TMB 4: Back to France

From a distance the Tour de Mount Blanc can sound a bit repetitive: climb up, see grnd views, climb down. But the details of each day are very different.

Today was a long climb but on relatively formed dirt tracks for much of the way. The pass was windswept and windy and cold and took us back into France. We are really enjoying the idea of walking between countries.

As we walked down and down into a deep valley we came to a small farm which makes Beaufort cheese. We were taken into the cheese cave by the farmer and tasted his latest ripe cheeses, the best of which are now going to feature in our lunch tomorrow.

We stayed the night in a refuge at the end of the valley which had zero modern-world connection. The rooms were basic, very basic, but Jennifer and I at least didn’t have to share. As is so often the case, in spite of the basic rooms diner was excellent.