Skip ahead...and we are back after two wonderful weeks with friends and family. (More on that once I sort through the bajillion photos of our adorable goddaughter).
After arriving back in France yesterday, we picked up the cat, some food, unpacked, went for a walk, and got a little sleep so that we could get back on the mountains this morning. Jet lag can't keep us down. We started at La Gruvaz for the steady climb passing through Col du Tricot and up to Refuge de Plan Glacier, at 2730m. It's the highest we've been able to get this summer thanks to warm temperatures finally melting the snow.
The climb to Miage passed quickly, then a bit more trudgingly up to Col du Tricot. Our legs and lungs are starting to remember what altitude feels like. From Tricot, we passed through the stone archway for a few more hours climb, some scrambling, snow traversal, and cable guides to reach our destination.
Time for a snack while enjoying the view.
We arrived at the refuge, wedged into the side of the mountain, just before 5 pm, where we encountered a handful of serious trail runners and a few multi-day hikers settled-in for the evening. No time to dally, we ate some snow, and turned back for the long descent, passing waterfalls and crossing rushing streams.
It was a long, steep drop back down to Miage, but we were able to fill our bottles from a fountain and make quick time from there back down to the start. We couldn't ask for a more beautiful day, or better scenery for shocking our legs and feet back into mountain mode.
