We Made It

We have officially made it to the starting point of the Tour du Mont Blanc. This plan has been in the works for about 11 months. Several months of planning, and more than a few months of worrying.

Initially, we had planned this route, and to hike this hike, with my aunt and uncle, Ed and Maggie. In February, while in Canada, Maggie broke her heel skiing. That put the whole trip and all of its excitement on ice.

In May, after the heel was healed, we all finally came to the realization that Ed and Maggie were going to need to bow out. Since even that early on, many refuges of the TMB were sold out, and also since unwinding 1/2 of each reservation was going to be an arduous process, Nathan and I decided to try to fill their open spots with strangers.

We posted a couple ‘ads’ on TMB specific Facebook sites, and woke up the next day to a few potential candidates. We conducted a few Zoom meet and greets, and will be joined on the hike with Pat and Andrew, a couple from Malta.

The next hurdle to overcome was the recent airline mayhem. We worried about cancelations and delays, and even lost luggage. But I’m happy to say that we have arrived in Les Houches, France, slightly delayed, but with all of our luggage. Pat and Andrew should also be arriving momentarily, also slightly delayed, but with all of their luggage. Ed and Maggie are also here, but half of their checked baggage is on its own adventure, presumably in the Frankfurt airport.

A very successful vacation indeed. The one thing I wanted to accomplish was seeing cows with bells on, and today we already saw 4 such bell ringing bovines from town, clanging up the hillside. Everything after today is bonus.