Live2Inspire: Elliz' Expeditie Mont Blanc

12 september 2009

Elliz' Expeditie Mont Blanc - Dag 3

Set and ready to go at their first official expedition day - Friday, Sep 11th 2009

Friday morning at eleven they - ten ambitious and excited girls - were set and ready to go for their first mountain hike. To their surprise the expedition leader had other ideas for the team. No guided tour in the Mont Blanc massif today. They had to do it all by themselves. A little adventure on this official first day of the expedition ...

This first walk was not unfamiliar to Elliz. In fact, in the first week of August, Elliz and I have hiked this one, from Chamonix, 1040. to PlanPraz, 2000m. From here you can go to Le Brévent at 2525 m. During this stage we discovered a south-facing, far-reaching view over the Mont Blanc range. Truly impressive. Takes your breath away. One of the most exciting views in the area.

View from Le Brevent_PlanPraz trail at the Mont Blanc range - Aug 2009

In August it was our first day in Chamonix, and thought to take it easy. From a 50-mountain-walks-in-the-Chamonix-Mont-Blanc-range-guidebook we chose an easy-walk to PlanPraz. We chose this one, fully geared, with our day backpacks, Polar training computers activated - with heart and GPS sensors - and in high spirits. Starting from Chamonix centre (1001m) via the Chamonix-PlanPraz-Brevent station - not taking the cable cabin but walking straight up, we made our ascent. Up, and up, and up. After 10' our heartmeters were hitting the 130bpm mark. An easy walk? We should have stayed around 100bpm, or even below. Wow, if this was described as easy, what was waiting for us on the less easy trails?

The first half hour we walked through forest at the moutain slope, on a small path, sometimes just less than one meter wide, covered with stones, and water sparkling down, crossing our path. It was still going up, with soem steep and rather technical parts. The computer showed we were moving at a modest pace, making meters up gradually. However, our heartrates were still relatively high and we were sweating as running at 10km per hour speed. We were a bit mesmerized, however, determined to reach at least our goal, the station PlanPraz, not knowing that it was at 2000m, and thus still a long way to go. After two hours we had reached PlanPraz. After a ten minutes rest we walked down the trail, to Chamonix, thinking that this should be more easy than the ascend. We couldn't have been more wrong. After a few hundred meters our legs were trembling and burning. This took us more than one and a half hour. We were wasted.

Back in Le Vert hotel we discovered that this was one of the difficult and hard trails of the area! The rest of the week, the Albert I trail, the Plan de L'Aguille to Montvers - Mer de Glace were easy compared to this one ...

From Chamonix (1040m) to PlanPraz (2000m) - August 2009

Today the girls wanted to walk the Chamonix - PlanPraz - Brevent trail, but chose the PlanPraz - Col de Brevant stage, because of time issues, as they started rather late in the afternoon. Elliz was a bit relieved obviously. This would be an easy walk in the parc. Cause a hike as we had done in August, would have strained the team in many ways at this first day of the expedition.

So, they took the cable lift to PlanPraz, and walked up to Col de Brevent, at about 2525m, and back to the station PlanPraz. This was definitely a nice start, Elliz and Miriam were thinking, with big smiles at their faces.