TMB Day 8 - Champex to Trient

There are two options for the bus from Orsiéres up to Champex in the morning.  One is at 7:45am, the other is at 9am.  It takes about 20 minutes for the trip because it is a steep winding road with blind corners.  The bus has to go slow.  Taking the 9am bus would make our start from Champex at around 9:30am.  The hike from Champex to Trient is 18.5km and is supposed to take 5 1/2 hours.  But we've always found that the time given assume that you are a fast walker and does not stop to take pictures or breaks.  We'd usually add another 2 hours to the time.  So, if we start at 9:30am, we'd reach Trient at about 5pm.  Too late.

We decided we needed an early start and took the 7:45am bus.  The Hotel Terminus had to rush with our breakfast to get us out of the door to catch the bus.  I could've used another cup of coffee.  So, after getting off the bus at Lake Champex we passed a bakery and I had another shot of caffeine.  It's very important to be alert on the trail.  Besides caffeine it's utterly important to have a good night's sleep.  One mistake and you could fall and injure yourself.  That would be the end of your hike.

Our first target is the small hamlet of Champex d'en Bas, about 4km away.  It's an easy hike through the woods at first and eventually coming to a group of buildings making up the hamlet.

Mountain bikers gathering just below the ski life in Champex

This father and daughter team were driven around by the mother

Beautiful house in Champex d'en Bas

Early morning smoke coming out of the fireplace

Soon we are on the trail going uphill.  Our target is Alp Bovine, 5km away with a climb of 670m.  The numbers may not mean much to those who have not attempted this but it's quite a climb.  Your leg muscles are tested.  Even with the moderate temperature you are sweating.  If you have a heavy backpack you really regret it.  But the views are amazingly beautiful.  As you go higher you see the Rhone valley and the town of Martigny.

A cross on one of the mountain tops

A trail through the woods

More beautiful views

Stop to turn right to see more beautiful views

We started to see more varieties of mushrooms.  We also find wild blueberries and raspberries.  The climb never seem to end.  It's nice meeting other hikers along the way and chatting with them briefly.

Beautiful blueberries

Tasty raspberries

This colorful mushroom is probably poisonous

I won't touch this

Peaks and valleys

Another trail

Someone left a bathtub up in the mountains

Looking down in the Rhone valley and a little of Martigny

Another view of the Rhone valley

A panoramic view

 Soon we can see a few buildings, making up Alp Bovine.  We made a stop and see if we could order lunch.  But there was a long line, even going to the toilet.  That morning we had taken a couple of baguettes from the hotel in Orsieré.  We took them out, spread some jam on it, had some fruits and we are ready to go again.  Some hikers prefer to linger around, order a big lunch and some alcoholic beverages.  There were many hiking groups with their guides.  The beauty of hiking on your own is you set your own schedule, and go whenever you feel like it.

Approaching Alp Bovine

A big crowd in Bovine on a beautiful day

Looking back at Bovine

After lunch we are ready for a long 5.5km descent to Col de la Forclaz.  It's a drop of 470m.  With a full tummy and rest we are energized.  We were coming down the mountain fast, passing many other hikers.  There was no reason to hurry but we felt comfortable going fast.  Then we saw the small town of Col de la Forclaz.  There is a fairly good-size hotel there and some shops.  We stopped to use a public toilet, commonly called WC, which stands for "water closet."  Doris had a yearning for a bottle of coke so we bought one.  Then we are off to our stop for the day - Trient.

Souvenir store and mini-mart in Forclaz

Looking down at the town of Trient, from Forclaz

Wooden bridge to take you around the mountain

Trient, as we are coming down the mountain

 We finally came down the mountain, cross the road and walked into the town of Trient at about 3pm.  We asked directions to the L'Auberge du Mont Blanc, a 4-story building bustling with hikers.  Another auberge next door is the other option to stay in Trient.  Our dinner and breakfast are included here.  A few days ago we were told via email, that they are giving us our own room.  I can't be HAPPIER.  Some people were told that you have to book a year in advance to get your own room.  Our tour company did a wonderful job pushing to get us our own room.  We wanted a "comfy" trip, I told them.

For dinner we were given a choice of fondue or rice with pork and vegetables.  We picked one of each so that we can taste each other's food.  This is the Swiss version of fondue, which is sometimes called raclette.  Instead of dipping your meat, potatoes, or bread into a pot of cheese, you pour the melted cheese onto your potatoes and bread.  It was a communal long table of about 12 people.  Soon everyone is in bed.  Another long day lays ahead of us.

Ice cream with a Swiss flag

Auberge du Mont Blanc