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Day 1: Cantine
de la Visaille to Refuge Gonella - 1,415m (4,642 ft.) Ascent
Our day
started at about 6am at my sister's apartment in Lausanne,
Switzerland. We had packed the night before, so we made a
hasty exit and proceeded to drive to Chamonix in France. We
parked the car in a parking lot near the bottom of the Midi cable
car and hopped a bus to Italy, arriving in the picturesque village
of Cantine de la Visaille at around 10am. This is where we
began the climb, at an altitude of 1,659m (5,442 ft.).
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The
Beginning.
Griffin at the beginning of the climb, looking happy and fresh. It
was a gorgeous day and the first few miles of the hike run through
the Jardin du Miage - a beautiful landscape of grass, trees and
flowing rivers, with the imposing mountains in the background. |
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Reaching the treeline. We were joined on the
beginning of our hike with throngs of locals out for a nice walk
on a sunny day, but they quickly thinned out as we gained
altitude. |
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On to
the Glacier. Moving quickly, we soon climbed above
the treeline and started into the Glacier du Miage - a 5
kilometer (3.2 mile) channel filled with loose mounds of broken,
sharp rocks. While we did not gain a lot of elevation
through the glacier, it was still slow-going. The rocks
were both sharp and unstable, requiring constant concentration
to avoid a turned angle or sliced shin. |
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Mt. Blanc
Glaciers. The
terrain was bleak and barren, although the views up the glacial
walls were very impressive |
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