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The day started relaxed at 8am. We only had to walk a short 20 kilometers today and then we would be at our destination, just a short walk to the car. We were so euphoric to be able to finish the tour today on this last beautiful day before the snow.
When I left the hotel after breakfast and the sun wasn’t smiling down on me, I immediately realized that I didn’t really feel like going on today’s tour. I was only doing it now to complete the tour. If I had looked at the map again beforehand, I would have seen that we were expecting more like 25 kilometers. That was to take its toll on our late start.
We took the car from the hotel to the train station where we had finished our stage yesterday. From there, it was just over a kilometer to get back on the trail. Even though we were only carrying light rucksacks today, the climb to the ladders was quite demanding. By the time we got there, everything was shrouded in thick fog and I just didn’t feel like it anymore. The ladders and the idea of jostling with other hikers in the fog didn’t appeal to me at all. I could hear them, but I couldn’t see anyone. No matter how easy the ladders are, we went back to the last junction and took an alternative route.
The path there was fantastic – wooded, rocky and, above all, empty. It was only the second time on this tour that I felt like I was alone in the forest. Unfortunately, this only lasted until the ski slope in front of the La Flégère cable car station. Here the trails joined up again.
Here we realized that we still had a lot of kilometers ahead of us. The weather had cleared up and the foggy morning had turned into a beautiful day, but unfortunately that didn’t make it any shorter. I had myself to blame to a certain extent, as I had avoided the ladders. But it didn’t help, so we set off on a beautiful path along the mountainside, which was neither particularly difficult nor dangerously exposed. It led us up to a ski lift that was still dormant, from where we finally reached the highest point of the day at around 2,500 meters.
From here, the day got really interesting, because shortly before the end of the ascent, we came to a fork in the path where the GR5 and the TMB separated. We passed through a sea of rocks, probably the most beautiful section of the whole tour.
To our surprise, two ladders in a rock face and a few smaller climbing passages awaited us. Once we reached the top of the next cable car, we walked downhill for quite a while on easy but rocky paths. At dusk, and later in complete darkness, we continued on narrow and probably partly exposed paths towards Les Houches. In some places it was quite muddy due to the rain of the previous days. There were footholds in the rock, steel chains and handholds to get down the rocks. Technically speaking, the last day of the TMB was the most difficult. Not once before had anything like this been necessary. If you’re clever, it’s better to do it in the light.
Shortly before reaching our destination, we turned off onto the road and walked the rest of the way on asphalt until we reached the end point, where we cheered at half past nine in the loudest of voices and ordered a cab to take us back to the car.
This trail and especially the weather in the first week of September really chewed us up and spat us out. I didn’t think it would be so tough, but it was still a great tour – even if it was a bit crowded for my taste.
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