Goodbye France, for now

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Tour du Mont Blanc – Day 3

Refuge des Mottets to Cabane du Combal

Starting elevation: 1,864 m

Ending elevation: 1,950 m

Elevation gain: 686 m

Elevation loss: 600 m

Distance: 7 miles

Col de la Seigne: 2516 m

Last night I didn’t sleep great.  I actually have been up every night for an hour or two, and last night was no exception.  Not jet lag, but perhaps it’s the elevation.

Our room at Refuge des Mottets was private for the four of us, two sets of bunk beds, but the floor space was at a minimum so it felt pretty tight.  We did have an operable window, so that was nice.

Dinner was at a shared table with four others, in a big room with a lot of other people and not a lot of ventilation.   A little nerve-racking in Covid times, but the four of us are doing our best to stay safe.

This morning’s breakfast was the same set up with the same people, and not much to write home about.  Muesli, sugar cereal, bread, jam, coffee, and tea.  Do tell, how did French toast get its name? We had ordered the sack lunch, so we collected them, packed our bags, and set out our luggage for the transfer company.

Today is a different day in that the baggage transfer service cannot get to where we are staying tonight, so we had to pack extra for the night.  Clean undies, jammies, towels, sleep sack, toothbrush, etc.  Made for a heavy load.

We left the refuge at 8 or 8:20 for the 2-hour uphill slog to Col de la Seigne.  We’ve noticed, at least on the French side, that if the sign says 2 hours to the next waypoint, count on it taking at least an hour more.  Makes no difference uphill or down.

So we were pleasantly surprised that it did take roughly 2 hours to the top, and we were there at 10:15.  This pass is the border between France and Italy.  We all sat down at the top to rest on the Italian side and dug into our sack lunches.  I ate my first Italian meal – hard-boiled egg, applesauce, and Twix!  (We learned yesterday to eat the Twix before it melts!)

We decided to meet up at Refugio Elizabetta for lunch, and Nathan and I started hiking down.  The initial descent was a bit rugged, and then became less steep, so we were able to keep a reasonable pace.  The views were the best of the hike so far.  High peaks, above treeline, massive glaciers, and waterfalls.

We got to Refugio Elizabetta at 11:30, and Pat and Andrew joined us at 12:30.  The view is really top-notch, but they have no umbrellas or shade on their porch, I assume due to the wind.  I had ravioli as my second Italian meal, Pat had polenta and sausage,  and Andrew had pasta with bolognese sauce.  Nathan had his sack lunch and espresso.

If I’m allowed to comment about the sack lunch, yesterday’s was an 8, and today’s was a 4. I actually liked the first refuge, Nant Borrant a lot more than Mottets.

After lunch, we headed toward Cabane du Combal.  The sign said 55 minutes, and our experience on the Italian side was that the times stated were more realistic.  Nathan and I arrived at 3 pm and were informed that check-in was at 4, so we walked up to Lac Miage and put our feet in the turquoise waters.  When we were done, we toweled off, put our socks and boots back on, and hiked back down to the refugio.  By the time we got down, Pat and Andrew were checking into our room. 

And what a room it is!  Spacious,  with its own bathroom, including toilet seat(!) and shower, and it came with bath towels!  So far, Italy has beat the pants off of France.

We organized our belongings, showered and all met up downstairs for a drink and conversation.

Dinner was pasta with a simple red sauce and little sausages and mashed potatoes, with a chocolate chip cake and whipped cream for dessert.