We made an early start for Merlet this morning (on the trail by 8:45) and hiked a loop peaking at Augiulette de Houches (2285m) via Refuge de Bellachat (2152m). The first section is part of the Tour du Mt. Blanc (TMB) a multi-day circuit that we'd love to do sometime. It was another beautiful, sunny, Saturday for our weekly hike (although next Saturday we are replacing our hike with the Tour du Lac de Joux 24k run). This was a super trail for an early start, mostly exposed and rocky, but mixed with a bit of shade and soft pine trail, although the constant amazing views posed a bit of a problem for watching our footing.
We took a snack break near the Refuge de Bellachat and diverged from the TMB to loop to Augiulette de Houches for a spectacular 360 and wond our way back down in the early afternoon. Bonne randonnée!
