July 17: Argentiere to Trient, via Col de Balme

Distance: 9 miles
Ascent: 4,300 ft
Descent: 3,700 ft


Pass: Col du Balme - 7,231 ft


This was the first day of our hike.  According to the guidebook (Chamonix to Zermatt, Kev Reynolds) this was supposed to be an easy warm-up day.  I'm still not sure what it was that was supposed to be "easy" about hiking 9 miles and ascending over 4,000 ft with a 25 lb. pack.  In retrospect, and as the days got more difficult, we did look back and feel the day was less demanding: however, at this point, we were still a few days from being "in the groove" and the day's hike was pretty exhausting.


The hike was also amazing as we went through some very nice Larch Pine forests and crossed a pass that provided a spectacular view of the Mt Blanc Massif and the Chamonix Valley - the kind of view that makes a tough day totally worthwhile!  There was a little cafe hut at the top of the pass where we stopped for a drink and to split some French fries.  The Col du Balme pass is the French-Swiss border.


Mt Blanc and the Chamonix Valley, as seen 
from the Col du Balme.


This is the town of Trient (the whole town), with the 
Trient Glacier in the background.  There wasn't much going 
on in Trient, but it was a fine place to sleep!




Michael getting situated in our bedroom - 
our first introduction to the hiker's dorms.


This was the only place to stay in town: fortunately, it wasn't full as only 16 of 20 beds were occupied.  The accommodations were a bit crowded for the first two nights of the Haute Route as this section overlaps with the more popular Tour du Mont Blanc.  We shared dinner that night with a young Israeli couple and an older Dutch couple -- cheese/tomato fondue over small boiled potatoes.








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