Trails and Tails

A shared shuttle will take you from Geneva airport to Chamonix – about a ninety minute journey. For those of you who arrive early, we’ll head out on an optional guided short afternoon run with our four-legged staff member, Izzy the Labradoodle. Before dinner, we’ll meet up in the beautiful garden of our hotel for an orientation briefing. Then, we’ll enjoy a delicious dinner in one of Chamonix’s many excellent restaurants.

After a buffet breakfast at our hotel, we’ll take a taxi down the valley to Les Houches to meet with Xavier Pauget and his search dog, Caramel. Xavier is one of the most friendly and enthusiastic people around, and has been training dogs for years. He’ll give us a demonstration of Caramel at work, and then we’ll learn from Xavier about Alps guardian dogs, which are used with increasing frequency, as wolves return to the Alps. In the process, we’ll learn how to interact with these specially-trained dogs.

Xavier’s dog Etel with his backpack, ready for action. (Photo: Xavier Pauget.)

In the afternoon, we’ll hop on the tram to take us up for a run along the ridge line above Les Houches, where mountaineers start their ascent of Mont Blanc.

Today, we’ll take the local valley train up to the village of Le Buet. From here, we’ll run a loop that reaches its high point at the Loriaz mountain refuge. We’ll stop for coffee and to shake paws with the hut dog, Nuptse, and take in the incredible Mont Blanc view. 

Nuptse, resident of Refuge Loriaz, with the Aiguille Verte mountain visible behind. (Photo Refuge de Loriaz.)

In the afternoon, we’ll say au revoir to Chamonix, traveling through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Courmayeur, Italy. This quaint town on the other side of Mont Blanc has a wonderful statue of a very special dog in the town center, with a unique story we’ll share with you while enjoying the evening passeggiata – a sociable walk through town enjoyed by Italians, and their dogs – before dinner out in one of Courmayeur’s restaurants.

Today it’s a fast-packing trip for our run into Switzerland – the hut is too remote for our bags to be delivered, so for tonight only, we’ll be carrying what we need for the evening. You’ll need to bring a sleeping bag liner for the night in the small dorm room – we will give you all the information you need in our “Aid Station” document, A Night at an Alps hut. We’ll be well prepared for the big run today thanks to Patrizia and Andrea’s breakfast of pastries and other treats at Hotel Bouton d’Or. Our route takes us on the rolling section of trail between the Bertone and Bonatti Refugios, two wonderfully positioned mountain huts. After climbing Grand Col Ferret, we’ll cross into Switzerland and descend to our rustic mountain accommodations at the La Peule farm.

We’ll learn about Guardian Dogs, or “Patou”, who grow up as part of the flock (Photo: Tumblr.com)

After a simple farm breakfast, we’ll head out on a wild route, leaving well-known trails behind. After a short descent into the Swiss Val Ferret we head up to the Fenêtre de Ferret, or window of Ferret, at the top of the valley. Here, at 2695m, we are on the Swiss-Italian border, and there should be great views into the Aosta valley in Italy and into Switzerland’s Rhône valley. From the high point it’s just a few kilometers to our overnight stop at Grand St Bernard Pass. We’ll check out the museum and soak in the history of this hospice, which was founded in 1050, and to this day is run by monks. And, of course, we’ll meet the famous St Bernard dogs that are raised here during the summer months. 

Tonight we stay in the cozy auberge, or mountain inn, across the road from the Hospice.

This morning we’ll take a shared taxi to the Roman town of Martigny in Switzerland’s Rhône valley. Here, we’ll visit “Barryland” the St Bernard dog kennels and museum named for the most famous of St Bernards. 

Four times a year there is a new litter of St Bernard puppies at Barryland in Martigny. (Photo: Barryland.)

From here, your guide will say goodbye and see you off on the train to Montreux. This town is famous for its annual jazz festival and is the perfect place to relax and take a swim in the lake. There are also plenty of running opportunities. Run the Alps will provide simple running route descriptions for the runs from Montreux. 

This evening you can either eat at the hotel, or head out to explore the town. It’s your choice. Whatever you do, be sure not to miss the statue of rock icon Freddie Mercury, a longtime favorite at the Montreux Jazz Festival!

Montreux town, on the shore of Lac Léman. (Photo: Helvetia.com.)

Today you’ll bid adieu to your Trails and Tails trip, taking a train directly to Geneva Airport, a scenic ride along the shore of Lake Geneva.