Day 4: Les Houches to Les Contamines

The alarm went off at 6.15am. After breakfast, and with the bags already packed from the night before, we were out the door by 7am. Following a quick video at the official trek start arch in Les Houches, we walked about 10 minutes down the road to the Bellevue Cable Car.

We paid €32 for two one-way tickets and boarded the first lift of the day at 7.30am. In less than 10 minutes it had carried use nearly 800 vertical metres uphill. Sharing the cable car was a group of mountaineers heading towards the Gouter Hut, hoping for a Mont Blanc summit attempt the following day.

Stepping out at the top station, we were greeted by sunshine, warm temperatures and no wind. For the first 45 minutes we had the trail entirely to ourselves before being joined by a few walkers who had come up via a different route.

The views were exactly what you would expect from the Tour du Mont Blanc: glaciers, rocky peaks, forests and wildflowers. We were following one of the TMB variants, the Col de Tricot route, one of the few higher alternatives that can usually be done this early in the season.

After crossing a few snowfields, we arrived at the Col de Tricot.

There was only one other person at the col when we arrived. We stopped for a 30-minute morning break and our first round of salami sandwiches. By the time we left there were around 20 people at the col and a steady stream still arriving.

From there came the 600-metre descent to the small hamlet of Chalets de Miage. Despite the temptation of cold drinks and parasols outside the mountain hut, we walked straight past without stopping.

Climbing the other side, I was approached by a French walker. I think he was asking how long remained to the hamlet. In my best French I told him 20 minutes, largely because I couldn't remember the word for 15. To avoid any misunderstanding, I then informed him in French that I didn't speak French (one of the few phrases I do know). This seemed sensible in case I had confidently answered a question he hadn't actually asked.

At the junction for Mont Truc, Gaby asked whether I fancied heading up to the summit for the views. In the time it took me to turn my head towards the peak and imagine the spectacular panorama awaiting us, she had already decided we weren't going and was muttering something about avoiding unnecessary ascents.

Passing another refuge and a surprisingly modern toilet, we discovered that while there was no window inside, the view from the doorway more than compensated, looking straight towards the surrounding glaciated peaks.

The next challenge was a long, hot 600-metre descent into Les Contamines-Montjoie. We followed signs to the large Carrefour supermarket, motivated mainly by thoughts of cold drinks, only to arrive seven minutes after closing time. Slightly deflated, we continued through the village and found a smaller supermarket that was still open. We successfully purchased cold drinks but somehow forgot to buy bread for the following day.

It was only when we reached the campsite a few kilometers further up the valley, that we realised they weren't especially interested in catering for tired walkers unless they wanted to buy breakfast or lunch. Tomorrow would be salami sandwiches without the bread.

We were among the first to arrive, which meant the tent was up and showers completed before the queues started forming. By the evening there were more than 65+ tents in the section reserved for TMB walkers, impressive considering it was still pre-season and the trail had only officially opened today.

An early night followed. Tomorrow's alarm was set for dawn once again.