It was our final day on the TMB and it was supposed to be a short one. We started with a paltry breakfast, but decided to hit the trail early. It was only 8 km, but today was the day of ladders. There were lots of ladders going straight up a rock wall. We had experienced 2 ladders on day 1, but these were much more imposing.
Once we got through the ladders we could see La Flegere. We were an hour away from the cablecar into Chamonix. We saw a marmot on the way to the trail and when we arrived we found out the cablecar was closed for the season. The cablecar that we started on 10 days ago had been turned off.
Shocked, exhausted, and tired we sat at the La Flegere refuge to create a game plan.
While we had walked to the refuge I saw a professional looking guy walking around and I thought “that’s weird” but didn’t say anything. While we are sitting there, the cablecar started moving, but it was too late. The professional looking guy was clearly some sort of staff or an inspector but he was taking the cablecar down. If only I would have mentioned it to him, it would have saved us an unnecessary 2 hour descent into Chamonix.
We discussed walking to Plan Praz and getting the cablecar, but we decided to go down the mountain. We started off on the surface road, but we found it too difficult. These roads are not paved and have really big rocks, so we eventually found our way onto a wooded trail. We made our way to Chamonix and stopped for lunch and refreshments at a charming spot called Chalet de la Floria.
After our rest we walked for another hour and found ourselves in Chamonix. The town was much quieter than when we had left on the final day of the TMB. We stayed in the nicest hotel in town. It is called Grand Hôtel des Alpes and it was amazing. Naps, showers, and sauna made for the end of long trip.
We treated ourselves big on this day as it was both the last day and it was Samer’s birthday. We started off with some good drinks at MOÖ barcuisine and then went to Restaurant Rèvolâ and had a delicious meal.
Tips
Breakfast at Le gîte refuge la Boerne is unsatisfying, so be prepared to fend for yourself. I would ask for the earliest seating available.
Eat at Restaurant Rèvolâ.
Dining
Chalet de la Floria
MOÖ barcuisine
Restaurant Rèvolâ
Accommodations
Grand Hôtel des Alpes
Next: Tourist Day in Chamonix