PTL start and last France post

It was the final few days of our excellent trip to Chamonix last August.  We were joined by our friend Bryan who was also going to run (and finish) the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, hello Bryan!

There are a bunch of races leading up to the big event, and we were most curious about the Petite Trotte a Leon (PTL).  It's the only one run in teams and partially off-trail.  Total length is over 300 km and the teams have all week to complete it.

So we hopped on the bus into town on Monday to watch the start.  That's Bryan in the white hat:

PTL runners gathered for the final countdown:

They will be following a GPS track and written instructions, but no course markings along the way:

Hey, there's John Sharp!  We had no idea he would be doing the PTL.  Always fun to unexpectedly run into someone you know.  Have a great trek in the mountains, y'all!

And they are off, with their helmets and loaded packs (and I thought my UTMB pack was heavy):

Starting up the street toward the first hill climb:

John and John exchange greetings and encouragement:

Later that day, John (my version) went over to the first pitstop of the PTL to cheer everyone on:

We braved the crowds at the race expo, did a little sock shopping, probably should have tried on various shoes (since there are so many European options), and didn't see any orienteering gear at Silva (I guess they sell other stuff as well).

One thing we did find was a wonderful electric car from Dacia called the Spring:

It's the most basic EV we have come across, perfect for anyone who wants to pay less and doesn't need anything fancy.  We could really use a model like this in the US:

I agree with the bumper sticker:

John went up the hill to watch parapente launches.  We had tried to set up flights while Robyn and the gang were here, but the weather never quite cooperated during the times we were available.  Next time!

Back to St Gervais one last time.  John had decided to do the via ferrata course, so we found a gear rental shop and then descended to the bottom of the gorge.  It really is quite a stunning and remarkable place to climb around on the walls:

The first half is in a great spot for taking pictures from the trail:

Into the sunshine... and an example of one of many places where you have to lean back a little to hang onto the wall:

At least there are a bunch of hand and foot holds.  John's making great progress:

Another picture of the pretty waterfalls for good measure:

You're doing great!  I'll just be over here:

John in his happy place:

Eventually the rest of the course disappears from view (at least without following along on the airy route), so I hiked up and around to the road bridge.  Mostly I still couldn't see anything, except one long traverse where I got lucky to snap this picture:

I thought that was in the final "very difficult" section, but it turned out that there was still another, harder part remaining.  John decided that was enough work for his arms and popped out before attempting that one.

Via Ferrata Man returns triumphant!

It was time for me to focus on gathering my race gear and resting up.  John wanted to hike up to a spot we had seen from afar, so he ventured up the hill to "La Jonction" between the Bossons and Taconnaz glaciers.  What a place to see some glaciers up close!

So much snow and ice in interesting formations:

And a view high above the valley:

You have to wonder how these things happen:

Thank you for the fun photos, John!

Well, that's the end of the France story (except the UTMB race, of course, as previously reported in a more timely manner).  It was an amazing 3-week adventure and a highlight of the year.

More fun in France

While our friends were off exploring more of Italy, John and I explored more of the Chamonix area.  I loved having time before the race to roam around and take it all in.

Just for kicks, we trekked over to St Gervais along the first section of the UTMB race course.  It was nice to do it leisurely, pause for the views, and get an idea what to expect come race day.  I also appreciated having a benchmark travel time for this part of the course, making me realize I would need to put in some effort to ensure I made the first cut-off.  UTMB has fair rules of travel, requiring faster running in the beginning and allowing for slowdowns later, and it's good to know this in advance.

A helpful trail sign - "Courmayeur 60 km that way"

John snapped a photo as we were running down the hill through the lovely deep dark forest:

A fairly old (ahead of its time) solar system:

And a new electric mail truck, yay!  We need us some of these:

Our favorite boulangerie in all of France (as far as we know - we will keep sampling others to be sure):

Bringing home the goods to share:

We found the St Gervais via ferrata course, apparently one of the more difficult ones in the country.  Looking down at the start from the footbridge partway up the gorge:

Beautiful waterfalls to provide excellent climbing ambiance:

An artful resting spot:

Robyn, Cathy, and Dani returned to France, yay!  And they found the UTMB finish line:

Check out all the sweet treats!  And why is John inside while we're out there in the rain?

One last group hike, heading up to see the Bossons glacier.  We took the adorable little chairlift partway up the hill, with a view of an old ski jump:

Impressive lookout spot from the top of the lift - it must have been even more impressive before the glacier receded:

Cathy can perhaps imagine riding a bobsled down the hill, whee!

Relics from a plane crash:

One of the words we learned while orienteering in France = "FALAISE", or "cliff" - i.e. don't go there:

We hiked up the steep trail and were rewarded with a much closer view of the glacier:

This would be a great spot for lunch on a sunny day:

I think Dani had a good time on her first European vacation:

Yay for great friends and fun, thank you all!

Sadly, it was time for the ladies to return to the States.  Also time for me to get serious with race gear preparation.

But first!  One final tune-up hike with John.  We climbed up the hill above the Mont Blanc tunnel and found an old tramway station along the way:

It's weird to see so much of it still intact and accessible:

Getting up above treeline, with views of the upper mountain and the Bossons glacier from a different angle (and yes, that is John at a higher vantage point):

More old tram infrastructure, an early engineering feat to move people up the mountain for snow sports:

We admired the sled that is a part of the old pulley system:

A bit of Escher in the Alps:

We took a little trail to traverse toward the glacier, catching a glimpse of a pond below us:

Huge blocks of slowly-moving ice and rock:

We are so lucky to be able to do this:

On the way toward Plan de l'Aiguille, we heard a rumbling and just happened to be in the right spot to catch sight of a big rockfall across the way, super cool!  Rocks and debris fell for a minute or two, just the mountain slowly falling apart little by little:

A huge glacier moraine, with a trail across further down.  Something new for us, well worth the effort to get here:

Much further down the mountain, the Cascade du Dard:

Just another excellent week in and around Chamonix!