle up and down grades. We find tiny wild blueberries that are very tasty.  

Linda

Chris, a spin instructor

Chri

John

Valerie warns us about the dog at the farm we will be passing.  She says not to look him in the eye as that will be taken as a challenge.  We stop at the farm as the owner makes his own cheese and it is for sale.  Also, a movie was made here about a plane that crashed and the son of one of the passengers who came to connect with the place where his parents perished.  The dog retreated to his shady spot under a picnic table and didn't bother us.  

Valerie finds a nice shady spot for us to eat our lunch.  A few bicyclists come by but that's about it.  

Rick and Steve

Joe, Wanda, Chris, Rick, Steve

We circle back around to the gondola where we came up.  The plan is to continue past the gondola and climb another nearby summit and hike back to the gondola. Nick decides to wait at the gondola.  I decide to hike at least part way.  The last part to the summit is rather steep and I decide to enjoy the view a bit below the summit.  I find that my knees are doing really well but the uphill stamina is lacking.  

We take the gondola down and then catch a city bus back into town.  We have some wait time between the gondola and the bus.  Time for some refreshment.  There is something they call green beer that is a mild beer with a local flower, genepi.  Marta and Valerie got some for us to try.  It was ok but I wasn't wild about it.  Chris really liked it. 

Marta and Valerie enjoying the genepi beer

After dinner, Suki comes running to find us as there is a really nice view of Mont Blanc.  We have certainly seen a lot of wonderful views but we dutifully go out to see it.  It is nice.  While we're standing around taking pictures, a young man comes up to us and shows us a picture of a young man (rather crazy picture) and asks we've seen him.  A few days earlier, they had been hiking together and the one went on ahead.  They could see him for awhile but then he got far enough ahead that they couldn't see him any longer.  When they got to the destination point, he wasn't there.  They've had the rescue teams out looking for him but haven't found him.  Nick and Jo thought it might be a pick-pocket scam so kept a close eye out.  I hadn't even thought about that.  I was just thinking about the kid and his family.  Brought back memories of when my friend's daughter drowned while studying abroad.  A few days later, we saw a flyer asking if anyone had seen this kid.  My guess is that he won't ever be found.  Tragic.  And a reminder to respect the wild.