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| Some people sure have big feet |
Journey of a Lifetime
National Geographic's 'Journeys of a Lifetime' described the Haute Route between France and Switzerland as one of the 'top 10 distance trails'.I have not done enough hiking to tell if this is indeed a 'top 10'. All I can say is, it was tough, without a doubt many times tougher than Kili (because of the terrain), and beautifully rewarding. The ascent/ descent/ distance may not indicate how difficult it was but the time incurred (in normal/ quick walking pace, not pole pole pace) over distance is a good indication:
Day 1: From Col de Balme, across valley to Refuge Albert Premier (8,870ft), ascent 1,640ft, 4km, 2 hours
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| From grassy valley, to the glaciers right next to Refuge Albert Premier: |
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Day 3: Across Glacier d'Orny, pass Mauvoisin Lake to Refuge Chanrion (8,070ft), descent 3,600ft, ascent 2,100ft, 14km, 7 hrs
Day 4: On Glacier d'Otemma, then descend valley to Hotel Kurhaus (6,890ft), ascent 3,100ft, descent 4,560ft, 17km, 9 hrs
Day 5: First on trails, then on a steep glacier to Cabane du Bertol (10,860ft), ascent 4,300ft, 7km, 6 hrs
Day 6: Ascent of the Tête Blanche, exit glacier, reascend to the Schonbiel Hut (8,856ft), ascent 1,970ft, descent 4,200ft, 11km, 7hrs
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| Joseph, Adrian, Katrina, Ross - on top of Tête Blanche (12,200ft) and the view therefrom: |
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Best and worst
Most amazing discovery
That I grew stronger over the days. Before the start of the trip, I had serious doubts if I could carry the 12+kg backpack and finish the trek. It became the least of my worries in the end. Initially, I had to put the bag on a bench before transferring the bag on my back (so as not to break my back/arm). Subsequently, I could heave the bag up from the ground without any issue (it came with practice because there was simply no benches on the glaciers when we had our breaks). Oh, I had no muscle aches too. Amazing.
Easiest
Rappelling, even though I have a fear of heights (I have issues crossing overhead bridges back home). It was also the first time I have rappelled down snow cliffs and rocks but it sure beat walking.
~ This was how the snow cliff looked like from below as Joseph rappelled:
before I went down the rocks:
Scariest
There was mostly silence where we were - so silent that you could probably hear the songs playing in my head. Sometimes we could hear rock falls, water run under the ice we were walking on or ice breaking off. Having browsed through some books on the area, it was scary to think about how much the glaciers have retreated over the years.
Most needed
S P A C E. I find it most nerve-racking when someone walked too closely behind me. What if I dislodged some rocks and hit the next person? What if I fell and bring the next person down with my ice axe? It is not you whom I do not trust. It is me. I n e e d s p a c e.
The tummy and the feet.
There were a lot of bubbling in my stomach the day before we started and it continued for 2 more afternoons. Curiously, I only encountered the problems in the afternoons. I wonder if it was anxiety or food poisoning or lack of food or an all-in-one. In any case, I took flat Coca Cola and did not have any problem from Day 3. Coke is a cure-all!
However, on Day 3, I got purple toes (from impact) and blisters on my feet:
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| Blood on my socks |
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| Salt bath in the shower. Hunter would have said 'ouchie. ouchie. ouchie.' |
Katrina, Adrian and Joseph gave me their stash of painkillers and plasters. Adrian also supplied his secret weapon for blisters - sheep wool from New Zealand. I had 400mg of painkillers every 4 hours. It hurt most when we set out each morning. Although I did not feel the extreme pain after the painkillers took effect, I knew exactly which parts of the feet were doing badly and would hurt after I take off the shoes.
The blisters were infected and my feet was puffy for more than 1 week after the hike. On Swiss National Day, a pharmacist in Zermatt ordered me ("now! you must go now!") to go the doctor (the poor doc had to stay on duty till 11pm due to potential injuries from fireworks). The doctor promised it would not hurt and went on to SCRUB my wounds. Faint.
Most despairing
How the huts were 2 minutes (AND 3 hours) away. We could always see them but they were always so near yet so far. Just look at these huts:
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| Refuge Albert Premier |
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| Cabane du Trient |
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| Cabane de Bertol - how tiny were we against the elements |
You get the idea. Besides wondering how these huts were built (apparently helicopters were use to bring in the semi-prefabricated huts), I also wondered why the b!@@@$ h^&* were the sites chosen.
The flip side was - with the precarious sites of the huts, we had brilliant panoramic views.
Most challenging
The vastness of everything. I can remember the hike from the Bertol Hut to Tête Blanche across Mont Miné Glacier. We were roped up and because I was the weakest link, I really did not want to request for breaks. I saw the vastness of it all and I thought I was never going to make it. Whichever way we went, there seemed to be so much more to go (not sure if I was weak in the mind or just being too impatient with myself). I gave up looking for an ending point in the end. There was no point (pardon). I will get there when Ross leads us there. Head down. One step at a time. One step, just 1 more step, gal.
Rudest awakening
I spaced out and suddenly found myself 1 step away from a hole. No, not like the crevasse on the right. Just a small hole, filled with water and big enough for me to fall into. We were not roped together. It woke me up right away.
Side note: On the day when I did fall into a crevasse (on our way to Tête Blanche), everyone had a big laugh. We were all roped up. I saw the crevasse but my step was not big enough. Katrina heard a squeal (there was really no need to scream since I was tied to Ross and he had to come and fish me out in any case), I disappeared and Adrian saw my arms flapping (that was how they described what happened).
Worst day
Day 5. By then, the blisters were too bloody and tears just welled up when I put on my boots and made my first steps. Then it began to rain and at some point, I was worried I was not paying enough attention and would be blown off the hill.
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| If you enlarge this photo or squint hard enough, <-- you will see the ladders that go up the rocks |
Best Hut
Cabane du Trient. It was very clean, food was good (wine was also served for dinner) and the staff were nice. The common area were huge and I could curl up in some corner to read. We also had the whole dormitory to ourselves.
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| Katrina, Ross, Howard, Adrian, Joseph at Cabane du Trient |
Heavenly tart au chocolat at Hotel Kurhaus. It is a hotel after all! (Oh, I got to shower, wash my clothes, play a game of pool with Katrina and watch the opening of the 2012 London Olympics too. Too good.)
Paying CHF10 for a 1.5 litre bottled water. The bottled water had arrived at the huts via a helicopter. I knew about it beforehand but it was still painful paying for drinking water. (It was cheaper to drink beer.)
Most disappointing
Ok, it is not thaaaaat bad - but I have always loved to be in the mountains because I thought I would be safe from the human race. People who love the nature and look out for each other in the mountains cannot be bad people, right? So for me, it was a tad disappointing that some of our caribiners were stolen on the first night at Refuge Albert Premier. The caribiners were removed from our harnesses that were hung in the common room, where everybody kept their gear. The harnesses remained but the caribiners were gone - so the caribiners could not have been taken 'by mistake'. Caribiners are only cheap. Why did you steal them, dude?
Best advice
From Ross - "Bring your flip flops". At the huts, everyone had to swap their boots for crocs. I am so glad I had my havs which did not rub against the blisters and also allowed my feet to breathe.
Favourite song
This one by the Pistey Boys at The Office Bar in Argentière. (Look out for the cute dog that belongs to the violinist. It goes mad every time we clap. And people like to clap randomly or continuously just to see it go mad. Too funny.)
Video: Pistey Boys and their dog
Weight loss. I lost more than 2kg in less than 1 week. Too much, if you ask me.
Too good
Hot bods at the huts. 
I was NOT ogling. They were just there. And I have no photo to share. Honest. 
I was NOT ogling. They were just there. And I have no photo to share. Honest. 
Hi
ReplyDeleteLoved reading about it.