Tour du Mont Blanc (Mont Blanc Circuit)
July 4 - July 20, 2014
Part One - Advance stay in Chamonix, France
Page Four - Montenvers
On July 7, our third day in Chamonix, we took a train from Chamonix
a short distance to Montenvers.
From the Montenvers station (end of the rail line),
we saw
La Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice), the largest glacier in France.
To the right is Aiguille des Grands Charmoz.
Sharp spire to left of summit is Aiguille de la Republique.
Climbers at Montenvers Station getting ready to head
to the Sea of Ice Glacier
Aiguille des Grands Charmoz. Left of summit is Aiguille de la Republique.
Closer view
Mer de Glace completely covered by boulders and debris.
We took a cable car down from Montenvers station to a stairway
that leads further down to the Ice Grotto
on the Mer de Glace glacier.
Jeff standing below sign that shows where Mer de Glace
Glacier was in the year 2000
Looking up at the stairway leading up to the cable car station
Inside the Ice Grotto. The grotto was created in 1946 to
generate tourism. Each year it takes 4 months of hard labor
in cold and uncomfortable conditions to dig and carve
the grotto. Picks and shovels are used to shape the rooms,
and 800 tons of ice are removed on sledges. Then ice artists
shape the grotto, decorating it with furniture and accessories.
Pat inside the Ice Grotto
The famous Les Drus in the background, also known as
the Aiguille du Dru, another mountain in the Mont Blanc massif.
It is a famous climb.
In August 1955, the Italian climber Walter Bonatti
climbed a difficult solo route on the south-west pillar. This route –
like many on the west face – no longer exists owing to rockfall.
We hiked all the way up to the Montenvers station from the
the Ice Grotto, taking the
stairway back up to the cable car station,
then hiking a trail
back up to the train station.
Little girl who was in front of Montenvers station
Flowers on a trail we took from nearby Montenvers Hotel
Heavy clouds started to surround us creating this view of the Aiguille Dru.
We continued hiking on this trail until we decided to turn
around due to the pending storm
View of the Aiguille Dru from the hotel area
Back in Chamonix after taking the Montenvers train back, we saw this snail
on our walk back to our hotel. The next day, July 8, we hiked the trail to
Montenvers that starts from Chamonix near the train station to
Montenvers. It was cold and rainy all the way, and I took no photos on our 4th day
of hiking before our guided hiking started July 9.
So actually we ended up
hiking 14 straight days, including our pre trip and the guided tour.
Link to Part Two - Tour du Mont Blanc - Chamonix, France to Courmayeur, Italy
Link to Page One of Part One - Advance stay in Chamonix
Pat's Home Page