"Do you think we'll get a chance to see Mont Blanc?" - Ilona, as we all stood looking at Mont Blanc





Friday's hike was particularly memorable. We drove to Chamonix, which is a very popular skiing and hiking hub in the French Alps. Chamonix is located at the base of a valley, of which the southern rigde contains Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe, towering at 4800 metres. Our hike was up the northern side of the valley, to a mountain-top refuge named Bel Lachat.




Doing a hike on the opposite side of the valley gave us breathtaking vistas of the high ridge during the entire walk. It was a reasonably tough hike, covering a change in elevation of 1200 metres to a height of 2138 m. But we had our walking sticks ready, and it was immensely enjoyable.

The photo on the right shows Monika and me standing in front of the high ridge, with Mont Blanc being the tallest point in the lineup. Thanks to the excellent weather and visibility we had, Ilona even got a chance to see it. Below is us on the balcony of the refuge, with the mountain Aiguille Verte in the background.