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Guest Contributor: Patrick McGrady Read Time: 4 mins  You've probably heard of the UTMB ... The 100+ mile trail race in Europe where people push their limit running a very long distance very fast. Not easy for us ordinary folk. Did you know that UTMB stands for Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc? The namesake, Mont Blanc is a mountain range that lies on the French, Italian and Swiss border. Chamonix, France is the most prominent town and primary start finish of this trail wraps around this range, stretching 103 miles with 30K+ elevation gain.  Working for an outdoor company (Hyperlite Mountain Gear) opens your eyes to places/trails like this. But since I wanted to do it with friends (and not absolutely wreck myself by doing it as fast as I can) we planned on surrounding the massif in 8 days at a more "casual" pace. We planned for 12 - 15 miles per day and since it’s Europe, we booked campgrounds and hostels in advance (much of which was on private land). The crew consisted of myself, my badass girlfriend Emma, her sister Cady, Cady’s husband Everette, and lastly my friend Kyle.  We launched day #1 from Chamonix we hit the road to Les Contamines. 12.5 miles for the first day. Spirits were sky high. Just as we rolled into camp at le Pontet campground it started raining in true Mont Blanc fashion.  Day #2 started out wet and we had another big mile day ahead with 15 miles to Le Champix Campground. This one was tough, not because of the distance, but more because of the downhill for the very last mile and a half. Exhausted and tired we ate our weight in pizza and dessert at the nearby restaurants. Not surprisingly, we slept fantastically!  Day #3 began with a short bus ride 5 miles further up the trail. Some call this cheating, I call it taking it all in. We would've hiked those miles on the road anyway. On top of that we had a 13 mile hike planned that day. Our finish line was in Courmayeur at a hotel.  Based on the first three days, day 4 seemed almost too easy since we took a semi-rest day. By that I mean, that we enjoyed more local cheeses and wine in the town of Courmayeur across the Italian border. By mid afternoon we took the bus to our next campground. Camp Jorasses which was a packed campground ... apparently we weren't the only ones drawn into this magical trail. After a yoga session and a full dinner ... of course, pizza, cheese and wine again ... we called it a night.  Day 5 was by far the most scenic day throughout the trip. We also gained 4,377 ft over 14 miles which was hefty, but by this time we already knew what we had signed up for. The stoke was coming back since Day 3 and 4 were behind us and we realized that we were beyond the "hump day" of the trip. A sense of accomplishment started to show up as we crawled into our tents for another night, tired, and exhausted, but grateful for this experience.  After a full night's rest, day 6 was quick and to the straight to the point. 10 miles 2000+K ft of elevation gain. Personally my favorite stay of the trip at Lake Champex. Crossing into Switzerland for 1 night was pretty neat. The hotel we stayed at was much needed. A shower did us all very well at this stager of the trip. It lifted our spirits and made us smell semi-acceptable once again. Of course we jumped into the lake for a proper swim about!  Day 7 was emotional in a way. It was nice to have an end in sight but as most adventures go, we didn't want it to end. 14 miles were crushed within 9 hours of hiking. Rain on the Forclaz pass delayed our arrival at the Refugio Les Ecuries de Charamillon. The final night was celebrated with a 3 course dinner, some Genepi (local liquor) and some memories we just had on the trail. Mont Blanc in the distance was awaiting our arrival the next morning.  Day 8 was a final stretch. 11 miles back to Chamonix was completed with some help our 4-wheeled friend; the bus. And just like that it was done. Our long and exhausting, but beautiful and inspiring adventure on Trail Du Mont Blanc was completed.  There is a lot to be learned while out on the trail. It’s challenging for sure, and doing something hard over multiple days is extremely and perpetually rewarding after the trip, not during. Seeing other people succeed and get into the rhythm of being outside is awesome in my opinion. This trip left me proud about our group. Not many people are fortunate to check this trail off their bucket list. Lastly, I want to encourage you to get outside your comfort zone and get moving. It sounds silly and cliche but honestly, and in an odd way, doing hard things makes things much easier. I'm already fired up for the next adventure and hope this inspires you to start planning your own effort!  Journal - Trail Du Mont BlancComments are closed.
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