Tour du Mont-Blanc: Thunder, Lightning, Snow, Ice, Sunshine– and Mobile Cow Milking!

Despite being first time visitors to the Alps, the team quickly adapted to the life on the trail. Sierra, Adam, John, Janine, Sara and Chuck took the multiple challenges in their stride during this trail run around Mont Blanc.

Setting out from Chamonix under apocalyptic skies, their positive energy proved more than a match for the thunder, lightning and torrential downpours. A brief lull in the swirling storm got us over the Col de Tricot, which proved a lonely passage as we switchbacked our way down to the safety of the Refuge de Miages in the mist below.

Despite the sometimes turbulent weather conditions, smiles never faded, photos rarely stopped and everyone looked out for each other for the entire trip. Even when enduring the surly efforts of a certain Italian waiter in Courmayeur!

There was also a steady flow of banter that is “best left on the trail” but remains for me – many chuckles later – among the trip highlights. Every corner we turned was met with fresh curiosity and an eagerness to explore.

A Farmer’s View

Guests on our Run the Alps trips come from a wide range of backgrounds, but this is the first time we’ve had a farmer join us. A beef and maple syrup farmer, Adam won his place on the trip through Trail Runner magazine, after running over 500 miles in just a few months. A more fitting prize winner would be hard to find, as Adam seized every opportunity during the trip. He made frequent side trips to explore nearby viewpoints, examine mobile milking stalls and farmer’s sheds, and posing with the herds we frequently encountered en route!

Making the Trip

A huge thank you to everyone on this trip for making it so memorable and enjoyable. Completing a trail run around Mont Blanc is a great achievement in itself, but it’s the shared moments with good people that really make it special.

It’s a huge privilege to work as a guide, and even more so with the groups we have on Run the Alps trips. We’re here to show you the way, and without fail every group has made the most of the opportunity to appreciate what they’re shown. As we paid our respects at Notre Dame de la Gorge before setting forth into the high mountains, it seemed fitting to quote from one of the great appreciators of nature:

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.

– John Muir, The Mountains of California