Tour du Mont Blanc was a completely different piece of European culture for me. meeting at a remote farm that had been turned into a thriving cafe serving great meals… flowers and cows (with vintage bells) picturesquely scattered throughout… and the enthusiasm of the corps. everyone is like family.
Since almost everyone is walking in the same direction (clockwise), you make friends with fellow hikers. It seemed like half the people on the trail were from the US and I met a lot of Seattleites.
And for the light of the campaign, the meals were very simple. just a sandwich from the hotel, maybe a carrot, a piece of fruit and water. But on reaching the summit in the afternoon, lunch was a marmot feast. (Speaking of marmots, we didn’t see any wildlife other than a few mice squished under hiking boots on the trail.)
