Day 9: ...Col du Bonhomme & Col des Fours...

New week, good weather! The Mont Blanc mountain was kind to us after the first test in cool rain, which we passed bravely. After a sufficient breakfast at the hotel and packing the still partially wet clothes, we set off towards 'Notre Dame de la Gorge'. We took the traditional route of the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB, counterclockwise) through the valley. There is also an alternative route that is 600-700m higher. However, since we still had a decent distance ahead of us, we took it easy.

After passing the many sports and leisure facilities of Contamines, we reached Notre Dame de la Gorge. And then the mountain climbing began: from 1210m up to 2329m (Col du Bonhomme). We enjoyed great views in very good weather! Just before the Col du Bonhomme, the first goal of our second day of hiking, we were greeted by relatively dense clouds and a small glacier (snow field). So we stood high up in shorts and t-shirts (one gentleman also wore open-toed sandals) and trudged through snow and ice. It was somewhat surreal, but we enjoyed the change!

We took a break at the mountain pass of good people after the quite demanding ascent, which stretched over 8 km. The total distance on the previous day was about 10 km, by the way. The weather was again magnificent, so we decided to hike the route classified as black category over the Col des Fours to our accommodation Chalet des Mottets. In numbers, this meant: Another 9 km, 350m up and 800m down. We reached the mountain pass at 13:30h, starting from the small church in Gorge at 9:15h. The route over one of the highest points of the TMB added six hours on top, and we arrived at the Mottets mountain hut with a 30-minute delay, where breakfast (6:30h to 7:30h) and dinner (19h, very tasty!) were served at fixed times.

The climb up the Col des Fours on often slippery ground was worth it, we were rewarded with a breathtaking view. We also observed eight cute marmots, while descending along lush green meadows with numerous different flowers. Just before the mountain hut, by the way, there was another 100m climb, and honestly, this ascent was definitely not a 'welcome change', as our hiking book wanted us to believe. We struggled through these last few meters to the hut, hoping to still get dinner despite the delay, and yearning to rest our battered bones in a cozy bed! Tough but heartwarming, exhausting but beautiful; this is how you could briefly summarize the stage.

In addition to a few mountain bikers, day tourists hiking, and joggers(!), we encountered several Asian groups on the way and in the mountain hut, who often did the TMB with luggage service. After a mountain motivation kiss, an Asian man yelled 'Bravo' to us, presumably because we both looked very happy :))