Jairvan!

...or so I'm told is how the locals refer to the GR20.

The next adventure is to the island of Corsica off the coast of France.  Some time ago a piece of the Alps broke off from Europe and has been floating away ever since.  Along it's journey at sea, cheese and sausages were made, a French soldier invented the "short man complex" and a trail across it's spine was established.

Unlike my previous international travels, this trip over the pond will involve good and old friends alike meeting me along the way.

Aside from the most convoluted travel itinerary I've pieced together and a duffel of new untested camping gear that will inevitable be called upon to save my bacon, the normal anxiety is starting to seep in.

I leave a week from today and will do my best to share pictures along the way.  Here're a few I pulled from the web of the GR20.  

 Makes me wonder what pictures Europeans have of us that make them exclaim, "Americans!"

Munich & Oktoberfest

Mike's Bike Tour of Munich was good, felt rushed at times.  I'd recommend but possibly look for a smaller more personal tour first.  One day touring Munich wasn't enough but at least I had good weather.

Glockenspiel.

River surfing at a park in Munich (Eisbach).

A look from inside the Hofbrauhaus.

Augustiner beer tent. 

Inside Spatenbräu beer tent (not certain, but my best guess as to where this pic was taken).

Lowenbrau beer garden

Standing with the Paulaner horse drawn beer cart from the parade.

Outside Hippodrom beer tent.

Opening day of Oktoberfest.

Atop the Olympic Tower at night.

Oktoberfest was good beer with horrible weather.  Large crowds of people from all over the world; the best time I had was waiting in line to sneak into a beer tent.  All in all a good time, not sure if I'd go again without tent reservations.

Geneva & CERN

The tour at CERN was broken into two parts for me, the first began by unintentionally walking by a guarded gate and into the main campus.  After 30 minutes of walking around with my large and increasingly heavy duffle of camping equipment I thought it best to give myself up and make my way back to the front of the campus.  This "self tour" was uneventful and simply involved walking around buildings that seemed common above ground, not the Star Gate or holodeck technology I was hoping for.

The second half of the tour began at Building 33, the Registration Building and was simply comprised of two short films punctuated by a walk to the Atlas detector facility.  May sound boring and could have been more involved, but I had a great time and most certainly impressed.

Video from inside the Globe of Innovation.

Atlas detector

Inside the Globe

Outside the Atlas control room.

Geneva was interesting with several old churches.  In particular the cathedral of St. Peter.

Link to Geneva and CERN pics, via Picasa.

Chamonix R&R

Having arrived in Chamonix with more time than I planned, I ended up doing all the tourist stuff I could handle.  The cable car ride to the observation deck near the summit of Mont Blanc and the glacier tour was enjoyable.  I have reservations about recommending the glacier tour, which seemed like a tourist trap and isn't more than a 2 minute walk along a man made horse shoe cave into a once impressive glacier.  The pinnacle of the tour is at the crux of the tunnel when you meet a couple individuals selling pictures with a giant Saint Bernard dog for six euros.

Video from the top.

Video, (2nd) from the top.

Bits of French goodness (Meg Sheffer)

Glacier tour

Link to Chamonix pics, via Picasa.

TMB Day 7 (Fini!)

The room I was in last night was shared with a family of three children, none of whom cared to be laying down, motionless in the dark.  For some reason I found it funny, reminding me of my sisters and brother and was able to initially fall asleep.  What I hadn't accounted for was all the body heat being put off and I ended up laying in bed most of the night waiting for breakfast.  Once the family was awake and out the door, I was able to sleep...right through breakfast being served.  Normally not an issue, but as a result of all the non TMB hikers what was left on the tables were crumbs.  Crumbs that I gladly scooped up, even snagging the last banana and some bread for the trail.

Set out with no clear destination in mind, with the only objective of exploring Lac Blanc and finding the spot where the picture that sparked my interest several years ago was taken.  As a result of numerous chairlifts being open from Chamonix to the side of the valley where the TMB resides, the trails were crowded with families day hiking and what seemed like half the town.  With the perfect weather, I couldn't blame them.

With the potential of this being my last day of hiking I loittered around Lac Blanc and toyed with the idea of staying the night at the Refuge.  Having snacked and explored the trails surrounding these glacier colored mountain lakes, the overwhelming feeling of having accomplished the hike hit me.  I then decided to make for Les Houchea at the other end of the valley, the equivalent of another full days hike.  Completing the trail this night allowed me the opportunity to experience the tourist rides from the valley that had been recommended to me along the trail, such as the train ride to a glacier cave and the chairlift ride near the summit of Mount Blanc.  More interestingly, I'd have time to visit the CERN facility in Geneva while I was in the area.

The guide book I'd been following for this trail referes to today's hike as the most beautiful and I certainly thought the stretch leading up to Brevent had some of the best views of Mont Blanc and its surrounding cast of peaks.  Having reached the end of the alpine mileage, the best scenery or so I felt was near Refuge Elisabetta at the Val Veni on the way to Courmayer.

Video of Lac Blanc

The rest of the hike beyond Brevent was uneventful and as can be expected had to bring me back to reality with the trail leading through parking lots, along industrial fences and across highway overpasses.

Hang Gliders near Plan Praz

Video of Aiguilles Rouges

Arriving in Les Houches for the first time seven days ago, it felt like completing the circle by finishing the trail on a Sunday.

I arrived where I had originally stayed, stepping foot from the same doorway and starting the trail, Hotel Slalom only to find that the place was closed.  The thought of clean clothes and falling onto a bed after a shower is what kept me going for the last three hours.  Wanting to get off my feet I made my way to the next closest hotel.  Having been exhausted from the days hike and slightly frustrated at not having access to my clean clothes, the conversation with the non English speaking hostess at the new hotel and my non French speaking self ended with me saying, "I don't care, I just want a shower."  A low moment, but I attempted and felt that I made up for my rudeness when I returned after a shower and made a full hearted try at speaking the language.

As luck would have it, on my way to dinner I passed hotel slalom along the way and noticed a light on inside.  Coincidently, an employee had stopped by for a moment to do an errand.  I was allowed to get my bag and was informed that the back door access code I was given when I first arrived and then immediately forgot was for this reason.  Otherwise, the hotel was to remain closed for the week.

With my property now in hand and capable of continuing on with this trip, I sat down for one last meal in the cold mountain air.  Tonight, it was roasted lamb and a beer.  The last line in my guide book reads something along the lines of congratulations, you've completed the hike.  As my friend Bohannon would say, indeed guide book, indeed!

I'll have one last short post to sum up the hike and possibly a second, although I'm not planning to write anything about Oktoberfest.  Pictures to come, please forgive the grammatical errors.  It's embarrassing how much of a crutch Windows spell check and a boon Apples autocorrect is for me.

Before leaving Les Houches for Chamoix, I found a couple friends along the road.

Link to TMB Day 7 photos, via Picasa.

TMB Day 6

As I get closer to the end of the trail, I've noticed that refuges are more accessible by tourists making the evenings more impersonal and less of an opportunity of experiencing other cultures.  Tonight was comprised of mostly loud American tourists who were bused in, all intent on the world within arms reach.  I'd recommend avoiding Hotel de la Forclaz, possibly hiking the extra thirty minutes past to Trient.

Another late start, the climb up and over Col de Balme and Aig des Posettes are some of my last climbs in the alps.  The weather has been better than expected.  Today along with the hike back into my starting point, Les Houches is said to be amazing by my guide book and those hiking the TMB in the opposite direction.

The thought of only two more summits once I left Possettes made me linger at the top and take a snoozer laying out in the sun.  The hiked down toTre le Champs was uneventful.  Overall, today was easy and feel I could have finished by hiking all the way out if pressed.  Tomorrow I'll include a day hike to Lac Blanc on my way to the final refuge.  A picture of this lake started my interest in this hike some two years ago and wouldn't seem complete without a visit.

The refuge at Tre Le Champs is best described as a tree house from Never-Neverland.  Low ceilings, narrow hallways, all wooden material with few straight lines and bendy walk ways, there's a bed tucked away around ever corner and offset into walls.  Very interesting.  My room has the balcony, I expect traffic but am of the mind set that nothing can ruin today.

Swiss pic of a certified BA, traversing a glacier around 1943.  As pointed out to me by a couple of British gentleman: "...while the rest of the bloody world was at war." - Brit 1.  "Well what do ya expect Michael, he's Swiss."  - Brit 2.

Link to TMB Day 6 photos, via Picasa.