[at-l] Vacation Hiking

[Gary Ticknor]

You CAN ride a series of funiculars from Chamonix over glaciers all the 
way to Valle d'Aosta in Italy. One of the spans is the longest 
unsupported funicular span in the world - and boy it DOES sway!

- Greenbriar

 From my 1998 trip log:

| SAT 29 AUG | Up at 7:45 w 3 hrs              |  etc.
| sleep - hot cloth, croisant, peaches         | 
| & coffee. Some views of France.              |
| Lyons, Rhone, Saone, Geneva valley.          |
| Land 0918. Good bye to kids seat-            |
| mates. Breeze through customs, change        |
|  $100                                        |
| CHF, Get car, drive to Cham.                 | CHF - Confederation 
Helvetia Franc. ie
| Mt Blanc icy. Dep Gen 1045, arr              |  Swiss Francs.
| Cham 1200, find hotel, 2nd floor Oh          | Cham is Chamonix.
| aching knee, good view of M.B, next          | Had hurt knee two weeks 
previously on
| to river. Unpacked. Walked to                |  42 mile AT backpacking 
trip.
|     changed $100 to FFR                      | French Francs.
| lift sta, back for coat, then up             |
|        12,602' vs 3,432                      | Aiguille de Midi = 
12,602' vs
| to A. de Midi to Helbronner. Great           |  Helbronner = 3,432 m = 
10,460'
| crevasses, PERFECT visibility, saw           |
| M. Blanc, Cervin, Dru, Gr Capuchin,          | Famous names to 
technical climbers.
| EVERYTHING! 33 at top. Short of breath       |  Cervin the French name 
for the
|----------------------------------------------|  Matterhorn.
|----------------------------------------------|
|                                    (F)  (3)  |
| & heart pounds. Down to A. de M.,            |
| lots of tents on glacier. Trekers roped,     |
| climbers on lead, etc. Explored, then        |
| to A. de M. Plain. Very short walk on        |
| sore knee, down to town, walked, well        |
| deserved coffee, I & beer at 5:00 PM.        | I is Ibuprofen, Advil. 
I took 98 over
| Wandered town. Din at 8:00 was               |  the 17 day trip.
| Savoyard salad (ie, sausage & cheese         |
| on lettuce), GOOD bread, beer and fondue     |
| all for FF129 - They tried to charge me      |
| 25 for min water & charged me FF42           |
| for a 50cl beer - ie $7.00! Fondue           |
| was good. Back to hotel & bed.               |
| Washed socks, read. Bed at 1015.             |
| ____________                                 |
| SUN 30 AUG | Up at 5, then                   |
| 730-45. Bath in deep, short tub              |
|----------------------------------------------|
|                                    (F)  (4)  |
| w shower. Cont brkfst (incl):                |
| bread, crois, coffee, jam, OJ. GOOD          |
| bread. Walked to T.I. Knee                   | TI is Tourist Information
| pretty sore. Took train to                   |
| Montenver. Saw crystal cave,                 | Exhibits of rock crystal.
| animal exh, lift down to glacier             | Animals were stuffed.
| grotto - neat walls. Cafe au lait            |
| in gare. Many hikers on glacier.             | Gare is French for 
train station.
| Back down to town. Steep walk                |
| to Le Brevant lift. Up, great                |
| 360 view. Lenticular cloud over              |
| M. Blanc. Lac Brevant below. MANY            | It is especially fun to 
watch them
| parasailers & hang gliders. Grande           |  take off.
| cafe at upper terrace. Good views            |
| of town. Many needles across. Down           | Needles of rock. 
Aiguille mean
| to PlanPraz, then hike Grand                 |  needle.
|----------------------------------------------|
|                                         (5)  |
| Balcon (Oh aching knee) to La Flegere.       |
| Scree, alpine meadow, spruce, iron           |
| railed climbs, sheep/goats w bells,          |
| sun, hot/cold in/out of sun. 2 hrs           |
| WAS 2 hrs - 2:30 - 4:30. Lift down,          | American national parks 
inflate hiking
| then bus back to Cham. Reward:               |  times by 2. In Europe, 
you have to
| beer grande. Great weather.                  |  really move to meet 
their times.
| Sitting next to R. Avre (in flood)           |
| w view of M. Blanc & A. de Midi.             |
| Tres bon! Bought a hikers map 25 FF          |
| & a beer 12 FF for bed. Sat in plaza         |
| watching scenery, then din at La             |
| Poela: raclette, table wine. Bed,            | Raclette is melted 
cheese over various
| 1/2 moon over M. Blanc. Read.                |  things like boiled 
potatoes.
| _____________                                |
| MON, 31 AUG | Up at 7 after                  |
| again waking twice. Bath, brkfst.            |
|----------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------|
|                               (F) (CH)  (6)  |
| Settle hotel & off to Interlaken.            |

Rogene R. Beers wrote:
> Cranky,
> What a grand hike this would make!
> Chamonix is glorious. Is there a place in the Italian Alps that connects to
> this.
> Rogene
>
>   
>> My current dream hike is the hiker's haute route from Chamonix, France, to
>> Zermatt, Switzerland. Wear a day pack, stay in huts or hostels, drink good
>> beer, eat chocolate. And the scenery is straight out of the Sound of
>>     
> Music.
>   
>> Unfortunately, this one's not cheap.
>>
>> --Big Cranky
>>
>>