29th Aug 2013: Tour Du Mont Blanc Day 7

Today, we have 2 options on the menu, the easy route, or the more scenic, but according to our TMB bible (by some Cicerone guy) the most difficult stage of the TMB with some 1200m elevation gain and loss (ascent is more due to some undulations in the terrain). The latter option also matches the col des fours attitude at 2665m (day of downpour).
Needless to say that despite all our minor ailments, we opted for the more hardcore option, which is only to be attempted in clear weather conditions, because otherwise extremely dangerous due to nature of the terrain.

As usual by now, we start at the lower altitude in the woodlands, crossing several streams and as we progress upwards, we emerge out of the forest, and the view opens up. However, the particularity of this hike, is that the landscape becomes more barren, and the gravely terrain turns into a boulder field towards the summit.

Short Flat section before the Killer Ascent...!!!

Yes, we are climbing all the way up there, towards the small dip...

The climb is relentless, but the views not really all that spectacular. We are surrounded by mountains, some covered with patches of snow, but nothing that we have not seen already. I guess the level of our expectations must have gone up during this trek.

The pitch of the slope also increases as we approach the summit, and the boulders pose significant technical challenge in terms of feet, body and trekking pole positioning. On several occasions, the weight of my rucksack nearly pulled me backwards, which would have meant seriously injury, if not worse.

Midway through, I feel a sharp pain on the Palm of my right hand. I was pushing so hard on the trekking poles that the skin just sheared without warning. Nothing can be done, but adjusting the way I grip the pole. I also lose some pushing power as a result.

Pic taken after the end of the TMB... 

The last section of the climb, also the steepest, involves trudging on extremely loose gravel. I hear Jeff's boots slipping on several occasions, but I'm too focused on my own path to worry about him. And then bang, the gravel below me gives way, and I slide for a good 80 cms before grinding to a precarious stop. Slowly get my limbs anchored to comparatively stable ground, before I get up and resume the climb. Very close call...!!!

Walking on snow...:)

TMB markings on the rocks to the Bottom left...

Reach the summit of la Fenetre D'Arpette, where we are greeted to amazing landscape, completely different to the dry arid lands from the ascent side. Remains of the Glacier de Trient to the left, mountains to the right, and a green luscious valley in the middle. We speculate that the clouds drop all their moisture on that side of the mountain, and by the time they reach the opposite, there's not much to irrigate the land.

Summit...!!!! :)

Glaciers to the left

We don't stay long at the summit, because of the extremely cold wind, and continue our route downwards. Jeff quickly leaves me behind as I snap away, and soon, he's out of sight. Nothing to worry about, there's only one way, and it's down...!!!

I come across several hikers coming in the opposite direction, all sweaty, out of breath and face distorted by the effort. Is that how we looked going up? :P
At some point, all the hikers I cross start to query about my knee. Jeff was worried that they were not holding up to the pounding, since I had gone missing, and had asked them to check up on me. Knee was actually not bad. The bandage strapping, doubled with standard knee tube supports were doing a great job at providing the required support. (The tight strapping caused problems of their own, but that's for another post)
This was the signal for me to speed up, and I catch Jeff soon after, who was waiting for me lower down. The terrain from there on is not very technical, but there are some tricky bits. Snap away again a couple of pictures, and catch up with Jeff, who I see sitting down almost motionless, whilst grabbing his left foot. Sense something fishy happened and when I query him, he says he twisted his ankle, and was not sure of the extent of the damage.
On one of the tricky sections, Jeff's left boot had lost grip on an inclined smooth rock path made slippery by a trickle of water.
After wiping some cuts and bruises with a wet handkerchief, he removes his left boot, to uncover a bulge of the size of a ping pong ball hemisphere. We apply some very cold water to the bruised ankle for a few minutes to try to resorb the swelling, and I remove the bandage I had on my less busted knee to strap his ankle.
The problem we face now, is that we still have almost 600m of downhill to go, on broken terrain, and there's no one to provide assistance. I offload some of the weight from Jeff's backpack, which I transfer into mine, and he literally hobbles down the mountain, relying heavily on his trekking poles, to Chalet du Glacier, a small eatery in the middle of nowhere. I ask the lady in charge whether we can get assistance, but she replies that the place is not accessible to any vehicle, and that she, with her staff, carries all the supplies on their back to the chalet. Hands me over an ice pack which Jeff applies to his ankle, whilst I get some food and drinks.
A fellow hiker also had some ibuprofen gel, which Jeff applies before strapping the ankle again, and off we go to Trient, our destination for the day.

Back at the hotel, Swelling contained by the tight bandage straps...

Get some more ice from hotel Mont Blanc, where are staying, and I set off to the grocery store to get some bandages to replace the one I gave to Jeff, and drugs, since there are neither pharmacy nor hospital in the tiny village of around 100 inhabitants. I get bandages, and freeze spray for sports injuries, but no drugs since only pharmacies are allowed to dispense those.

Start chatting with the owner of the store, a retired truck driver lady, who had settled in Trient some 7 years back.
Amongst topics discussed, are outdoor activity related incidents. She informs me that there were 2 lethal cases in the last month alone. The first one was a Daredevil professional base jumper doing wing suit jumping (Jeff told me afterwards that the story made the news a few weeks back, and that the jumper was Mark Sutton, the James bond impersonator in the London summer Olympic games opening ceremony) who literally SPLASHED on the mountain. One of the locals was sipping a beer on his terrace and witnessed the accident!!!!!! Analogy that was used to describe the accident was over ripe tomato being projected on the ground at high very velocity.
The other case was a young (in her twenties) female local seasoned hiker who went for a walk near the glacier of Trient, which we came across during the day. When she didn't turn up to a scheduled
appointment the same day, the locals started looking for her. She was found only a week later, when someone from the search party noticed her backpack sticking out from under collapsed glacier debris. Wrong place, wrong time, she was crushed by a piece of glacier that had detached from way up the mountain.
Bottom line, shit happens to even the most careful and prepared. Damn you Murphy...!!!

Return to the hotel, to check out on Jeff. The ankle had swollen up even more, but Jeff stubbornly wants to carry on...ahem...!!! In my mind, that was plain impossible.
During this trek, his job was that of navigator.
My part was all French related communications, from asking for directions to translator. We had been doing so well, so far...What would happen of the dream combo?

Dinner in the company of many familiar faces and I retire to the dorms for an early nighter. We'll decide tomorrow morning the course of action, based on Jeff's ankle condition...

Menu:
Potage
Piggy with some sort of gravy
Vanilla ice cream outer with berry middle and Vanilla Center in the shape of a cross (like a Swiss flag)

Stats of the day:
About 23 kms (gps was behaving weird today)
8 hours 45 mins hike time
4300 kcal burnt

https://www.polarpersonaltrainer.com/shared/exercise.ftl?shareTag=9c6291aa847475dd2b88ea32190cc696

Champex 1466m
Arpette 1627m
Fenetre D'Arpette 2665m
Chalet du Glacier 1583m
Trient 1279m