Bill Grabert's Tour du Mont Blanc 2024

  Beautiful hike today.  I had a few good learning experiences taking some wrong turns but all turned out fine.  It was mostly decent though super green alpine forest and seeing huge mountains overhead  It was a nice, not too hard way to start my Tour du Mont Blanc. Sun just hitting Mont Blanc from my bus ride from Chamonix to Les Houches where I caught a cable car up Please support Tuleyome with this link It was pretty warm and I need to remember to drink more water.  I was certainly sweating a lot today.  That made it extra nice when I arrived at my hotel and saw it had a swimming pool!  It was tempting to see what the water was like in several rushing creeks I crossed but there were stern warning signs pasted saying that the water could rise very quickly due to dam releases and glacial calving. I’m starting to meet people so that’s fun, Eric & Cathy from Anchorage, Brent & Linda from Vancouver, Kate US Military in Germany. Right before I sta...

Tomorrow, the TMB! Back in Geneva I bought a nice Swiss rail pass for 1/2 price tickets, however today I went to France. That means changing trains at the border and using a different currency.  The exchange rate is so close to 1:1 (the Swiss franc is slightly more valuable than the Euro at the moment) that French border towns are happy to take francs and give change in euros.  Light from green stained glass in the Lausanne cathedral  I had a nice afternoon and evening in Lausanne yesterday. The Rick Steve’s guide book calls it a “3 dimensional city”. I found out what that means. Not only is the city built on a steep hill rising from the lake, but it’s also built in deep ravines spreading inland from the lake. When you look at a flat map and see two roads crossing you have no idea that one road is at the bottom of a ravine and another is a couple hundred feet above it on a bridge!  It was very fun to walk around though.  Support Tuleyome here .  Lausanne...

I extended my stay in Genèva a day so that I could see my friends Carmen and Rich for the afternoon and evening. They live in London and they happened to be on holiday in Geneva the same time as me. We  had a nice crepe dinner, ice cream and a walk along the lake. I visited them in London after my Camino in 2022 and it was great to see them again.  Before they arrived I had a very nice walk past lots of UN buildings, through the Botanical Garden, along the lake shore, and exploring the old part of the city. BTW, I  achieved my Tour du Mont Blanc training goals. After 200 miles and 25,000 feet of climbing since July 1, I’m not counting anymore. I start the hike in 2 days!  Please still consider supporting my hike with a donation to Tuleyome here . Carmen and Rich in Geneva The next morning I took a train to Lucerne (Lucerne here's). Lots of green countryside on the way to Lucerne.  Lucerne is in the German speaking part of the country and is also on a beautiful l...

  At the Sacramento airport (notice the  Tuleyome  travel T) I’m in Switzerland!  I arrived yesterday with no problems with one tiny exception. When I was sitting down waiting for my first flight I noticed that the strap on the backpack I was planning to use for 100 miles of hard hiking was literally holding on by a thread!  A $5 airport sewing kit and some sloppy sewing fixed that right up.  I think I’ll carry the sewing kit with me though… Before  After After arriving in Genèva I did lots of walking around town in a jet lag haze but it was interesting. The hotels give tourists a city bus pass for the length of your stay. That also includes some nice boats that cross the lake from one part of the city to another   I’m pretty sure that’s Mont Blanc in the distance. It looks pretty intimidating! The famous water jet in Lac Léman, Genèva Today’s hike.  Cable car up to Mont Salève (actually in France) And hike back down to Genèva . 

  Half Dome Sunset from the Backpacker's Campground in Yosemite Valley August 11, 2024.   My Tour du Mont Blanc training hiking this past week was special.  I've always wanted to hike to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.  I've seen it from the bottom many times, but not from the top.  This last week I finally did it together with my son, Nick, who turned 28 while we were there. For people who are new to my Tour du Mont Blanc blog, please take a look at my very first blog entry on July 1 for an explanation. I'll start with my training totals since July 1, 2024 Distance hiked: 189 miles (305 km) (goal 200 miles) Ascent hiked: 28,671 feet (8,739 m) (goal 30,000 ft) Several months ago I got a permit to hike Half Dome on August 13.  Many people do the full 15 mile, 5,700 ft. ascent round trip in one day, but I decided to get a wilderness permit for a night in Little Yosemite Valley, about half way to Half Dome.  An additional benefit of ...