Training Log Archive: FunderstorminIn the 1 days ending Jul 15, 2023: |
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Saturday Jul 15, 2023 #
Note
Post TMB Day 2 :-(
Kristen and I had a very long travel day home, finding out in the morning when we woke up that our first flight was delayed, making us miss our connection in Montreal where we would now have a 6 hour layover. We did our best to grin and bear it all, but it ended up being about 24 hours of travel to get home. I was very happy to sink into my own bed just after 1am!
This was such a great trip and one that is going to be hard to beat. I love Europe in general, but this was my first trip to France, Switzerland, and mainland Italy. Switzerland didn't make as much of an impression on me as the other two countries did, and I'm sure I'll find myself back in both Chamonix and Courmayeur again. I would love to take other friends on a "best of the TMB" route sometime, focusing on my favourite sections of the trail (likely from Les Contamines to La Fouly).
I also loved my first longer hiking vacation. We were really happy with the accommodations booked for us by this company, and the distances each day were perfect for allowing us still to have some time in town each evening to explore and socialize. There were lots of people doing the route in the same time frame as us, and we only met a few that were doing in it less. We were also super happy that we'd paid to have baggage transfer, as our light packs made the days much more enjoyable!
If I were to go back, I'd want to try at least one night in a mountain refuge (we chose all the upgrades suggested by the company to avoid this), and would certainly spend more time going up long, long climbs. Many of our climbs lasted 2-4 hours, and I was not mentally prepared for that, although the difference in my heart rate on the climbs from the beginning to the end of the hike was significant as I figured out my perfect pace. That said, all of our bodies held up really well, especially compared to some of the videos we watched where people's knees were so destroyed that they were walking backwards down the hills! I came home with a couple of blisters and some awkward tan lines, but that's about it! My achilles were both really sore by the end of each day (and often at the start), but it never felt like they were going to be an issue. I took two pairs of shoes with me, but wore the same pair (Salomon Sense Ride) every day. The only other things I'd do differently is spend a bit more time in Champex Lac, compare our routes to the traditional TMB (ours deviated from it a few times), and perhaps not drink white wine right before bed so many evenings, as it often affected my sleep!
I am tremendously grateful for having had this experience with such a wonderful group of friends!
Kristen and I had a very long travel day home, finding out in the morning when we woke up that our first flight was delayed, making us miss our connection in Montreal where we would now have a 6 hour layover. We did our best to grin and bear it all, but it ended up being about 24 hours of travel to get home. I was very happy to sink into my own bed just after 1am!
This was such a great trip and one that is going to be hard to beat. I love Europe in general, but this was my first trip to France, Switzerland, and mainland Italy. Switzerland didn't make as much of an impression on me as the other two countries did, and I'm sure I'll find myself back in both Chamonix and Courmayeur again. I would love to take other friends on a "best of the TMB" route sometime, focusing on my favourite sections of the trail (likely from Les Contamines to La Fouly).
I also loved my first longer hiking vacation. We were really happy with the accommodations booked for us by this company, and the distances each day were perfect for allowing us still to have some time in town each evening to explore and socialize. There were lots of people doing the route in the same time frame as us, and we only met a few that were doing in it less. We were also super happy that we'd paid to have baggage transfer, as our light packs made the days much more enjoyable!
If I were to go back, I'd want to try at least one night in a mountain refuge (we chose all the upgrades suggested by the company to avoid this), and would certainly spend more time going up long, long climbs. Many of our climbs lasted 2-4 hours, and I was not mentally prepared for that, although the difference in my heart rate on the climbs from the beginning to the end of the hike was significant as I figured out my perfect pace. That said, all of our bodies held up really well, especially compared to some of the videos we watched where people's knees were so destroyed that they were walking backwards down the hills! I came home with a couple of blisters and some awkward tan lines, but that's about it! My achilles were both really sore by the end of each day (and often at the start), but it never felt like they were going to be an issue. I took two pairs of shoes with me, but wore the same pair (Salomon Sense Ride) every day. The only other things I'd do differently is spend a bit more time in Champex Lac, compare our routes to the traditional TMB (ours deviated from it a few times), and perhaps not drink white wine right before bed so many evenings, as it often affected my sleep!
I am tremendously grateful for having had this experience with such a wonderful group of friends!