Tour Du Mont Blanc – Arrival In Les Houches & Day 1

Tour Du Mont Blanc – Arrival In Les Houches & Day 1

#camping #backpacking #hiking

🏔️ *Tour du Mont Blanc: A Journey of Resilience* 🏔️

The Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) is one of the world’s most iconic long-distance hikes, covering roughly 170 km (105 miles) and passing through France, Italy, and Switzerland 🇫🇷🇮🇹🇨🇭. With its jaw-dropping alpine scenery, challenging terrain, and the chance to experience three different cultures, it’s a true bucket-list adventure for hikers everywhere. 🌍✨

From the excitement of planning our itinerary to balancing elevation gains with manageable distances, the adventure was mapped out to perfection. We mixed camping, refuges/refugios, and hotels for optimal rest and recovery—but no amount of planning could prepare us for what was to come.

On night one, I fell ill, and the struggle began. Stopping at Refuge de Miage, nestled in a beautiful valley, I had zero sleep. The early start for day 2 was a no-go, and by 9am, I was barely able to pack my bag. The kind owners saved breakfast for me, but I couldn’t face eating with the climb and miles ahead.

Our itinerary had us hiking 15 km (9.3 miles) that day, but I barely managed the 5.5 km (3.4 miles) from Refuge de Miage to Les Contamines-Montjoie—over 100m of ascent and 650m of descent. My sickness turned into severe heartburn and what appeared to be cholecystitis. While I tried to sleep, Gemma went into town for medicine. Despite most places closing over lunch, she bumped into a physician who kindly offered support and gave her anti-sickness tablets and Pepto-Bismol, which I could take with the equivalent of omeprazole. All I managed to eat that day was a watermelon 🍉 Gemma brought back from the supermarket.

On top of all this, we faced *unprecedented weather conditions for September*—below-zero temperatures 🥶, torrential rain 🌧️, and extreme winds 🌬️, testing us in every possible way. But through all the challenges, we kept going, supporting each other every step of the way ❤️.

✨ Get ready for our YouTube documentary! 🎥 Watch as we power through each stage of the Tour du Mont Blanc, battling sickness, braving the weather, conquering mountain passes, and celebrating every victory 🏞️. Stay tuned for all the epic moments! 🙌🔥

#TMB #TourDuMontBlanc #HikingAdventure #Cholecystitis #HikingRecovery #MountainResilience #RefugeDeMiage #LesContaminesMontjoie #ExtremeWeather #Trekking #Wilderness
#BucketListAdventure #youtubejourney

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