Day 11: Refuge de Bellachat
Today was the last day on the TMB. Since I completed the final climb yesterday, I only had the descent to Les Houches left today – essentially just the victory lap. The campsite where I stayed last night had a beautiful view of Mont Blanc. It was located quite high and exposed on the mountain, at an altitude of about 2200 meters, but the forecast did not predict bad weather, so I felt safe. I have been using the Meteoblue app to check the weather down here, and it has proven to be surprisingly accurate every day.
During the night, there were several ibex around the tent. At first, I thought it was people, but eventually, I heard it was animals eating grass. I got this confirmed a bit later in the night when I had to step out for an errand and almost walked straight into one. I don’t know which of us was more startled 😄 There were several wild goats grazing in the area. Outside, it was starry and very cold. I checked the temperature on the sensor; it showed zero degrees! I had to put on my Aclima base layer to get warm again in my sleeping bag.
A little after seven, I woke up to the sun warming the tent. I wasn't in a hurry today, and after breakfast was finished, I sat outside on a pad and enjoyed the sunrise while admiring the impressive mountain massif on the other side of the valley. Rockfalls and avalanches occur frequently higher up in the mountains due to the snowmelt, and I have heard the rumbling from this throughout the night.
Since it was the last night in the tent, I let it stay pitched until all the moisture had dried in the sun. That way, I won't have to hang it up when I get home. Activity is picking up in the campsite at Bellachat now, and several groups are already on their way up to Brévent.
At quarter past nine, I was ready to tackle the final part of the TMB. This is a long descent that mostly goes through dense spruce forest, and I estimate it will take about two hours to walk down to Les Houches. I stopped by Bellachat to fill up on water, but they don't have tap water there; however, I could buy bottled water. It’s not that far to the next water source, so I declined the offer. Half a kilometer further down, I passed a small stream where I filled both bottles. I used the water filter here, as I know the water comes from marshy areas where animals roam.
Halfway down through the forest, an elderly man was lying on the path, and what I assume were his wife and daughter were trying to help him up. They were on their way up to Bellachat when he experienced a drop in blood pressure and fainted. He was lying on the edge of the path, close to falling a few meters down to the trail that continued below. The daughter tried to push him further in from the side, while the wife stood on the other side pulling his right arm, but he was too heavy to move. I tried to help by grabbing his left arm, but then the wife shouted that I mustn't pull it. He had a fracture in his left arm and was wearing it in a sling. In the heat of the moment, I hadn't noticed. The man himself was dazed and had trouble speaking, but was clearly in pain when we moved him. We eventually managed to stabilize him so that he lay better further onto the path. I asked if they shouldn't call for help, but they didn't want to. They had just given him medicine and said he would recover in a bit. After assuring myself several times that they didn't need more help, I hiked on. Shortly after, I passed a very "sketchy" area where the path goes along a ledge in the mountain with a deep, steep gorge below. Had he fainted here, he would likely have been dead. Considering the injury he had in his arm, it is incomprehensible that they would set out on such a steep and long hike.
The rest of the trip, I walked through dense spruce forest and countless switchbacks. This is an uninteresting and purely functional stage with few viewpoints, and I almost felt sorry for those I met on their way up this route.
An hour later, I arrived in Les Houches and could walk through the archway that marks the starting point of the TMB. The circle is complete. I have now walked around the entire Mont Blanc mountain range. In total, I have walked 175 km and climbed 11,350 m. I have hiked almost all the variants, except for the first stage where I was missing insoles in my shoes.
It has been a strenuous and tough trip with hard climbs and equally steep and difficult descents. There have also been some days with bad weather. But at the same time, it has been fantastic to hike in the beautiful nature, enjoy the views from the mountain passes, walk through the cozy villages, and not least, meet all the wonderful people. All of this combined makes this an experience I will never forget.
Au revoir TMB! Maybe we'll see each other again 😊
Today's stage length: 7.8 km
